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justin j. pearson

Two strikes, you’re out: TN House votes to ban spectators for reacting during session

Marianna Bacallao

January 16, 2025

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Spectators in the gallery booed Cameron Sexton as he was re-elected House Speaker. Now, Sexton will have the power to ban them from the House.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 114th Tennessee General Assembly, Cameron Sexton, Covenant School, gun control, gun reform, justin j. pearson, Justin Jones, protests, special session, tennessee house, Tennessee Three, tnleg, tnpol, William Lamberth

Gov. Bill Lee signs law requiring schools to out transgender students

Marianna Bacallao

May 7, 2024

Tennessee teachers may now be required to out transgender students to their parents, under a measure signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee. The legislation requires schools to alert parents if their child has requested to go by a name, or set of pronouns, that differs from their school forms.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Bill Lee, justin j. pearson, lgbtq, Mary Littleton, tnleg, transgender

Tennessee rolls back police reform passed after the death of Tyre Nichols

Marianna Bacallao

March 28, 2024

Police reform passed in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis police is now null and void. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a measure Thursday that prevents local governments from passing anything that would interfere with police stopping crime.

Filed Under: Criminal Justice, Politics, Race & Equity, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, John Gillespie, justin j. pearson, London Lamar, memphis, tnleg, Tyre Nichols

Tennessee poised to undo police reform Memphis enacted responding to Tyre Nichols’ death

Blaise Gainey

March 14, 2024

Legislation designed to undo police traffic-stop reform in Memphis is heading to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Joe Towns, John Gillespie, justin j. pearson, memphis, tnleg, tnpol, Torrey Harris, Tyre Nichols

Tennessee Republicans expand gun rights as advocates call for reform

Blaise Gainey

March 13, 2024

Firearms have become the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S., as calls for gun reform have grown louder. Here in Tennessee, Republicans in charge have ignored them.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: 11th General Assembly, firearms, gun reform, justin j. pearson, Moms Demand Action

House blocks Memphis police reform, blindsiding the family of Tyre Nichols

Marianna Bacallao

March 7, 2024

A measure that would roll back police reform in Memphis after the death of Tyre Nichols has passed the House.

Filed Under: WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Joe Towns, John Gillespie, justin j. pearson, memphis, tnleg, Torrey Harris, Tyre Nichols

Expelled Tennessee lawmakers were quickly reappointed last year. An advancing House bill would prevent a repeat.

Blaise Gainey

February 23, 2024

Several bills in the Tennessee House are attempting to prevent expelled lawmakers from making their way back into the legislature. One of them is headed to the House floor.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Darren Jernigan, expulsion, justin j. pearson, Justin Jones, tnleg, tnpol

New House rules for Tennessee’s legislative session could limit speech and silence lawmakers for speaking off topic

Blaise Gainey

January 10, 2024

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Each year, lawmakers vote on a rules package that lays out the policies and procedures that must be followed. In the past, approving rules was not contentious, for the most part. But the current leadership has made several changes limiting speech on the Tennessee House floor.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Cameron Sexton, Jason Zachary, John Ray Clemmons, Johnny Shaw, justin j. pearson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, tnleg, tnpol, William Lamberth

New Tennessee House policy limits public access to gallery, raises concerns

Blaise Gainey

January 9, 2024

The Tennessee General Assembly began its 2024 legislative session Tuesday. In the House, new procedures were put in place that limit the public’s access to floor hearings.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, Cameron Sexton, justin j. pearson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, tnleg, tnpol

Tennessee’s legislature made waves in 2023. Here’s a review of the year’s top stories in state politics.

Blaise Gainey

December 28, 2023

Tennessee politics got national attention in 2023. There were protests, expulsions, culture wars and one official’s interesting social media activity brought to light. Below is a list of some of the top events from the year.

Filed Under: Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: 113th Tennessee General Assembly, 2023 Year In Review, Abortion, book bans, Cameron Sexton, Covenant School, drag, drag show, gun control, gun reform, justin j. pearson, Justin Jones, Randy McNally, Scotty Campbell, special session, Tennessee Three, transgender

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