In a statement issued on May 1, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall asserted that Metro Nashville is exempt from newly passed legislation HB2219/SB2223, which requires sheriffs' offices to enter into agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as 287(g) partnerships. The Tennessean reports that Hall said the bill only pertains to sheriffs certified by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, a categorization that does not involve Metro Nashville-Davidson County. In related news, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Lindsay Graham, R-South Carolina, last week introduced the 287(g) Expansion Act to provide financial incentives for local governments to participate in the program, which allows ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement to identify and remove individuals in the country without legal status.

Late Friday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to begin Tuesday to consider redrawing the state’s congressional districts. According to the Nashville Banner, the move follows calls from President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to revisit the maps after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Lee said the legislature has a responsibility to ensure districts remain “fair, legal and defensible.” The proposal could target Tennessee’s Memphis-based 9th Congressional District, the state’s only remaining Democratic-controlled district, and would come after the qualifying deadline for congressional primaries has already passed. In a separate 2022 case, the Tennessee Supreme Court warned that delaying election timelines to accommodate redistricting could risk voter confusion and undermine the integrity of state elections, according to the paper.

Lawmakers are seeking to fill the late state Rep. G.A. Hardaway’s vacant seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives before the legislature returns for a special session Tuesday, the Daily Memphian reports. Hardaway, D-Memphis, died April 24, but his District 93 seat is not officially vacant unless Gov. Bill Lee issues a writ of election. Under normal circumstances, that action would trigger a special election if the next general election were at least 12 months away; however, because the next general election is in November, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners would instead vote to appoint a replacement per the state constitution, according to the paper. Hardaway represented approximately 71,000 Tennesseans in the state House.

This week brings the final installment of the Legislative Updates podcast for the regular session of the 114th Tennessee General Assembly. TBA lobbyists and attorneys Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC and Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin of Adams & Reese discuss the 2026 legislative session winding down, the possibility of a special session to redistrict the state's congressional map and a look forward to the 2026 election cycle. Tune in on the TBA website or through this link. Attorneys interested in supporting the TBA’s lobbying efforts may do so by contributing to LAWPAC. Late Friday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee officially called for a special legislative session to review the state's congressional map. Read more in a press release.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision yesterday that a 2024 Louisiana congressional map was unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered, Tennessee Republicans are calling for redistricting in the Volunteer State, arguing that the Memphis congressional district also was racially drawn. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-Cookeville, who both are running for governor, called on the state legislature to act quickly, according to the Daily Memphian. President Donald Trump posted on social media that he had discussed a special legislative session with Gov. Bill Lee, saying Lee “would work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw” in the state’s map. The state’s nine-seat U.S. House delegation consists of eight Republicans and one Democrat, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents most of Memphis and Shelby County. Cohen issued a statement criticizing the decision and held a press conference yesterday to address state redistricting. SCOTUSblog looks at the high court’s decision.

Tennessee became the second state in the United States to ban convertible virtual currency (CVC) kiosks, the Commercial Appeal reports. On April 13, Gov. Bill Lee signed HB2505, which imposes a sweeping ban on the kiosks. CVC kiosks have come under scrutiny for facilitating scams. Under the law, a virtual currency kiosk is an electronic terminal that facilitates the exchange of virtual currency for money, bank credit or other virtual currencies and may be connected to exchanges or hold digital assets directly. Supporters of the ban cite high rates of fraud associated with the machines. Criminals use cryptocurrency kiosks to quickly convert cash to digital currency, making it easier to move funds overseas and evade U.S. laws. Tennessee and Indiana are the only states to pass legislation fully banning CVC kiosks. Operating or owning one of these kiosks will be a Class A misdemeanor starting July 1.

CVS Health is threatening to sue Tennessee after both the House and Senate gave bipartisan approval to a bill requiring pharmacy benefit managers to divest from pharmacies they manage, the Tennessean reports. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are third parties that manage prescription drug benefits. Audits have found PBMs, including CVS Health, have unfairly favored affiliated pharmacies and shortchanged independent pharmacies. The FAIR Rx Act (SB2040/HB1959) would bar PBMs from managing pharmacies they own. Hospital- and employer-owned pharmacies are excluded from the bill. CVS, which owns PBM Caremark as well as retail pharmacies and insurer Aetna, said it may sue if the bill becomes law, and warned it could close its 137 Tennessee locations, eliminate jobs and reduce access to care. The bill now awaits the governor's consideration.

A bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly would expand the circumstances under which individuals can legally use deadly force to protect private property, according to NewsChannel 5. Supporters say HB1802/SB1847 empowers residents to defend their property, while critics warn it could blur the line between lawful self-defense and criminal behavior. Current law allows only reasonable force to protect property, defined as the minimum amount of physical action necessary to prevent harm. The legislation would allow deadly force in some cases, including if a person believes it is necessary to stop a serious crime. If Gov. Bill Lee signs the bill, it will take effect July 1.

Following federal reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous drug, Tennessee state Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, urged Gov. Bill Lee to call a special legislative session to consider legalizing medical cannabis, arguing that years of study and broad public support — surveys show that 81% of Tennesseans favor the move — make further delay unjustifiable. Powell framed the issue as one of compassionate care for veterans, cancer patients and other suffering Tennesseans, noting that 40 states already have established medical marijuana programs. Republican lawmakers recently voted to block an automatic state review that federal reclassification would have triggered, expressing concern about moving too quickly on cannabis policy. Marijuana possession remains a crime in Tennessee. According to the Tennessean, some Republicans have signaled openness to change as federal rescheduling shifts oversight toward doctors.

Legislation passed by both the House and Senate would limit the use of community bail funds, potentially affecting access to pretrial release for some defendants, according to MLK50. The legislation, HB1450/SB1708 sponsored by Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, and Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, was amended during legislative consideration to cap bail fund contributions at $5,000 per person and prohibit organizations from posting bond for the same individual more than once a year. Supporters say the measure is intended to protect public safety, while advocates argue it would disproportionately impact low-income defendants who rely on bail funds for release. The proposal comes amid reports of rising bond in Shelby County and broader changes to Tennessee’s bail laws in recent years, including allowing hearsay and prohibiting consideration of a defendant’s ability to pay in decisions to set bail.