Settlement blocks Tenn. law criminalizing officials voting yes to sanctuary city policies

Описание: The Tennessee law criminalizing local officials who vote in favor of “sanctuary city” policies will not be enforced after a court-approved settlement struck it down.

On Wednesday, Metro Council members Zulfat Suara, Sandra Sepulveda, Clay Capp, Delishia Porterfield, Ginny Welsch, Brenda Gadd and Terry Vo settled a lawsuit with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk.

As part of the agreement, a judge ruled that two parts of SB 6002/HB 6001 are unconstitutional and can't be enforced.

The two sections made it a felony for local officials to vote for certain immigration policies and required the Attorney General to seek their removal if convicted.

On Friday during a press conference, Metro Council members who filed the lawsuit celebrated what they call a victory.

"You cannot criminalize democracy. You cannot silence local leaders, and you cannot override the constitution just because you don't like the people that it protects," said Zulfat Suara, a Metro Council member-at-large.

Jeff Preptit is a Metro Council member who also served as legal counsel in the case, alongside attorneys with the ACLU.

“Local officials should not have to risk their freedom simply for representing their communities,” Preptit said.

"This is a significant victory for the American principles of free speech and self-government," said Council member Clay Capp.

The 2025 law in question was created on the heels of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Nashville. Officials say starting overnight Saturday, May 3 into the early hours of Sunday May 4, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE conducted around 150 traffic stops and arrested several undocumented immigrants, including violent criminals.

On May 29, 2025 Nashville was named a "sanctuary city" by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A few days later, DHS removed Nashville from the list.

https://fox17.com/news/local/settleme...

_______________
Follow! Like! Share! Subscribe!

WZTV on Facebook:   / foxnashville  
WZTV on X:   / foxnashville  

https://fox17.com

Email us: [email protected]
Call the Newsroom: 615.369.1717

Fox 17 provides local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment for Nashville and nearby towns and communities in Middle Tennessee, including Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Fairview, Dickson, Clarksville, White House, Greenbrier, Springfield, Gallatin, Hartsville, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Smyrna, College Grove, Thompson’s Station, Centerville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Manchester, McMinnville, Smithville, Sparta, Cookeville, Hohenwald, Waverly, Camden, Paris, Lafayette, Portland, and in Kentucky, Russelville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Alvaton, Scottsville, Hopkinsville, Glasgow.

#WZTV #fox17news #foxnashville #nashville #tennessee #tn #middletn #localnews #breakingnews #trending