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Federal Appeals Court upholds Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors
A Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors will remain in place after a ruling from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The state law — which went into effect on July 1 — bans doctors from providing medical care, like puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries, to transgender children. Tennessee Republican lawmakers made passing […]
List of groups spending $1 million or more in Tennessee politics grows to 193
This story was last updated on Oct. 26, 2023 Over the past 15 years, 193 companies, associations and other groups have spent at least $1 million trying to influence Tennessee’s politics. Earlier this year, the Lookout published the initial parts Cash for Clout series examining money’s influence in Tennessee politics, including a donations database and list of […]
Census data shows Tennessee poverty rates fell but stagnated compared to the national average
Tennessee’s poverty rates fell at roughly the same pace as in the rest of the United States, data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week showed. For the past decade, Tennessee has seen a fall in its overall and childhood poverty rates often outpacing the U.S. average. But in 2022, that changed as the […]
Three-judge panel rules against the state on Nashville Fairground Speedway voting law
Tennessee Republican lawmakers lost another legal battle with Metro Nashville’s lawyers. A three-judge panel ruled that state-forced changes around the votes need to approve renovations at the Nashville Fairground Speedway violated the city’s right to determine its own laws. “When the state government is guilty of egregious overreach, regrettably our only option is to seek […]
Lobbying groups spent around $35 million to influence Tennessee lawmakers during the first half of 2023
Tennessee’s lobbying sector is doing just fine. From Jan. 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, groups spent a combined $35 million on lobbying activity, according to filings released by Tennessee Registry of Election Finance earlier this week. It’s nearly $4 million more than groups spent during the same period in 2022, and a 66% rise […]
Election map: 2023 Nashville mayor race looks like 2020 Presidential election
Nashville’s mayoral runoff election turned into a classic Democrat versus Republican race despite being classified nonpartisan. The August general election effectively served as a 12-person party primary, producing a known Republican in Alice Rolli and a more liberal candidate in Metro Council member Freddie O’Connell. O’Connell then fully embraced his Democratic Party ties in the […]
A bloody clipboard and biodiesel car: The story behind Freddie O’Connell’s rise to Nashville mayor
It didn’t take long for Nashville mayor-elect Freddie O’Connell to learn that even the best-laid plans can go astray. O’Connell, a former chair of Metro Nashville Transit Authority, scored his first electoral victory to the Metro Nashville Council in 2015, thinking he was joining at the perfect time. Nashville had just elected Megan Barry as […]
Freddie O’Connell wins Nashville mayoral election in landslide victory
Metro Nashville Council member Freddie O’Connell will be the fourth straight mayor to ascend from the city’s legislative branch to the executive seat after winning Thursday night’s runoff election. O’Connell grabbed 64% of the vote, while his opponent, former Republican strategist Alice Rolli, snagged 36%. A total of 114,103 people voted in the runoff. “We’re going […]
What is the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions hiding?
The Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions refused to release records related to consumer complaints, citing a five-decade-old provision in state law allowing the commissioner to block any record request. In August, the Lookout filed a public records request to see what banks, payday lenders and other financial institutions consumers are filing complaints about, only to […]
A new challenge to Tennessee’s abortion ban
Two doctors and three women filed a lawsuit against Tennessee’s abortion law, arguing it prevents the implementation of life-saving medical care. “Pregnant people in Tennessee have suffered needless physical and emotional pain and harm, including loss of their fertility,” said lawyers in suit’s filing documents. “These pregnant people are not imagined. They are not ideological […]
Taxpayers to pay $1B in interest on new Titans stadium, as team value spikes from project
In the span of one week, the Tennessee Titans team value increased $900 million, while the finalizing of bond documents show taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $1.1 billion in interest payments as part of the team’s new taxpayer-funded stadium. Metro Nashville issued $705.4 million in bonds for the stadium, estimating they’ll pay $837.6 […]
Appeals Court clears the way to allow Jewish couple to sue Tennessee for discriminatory adoption law
An East Tennessee Jewish couple can move forward with their lawsuit challenging a discriminatory adoption law passed by state lawmakers in 2020. The Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed a three-judge panel ruling that determined Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram did not have standing to sue the Department of Children’s Services. In January 2021, the couple was […]