Tag Archives: State: Tennessee

Associated Press: “The Tennessee Municipal League says it may discuss repealing or modifying a new law it believes sets the stage for legal challenges to multiple state statutes and local ordinances that interfere with professed religious beliefs.”

OneNewsNow: “A Tennessee school district will no longer discriminate against Christians advertising events such as See You at the Pole and the National Day of Prayer. Parents wanted to put up posters about the events in the Wilson County schools, just as other organizations — such as the Boy Scouts — were permitted to do. Jonathan Scruggs, an Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney, explains what happened.”

CitizenLink: “A school district near Nashville, Tenn., has agreed to allow religious speech on student-made posters . . . ‘We’re glad that the school acknowledged the constitutional right of these children and these parents and decided to respect their freedoms to express their views just like anyone else,’ said Nate Kellum, senior counsel with ADF.”

“In March, Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against the district after school officials had censored the word ‘God’ from student-made posters promoting National Day of Prayer and See You at the Pole events.”

First Amendment Center (AP): “A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the public school systems in Knoxville and Nashville over access to gay Web sites after a settlement was reached. . . . The ACLU said the two school systems have agreed to stop using filtering software that blocks those sites.”

Knoxnews.com: “A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former Anderson County High School student over his wearing Confederate flag symbols.”

How Appealing links to the ruling in: Defoe v. Spiva, No. 3:06-CV-450 (E.D. Tenn. Aug. 12, 2009)

Tennessean.com: “Nashville attorney Jane Branstetter Stranch has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become a federal judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals . . . She has taught labor law at Belmont University and served on the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee.”

The Tennessean: “‘It was all about having a proper balance when it comes to religious expression,’ said attorney Nate Kellum with the [Alliance] Defense Fund, which filed suit in March on behalf of the families.”

VolunteerTV.com: “Planned Parenthood already has a Knoxville location, off Kingston Pike. But the company is planning a new, expanded location on Homberg Drive in Bearden. Members of several churches and neighbor groups have come together to oppose the building.”

Christianity Today Her.meneutics Blog: “Many states, including Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Arizona, have laws in place that provide economic incentives for couples who attend a specified number of hours of marriage education.”

AP: “Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander said he was voting for President Barack Obama’s nominee despite his differences with her, particularly on gun rights.”

Newschannel5.com: “Hermitage Church of Christ host a pre-school and daycare. Church members are angry that Venus Erotica has opened nearby on Lebanon Road.”

Out & About reports: “Nashville’s Metro Council has passed on first reading an ordinance filed by at-large Council member Megan Barry that would add gender identity and sexual orientation to Nashville’s current non-discrimination clause for Metro employees. The vote was 24 to 9.”

LifeSiteNews: “Tennessee legislators passed a law Thursday that threatens to strip Planned Parenthood of over $1 million in federal grant funding. Under the new statute, local community health clinics will be given priority for Title X family planning funds instead of Planned Parenthood.”

Wall Street Journal: “Under Tennessee’s old version of this plan, commissioners were chosen from lists submitted by various legal special interests including the Tennessee trial lawyers association, the district attorneys general conference and the Tennessee bar association. Under the new system, all 17 members of the Judicial Selection Commission would be picked directly by elected officials, rather than by the lawyers groups. The change should reduce the power of a professional guild to control state jurisprudence and reintroduce accountability through elected officials.”

Kate Howard reports in The Tennessean: “The Pleasure Palace, a Dickerson Road adult bookstore, has asked for a hearing before a Chancery Court judge to argue against a 31-day suspension of their sexually oriented business license.”

ACLU: “Dozens of Tennessee schools have restored access to online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, just over two weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against two Tennessee school districts for unconstitutionally blocking student access to such sites.”

WZTV reports: “The superintendent of the Knox County schools says a glitch has been fixed, allowing access to educational Web sites on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.”

AP: A proposal to give home school diplomas the same weight as those given by public schools has been signed into law by Gov. Phil Bredesen . . . Read SB0433 at: http://www.capitol.tn.gov

“Ford said one of the lawyers that called her represented the Alliance Defense Fund, a self-described alliance of Christians and like-minded organizations defending ‘religious liberty, sanctity of life, marriage and the family’ through strategy, funding, training and litigation.”

ACLU: “The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Tennessee sued two Tennessee school districts in federal court today, charging the schools are unconstitutionally blocking students from accessing online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Knox County Schools and as many as 105 other school districts in Tennessee use Internet filtering software to block Web sites containing pro-LGBT speech, but not Web sites touting so-called ‘reparative therapy’ and ‘ex-gay’ ministries . . . More information about the case, including the ACLU’s complaint and a video featuring one of the student plaintiffs, is available online at:www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/39346res20090413.html ”

Religion Clause Blog: “On Wednesday, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office issued Opinion No. 09-82 finding that a proposed bill to create a specialty license plate honoring the Church of God in Christ would violate the Establishment Clause.”

Chattanooga Times (AP): “Tennessee authorities have invalidated the 18-month-old marriage of a transgender couple, saying the state considers both to be men.”

KnoxNews.com (AP): U.S. District Court Judge Robert Echols issued a preliminary injunction last week, barring the school district from censoring religious speech on posters. Any future policy must be “reasonable, viewpoint-neutral, and in accordance with federal law,” he ruled. “We are elated with the judge’s ruling,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.

Tennessean: “Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which represented the parents, said the ruling will allow his clients to put up posters for Thursday’s National Day of Prayer, without incident. ‘We are elated with the judge’s ruling,’ he said.”

“A federal court Friday suspended a policy used by Wilson County Schools officials to censor ‘In God We Trust’ and other phrases referencing God and prayer on posters in the hallways of Lakeview Elementary School.”

Tennessee News Platoon: “As a result of her presentations, other agencies and departments of the state began to reject diplomas issued to homeschoolers when a high school diploma was required by law for certain regulated categories of employmen.”

The Tennessean: “The American Civil Liberties Union will wait another week before deciding whether to sue Metro Nashville schools for blocking access to nonsexual Web sites about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.”

LA Times: “David French, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, gave [Lila Rose] free advice when Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles threatened action, and appeared at her side during an interview with conservative TV talk-show host Bill O’Reilly. She also receives guidance from CRC Public Relations, a Washington-area firm that represents conservative clients and had a hand in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign that targeted Democrat John F. Kerry during the 2004 presidential race.”

The Elizabethton Star (AP): “The most recent lawsuit alleged the school district was showing hostility toward God and their religion. ‘This vague policy coupled with hypersensitivity leads to inconsistent application,’ said Nate Kellum, the group’s attorney. ‘What you’re talking about here is opinion, and what we’ve found is a backlash since (the ACLU case) that appears to be against religious speech.’”

One News Now: “Nate Kellum is with the Alliance Defense Fund. ‘Well, Christian students shouldn’t be censored just for expressing their beliefs. They do not check their constitutional rights upon stepping [through] the schoolhouse gate,’ he points out. ‘And yet that seems to be the philosophy of the school district here that they are selectively censoring their speech because, in their opinion, religious speech is inappropriate.’”

Associated Press: “‘This vague policy coupled with hypersensitivity leads to inconsistent application,’ said Nate Kellum, the group’s attorney. ‘What you’re talking about here is opinion, and what we’ve found is a backlash since (the ACLU case) that appears to be against religious speech.’”

Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty: “The ADF put on a full-court press at the time this happened, arguing this as an example of Christianity under attack in schools, never mentioning of course that this same school had been sued and forced to pay $171,000 in court costs for giving preference and access to the religious efforts of many of these same parents.”

Tennessean: “The Alliance Defense Fund, on behalf of four families, filed suit in U.S. District Court in March, claiming that the school board censored posters for a student-led prayer event.”

ADF attorney Nate Kellum appeared on WallBuilders Live to discuss the issue and others.

The mp3 file runs just over nine minutes.

The ADF National Litigation Academy is mentioned during the interview. Click here for more information.

LifeNews: “A new undercover videotape shows staff at a Tennessee Planned Parenthood abortion clinic urging a client to lie about her potential sexual abuse so she could get an abortion.”

Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum will be available for media interviews following a hearing Monday in a lawsuit against the Wilson County School Board. ADF attorneys filed suit on behalf of parents and students at Lakeview Elementary School after school officials ordered “In God We Trust” and other phrases referencing God and prayer to be covered up on posters before they could be displayed in the school’s hallways.

Baptist Press: “The Health and Human Services Subcommittee of the Tennessee House of Representatives, on a 20-7 vote April 7, approved a bill to restore the regulation of abortion to the legislature . . . The measure seeks to overturn a 2000 opinion by the Tennessee Supreme Court that invalidated all state laws restricting abortion.”

KnoxNews.com: “The American Civil Liberties Union said today it is demanding that 107 of Tennessee’s public school systems – including Knox County and Metro Nashville – stop ‘illegally preventing students from accessing online information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.’”

Christian Post: A family that claims they lost a pending deal to sell their farmland because Rutherford County officials rejected a massive Bible-themed park last year is suing for $11 million.

LifeNews: “A Tennessee state House committee today approved a state constitutional amendment that would make the Tennessee Constitution abortion-neutral. The amendment is necessary because the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in 2000 that the state constitution allows unlimited abortions.”

Associated Press: “Gay rights advocates and social conservatives said the ruling stirs strong emotions, even if it doesn’t initially swing Tennessee. Voters in the state overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2006 that bans gay marriages. State law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

The mp3 is here and runs about seven minutes. For related posts see the Tennesse + Religious Freedom tags.

LifeNews: “The Tennessee state Senate has approved an amendment that would make the Tennessee Constitution abortion-neutral. The measure is necessary because the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in 2000 that the state constitution allows unlimited abortions.”

NewsChannel5.com:
One state lawmaker does not want homosexuality brought up at all in schools. Rep. Stacey Campfield said he believes the issue of homosexuality can be too complicated for young minds to understand. Campfield filed, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would essentially ban teachers from talking about the topic.

The Leaf Chronicle reports: “A Clarksville man has been charged with possessing more than 100 pornographic images depicting children.”

LifeNews: “The pro-life community in Tennessee is trying again to get the state legislature to approve an amendment that would make the Tennessee Constitution abortion-neutral. The amendment is necessary because the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in 2000 that the …

NBC 4 reports: The Tennessee House Health and Human Resources Committee are conducting a public hearing on abortion-related legislation on Wednesday. The latest abortion amendment mandates that nothing should interfere in cases of the life of a mother. SJR 0127: …

Hannity’s America reported on a lawsuit recently filed by ADF against a Tennessee school district that covered up all student references to God. The mp4 video file runs just under 1 minute.   Related:  Mike Johnson on the Frank Pastore …

ADF attorney Mike Johnson appeared at the Frank Pastore Show to discuss the suit ADF has filed against a Tennesse school. The mp3 runs just over 23 minutes.  Related ADF press release: Tenn. school censors ‘God Bless the USA,’ ‘In God …

The mp4 video clip is here and runs just over 2 minutes. This case is receiving extensive media coverage. Related ADF press release: Tenn. school censors ‘God Bless the USA,’ ‘In God We Trust’

. . . the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of parents and students at Lakeview Elementary School in Wilson County after school officials ordered “God Bless the USA,” “In God We Trust,” . . . to be covered up . . .

. . . New Hampshire’s state motto is ‘Live Free or Die.’ But is New Hampshire the most free place to live in the United States? Apparently it is, according to a new study, Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom . . .

It’s enough to make you blush: Some politicians want a bigger taste of the economy’s naughty side, pushing for special taxes on dirty magazines, racy movies, sex toys and strip clubs.

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives is the first legislative body to pass a state sovereignty resolution this year under the terms of the Tenth Amendment.

The Religion Clause Blog: “The lawsuit claimed violations of the Fair Housing Act and of RLUIPA in Nashville’s denial of zoning approval for a residential treatment center to Teen Challenge, a Christian substance abuse program . . . “

. . . a Sixth Circuit panel upheld Knox County’s comprehensive (licensing, midnight closure, no alcohol, no nudity, 6-ft, no-touch, etc.) sexually oriented business ordinance against a four-part challenge from three Tennessee SOBs . . .

Time Magazine:  For more than 80 years, Dayton, Tennessee has had a monkey on its back . . . Darwin’s treatise On The Origin of Species was instrumental to the town’s famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which pitted noted trial lawyers Clarence Darrow and William Jennings …

Strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses will not be allowed to operate within 500 feet of the Nashville Rescue Mission’s property after a recent decision by the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

Knox News: “In a brief filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union is urging a Tennessee appeals court to remove a so called “paramour” restriction against a lesbian mother that is forcing her partner of 9 years out of their …

The School Law Blog reports: “A federal appeals court today revived part of a lawsuit that challenges a Tennessee school district’s decision to contract out its alternative education program to a private Christian school . . . The majority in …

The Murfreesboro Post reports: “Rutherford County took the first step in appealing a local court’s decision in the Bible Park rezoning case. The county filed a notice of appeal last Tuesday, which was forwarded on to the Tennessee Court of …

LifeNews.com reports: “The presidential elections were a setback for the pro-life community, but pro-life advocates in Tennessee may have actually made gains. They think there is a chance to get the legislature to finally approve an amendment that would make …

The dispute developed after the minister selected new leadership for the congregation. A Tennessee state appellate court affirmed the trial court’s jurisdiction to decide who should control church funds and property and held that it acted properly in ordering a vote of the membership on that issue.

The Tennessean reports: All along, developers have said a multimillion-dollar Bible-themed park proposed for Middle Tennessee will focus on the book’s history, not its message. But as the project nears fruition and Wilson County leaders consider millions in tax incentives …

A complaint was registered in September involving the Ten Commandments plaque that hangs in the hallway at the courthouse, and the highly controversial issue has the been the topic of conversation in Johnson County since that time.

KnoxNews.com reports: In Craigslist’s erotic services category, the phrase “hump day special” conveys a bit of a double meaning.The online community forum has become host to a virtual red-light district for prostitutes to ply their trade. The problem has emerged …

Lambda Legal has issued this press release that reports: “Today Lambda Legal is filing a federal lawsuit in Tennessee on behalf of Kenneth Giles against Johnson City and its police chief. The lawsuit centers on the fact that the Johnson …

KnoxNews.com reports: “Gov. Phil Bredesen has appointed East Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Sharon Lee to a seat on the state Supreme Court. The appointment means that women will hold three of the five seats on the Tennessee Supreme Court – …

The Tennessean carries this report: Jury hits Metro with $968,000 judgment. “Metro had already admitted to violating the Fair Housing Act by eliminating rehabilitation services as a permitted use in agricultural districts in 2007 – after Teen Challenge had already bought …

Tennessee’s merit system for selecting judges – referred to as the Tennessee Plan – has been controversial ever since it was enacted in 1971 to replace contested elections.

The AP reports: “Tommy DeFoe wore his Southern pride on his Confederate flag belt buckle Wednesday as he argued in federal court that a school dress code banning such items violated his free speech rights.”

The Internal Revenue Service should investigate a Tennessee church whose pastor endorsed three school board candidates from the pulpit, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The Tennessean reports: Maury Davis, pastor of Cornerstone Church, denies allegations that he violated his congregation’s tax-exempt status by endorsing candidates in the Sumner County school board race . . . Davis says he was speaking as a private citizen …

A Downtown strip club owner has lost the opening round of a federal court fight with the city.