The state of Tennessee yesterday filed an emergency motion to stay a lower court ruling that blocked the General Assembly's Senate redistricting map and ordered the chamber to submit a new map in 15 days. In the appeal, Attorney General Herbert Slattery argued that those who brought suit over the redistricting map unnecessarily delayed in doing so. The injunction issued earlier in the day Thursday could result in “electoral chaos," Slattery said, since it came less than 24 hours before the candidate filing deadline for Senate legislative elections. The court extended that deadline to May 5, the Tennessean reports. Tennessee Democratic Party-backed plaintiffs sued over the map in February, arguing that the legislature unconstitutionally numbered Senate districts nonconsecutively.

Rep. Eddie Mannis, R-Knoxville, announced this week that he will not seek reelection in District 18, the Tennessee Journal reports. The Knoxville businessman in a statement said the recent death of his father had impacted his decision not to run again. “I have heard his final words, “Follow your heart,” over and over in my head,” Mannis said in the statement. “It has been a very difficult decision, but I must truly follow my heart.” Mannis is the 10th Republican to retire from the state House. The Tennessee Journal has compiled a full list of all General Assembly members who are not seeking re-election.

A new episode of the TBA Legislative Updates podcast is now streaming with TBA Public Policy & Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin. Tune in for news on the Senate redistricting lawsuit ruling, updates on HB2438/SB2257 concerning revisions to the Uniform Arbitration Act, an update on the professional privilege tax and more! To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Tennessee Senate has two weeks to fix issues with its new redistricting plan after a ruling from a three-judge panel yesterday, the Tennessean reports. Three voters, backed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, sued over the Republican-led redistricting plan for numbering Senate districts nonconsecutively, a requirement included in the state constitution. The panel of judges will impose its own map for this year’s election should the Senate fail to fix the issues within 15 days. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said they expect to appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, who he hopes will “reach down and deal with it quickly because it does impact the filing deadlines and can impact the election." The lawsuit also challenged the House redistricting map, which the panel did not block on Wednesday but ruled should go to trial to determine if the court should take action against it.

Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Martin was officially sworn in as the newest member of the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday, Chattanoogan.com reports. He was appointed by the Hamilton County Commission on March 30 to represent House District 26, which includes part of Hamilton County. He fills a vacancy left by former Rep. Robin Smith, who resigned in March after being charged with wire fraud. Martin, who has also worked as a realtor and Hamilton County School Board member, holds a master’s and doctoral degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Legislation designed to shine more light on political actions committees and campaign finances passed its first committee in the state legislature yesterday, Tennessee Lookout reports. The Senate State and Local Government Committee unanimously approved SB1005, sending it to the Senate floor for full consideration. The House version of the bill has been delayed until next week in the Local Government Committee. Three key amendments accompany the bill: increasing the number of Registry of Election Finance members from six to eight, requiring copies of financial transactions of $1,000 to be filed with the registry, and requiring groups that engage in paid political communications within 60 days of an election to register as a political action committee. The news source has a full summary of the bill.

The Tennessee General Assembly last week honored outgoing Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate with a Joint House Resolution on the House floor. Rep. Andy Farmer, R-Sevierville, and Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, spearheaded the effort to create proclamation 672, which states Tate “is to be commended for her exemplary service as Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, and for her many years of honorable and astute service to the citizens of Tennessee.” Tate retired from her role with the AOC in February. “There’s no greater challenge and no greater honor than public service, and you are all truly public servants,” Tate said. The occasion was recorded and can be found on the General Assembly’s website.

A reduction in the state’s professional privilege tax on attorneys is part of Gov. Bill Lee’s budget plan released this week. Paired with a grocery sales tax holiday, the reduction would cut the annual tax lawyers pay from $400 to $300, Knox News reports. Eliminating the tax has been a top legislative priority for the Tennessee Bar Association and seven other professional groups, who argue the 200,000 people working as lawyers, doctors, lobbyists, investment advisors and stockbrokers are unfairly singled out by the tax. “It is very discriminatory in who it reaches,” Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, says of the tax, which he favors eliminating either all at once or over a period of time. House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, said he also favors the cuts. While the General Assembly considers these and other cuts, the TBA is continuing efforts to have the tax completely eliminated.

State Rep. Brandon Ogles, R-Franklin, says he will not seek a third term in the Tennessee House, TNJ: On the Hill reports. Ogles was elected in 2018 on a platform that included opposing school vouchers, but later became a key ally to then-House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and voted for the voucher measure in a controversial 50-48 floor vote in 2019. In a tweet, Ogles said he now has been offered “an opportunity to be an advocate for victims of violent crimes.”

Former Department of Correction Commissioner Tony Parker is concerned that the truth in sentencing bill now moving through the state legislature would make it harder to incentivize positive behavior and programming inside our prisons. WPLN radio in Nashville looks at the criminal justice bill (HB2656 / SB2248) and analyses what it would mean for the state, its prison population and crime victims.