TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 7, 2026

The Shelby County Commission will fund a lawsuit over a new state law taking authority over Tennessee's largest school district. During a meeting on May 4, a resolution from Commissioners Mickell Lowery and Matthew Szalaj to give $200,000 from the county’s general fund to Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) was approved on an 8-3 vote. The county chose to fund the lawsuit due to MSCS not being able to, the Commercial Appeal reports. The district already passed a resolution that allows MSCS to hire an attorney to challenge the legislation, but a new state law bars school districts from using public dollars to fight state accountability efforts. That prohibition was signed into law on April 21, the same day MSCS voted to hire legal representation to challenge the takeover.