The Tennessee General Assembly agreed Monday to ban newcomers from running for U.S. House and Senate seats and make the ban effective for the next election, the Nashville Post reports. The Tennessee House had preferred delaying the effective date until after this year’s election but the Senate argued it should go into effect immediately. Following negotiations, the House adopted the Senate language. If signed by Gov. Bill Lee, the measure could keep Trump-backed candidate Morgan Ortagus and music video producer Robby Starbuck from running in the state’s newly redrawn 5th Congressional District. Some have questioned the constitutionality of the measure since the U.S. Constitution specifically lays out requirements for congressional candidates, which do not include residency rules other than the candidate live in the state. In related news, Punchbowl News reported today that the Tennessee Conservative PAC is planning to fund a lawsuit to overturn the bill.

Chattanooga attorney Caldwell Huckabay this week qualified to run for judge in Hamilton County’s General Sessions Court, Division II, the Chattanoogan reports. According to his firm’s website, Huckabay previously practiced at Chattanooga’s Chambliss Law and later the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office before opening his own practice. “As a former prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office and, later, as a teacher here in Hamilton County, I have tried to make our community better and stronger,” Huckabay said in a statement.   

Three Republicans are seeking to fill the vacant House District 26 seat. Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Martin of Hixson, Shannon Stephenson of Harrison and David Swinford of Rivermont are all seeking appointment from the Hamilton County Commission, which will make a decision on March 30. Martin, who noted he’d been elected to serve the county as commissioner three times, said he will run for the seat even if he is not appointed. Stephenson is the CEO of Cempa Community Care. She says her experience helping with legislation at the state level to eliminate health disparities in the region makes her the most qualified candidate. Swinford owns a cattle farm and, alongside his wife, sells lesson plans and teaching materials to teachers. He said he has picked up paperwork to run for the seat, and is “90 % committed” to run. The seat was vacated by former Rep. Robin Smith after she pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud. Yahoo News has the story from Times Free Press.

Attorney Lee Brooks has announced he is running for judge in the 22nd Judicial District’s Circuit Court, Division III, Main Street Clarksville reports. Before earning his law degree, Lee served four years active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, served in law enforcement for 14 years and as a teacher for eight years. He went into private practice before taking a position as assistant public defender. Lee currently serves as an assistant district attorney in a neighboring district. Read more from him campaign website.

Five days after being removed from the ballot by the Davidson County Election Commission, Luvell Glanton has filed suit to be placed back on it, Nashville Post reports. The suit, filed this morning, alleges that the partisan nature of the commission’s vote (all Republicans voted to exclude him) was responsible for “usurping the Democratic Party’s exclusive control over its primary ballot and denying Mr. Glanton procedural protections.” The suit further alleges that the commission structured the hearings incorrectly, placing the burden of proof on Glanton to show why he should not be removed rather than on Jones to prove Glanton lived outside the county after Aug. 4, 2021. Glanton is asking for a temporary injunction to prevent ballots being printed without his name on them. He is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Eighth Circuit Court seat Jones was elected to in 2014. Also running is former Legal Aid Society attorney Lynne Ingram.

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles has announced he is running for the state's 5th Congressional District seat, the Columbia Daily Herald reports. Ogles won the Republican nomination for a second term as mayor in a January county Republican caucus and says  he will keep his hat in that race, relinquishing office if he wins the 5th District seat. Ogles said he is running to help Maury County continue its prosperity and maintain its freedoms. The recently redrawn 5th District includes all of Maury, Lewis and Marshall counties, and parts of Davidson, Wilson and Williamson counties.

Only four races on Montgomery County’s May 3 primary ballot are contested, including the race for county mayor, district attorney, Circuit Court Part I, and General Sessions & Juvenile Court Division II. Candidates in the race for 19th Judicial District include incumbent District Attorney Robert Nash, 23rd District Assistant DA Steve Powers and Assistant City Attorney Neil Stauffer, all running for the Republican nomination. Appearing on the ballot for judge in circuit court is incumbent Judge Amy Fry and attorney John Holt, both running for the Republican nomination. Attorneys Reid Poland and Eric Yow will vie to be the Republican nominee for judge on the General Sessions & Juvenile Court. Finally, Wes Golden will face Wallace Redd for the Republican nomination for county mayor. The county primary will take place May 3, with early voting running from April 13-28. Read more from Clarksville Now.  

Nashville activist and divinity student Justin Jones has announced he is running for the state’s District 52 House seat, the Nashville Post reports. Jones will run as a Democrat, joining Metro Councilmember Delishia Porterfield in the race. If elected, Jones says he would focus on fighting extremism, including extremism related to immigration. “People want to know how we are resisting these extreme bills,” Jones said. “It’s the same concerns, and I think people are united in that conversation.” Jones has frequently protested at the state legislature on behalf of voting rights, racial justice and other issues. He seeks to replace outgoing Rep. Mike Stewart.

Shelley T. Gardner has announced her candidacy for reelection as 15th Judicial District public defender, Wilson Post reports. A Wilson County native, Gardner earned her law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 2001. She joined the office in 2002, and in 2018, Gov. Bill Haslam named her public defender. Gardner’s campaign says she has handled more than 15,000 criminal cases in all five counties in the district and served as a member of the district’s Judicial Drug Court team since 2002. In other roles, Gardner serves as vice president and president-elect for the Tennessee District Public Defender’s Conference, and as a board member for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, announced yesterday that he will not run for reelection in 2022, the Nashville Post reports. “It’s hard to believe, but 10 years have passed since I first announced my candidacy in 2012, and it has been a lightning-fast decade,” Curcio wrote. Curcio, an insurance broker, represents District 69, which includes Hickman and parts of Maury and Dickson counties. He currently chairs the Criminal Justice Committee and has been vocal at the Capitol on criminal justice reform and changes to the state’s court system. “Serving in this capacity was a heck of a mountain to climb, and I now look forward to the next mountain,” he said. Democrat Valerie Sloan of Waynesboro is the only candidate to have registered with state regulators to run in the district.