Legislature constantly embroiled in litigation

Published by the Tennessee Lookout, Reporter Sam Stockard – June 7, 2023

Under Republican Gov. Bill Lee and supermajority GOP control, Tennessee is tied up in a wide range of legal battles, some on hot-button social questions and others that are reshaping the state’s relationship with local governments, mainly Metro Nashville.

In his fifth year as governor, Lee is no stranger to lawsuits and considers the sprawling list of cases the cost of doing business. 

“It’s what happens in government,” Lee says. “You pass laws, sometimes they’re challenged, sometimes they’re upheld. It’s kind of par for the course for what happens in government. That’s what happens in Tennessee as well.”

The Legislature’s critics, mainly Democrats, point out, though, the governor and the Legislature have a tendency to “pass lawsuits” instead of bills.