Senate passes bill that could affect lawsuits against the state

(The Center Square) – The Tennessee Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would limit legal challenges to state laws, with lawmakers from both parties opposing it.

Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, said the bill would curb lawsuits from people who were not affected by legislative actions. A law passed in 2018 removed some of the state’s sovereign immunity, he said.

Memphis Republican Brent Taylor asked Stevens if a case challenging the deployment of the National Guard in Memphis is an example of a lawsuit that would not have occurred before the 2018 law was passed.

“Absolutely,” Stevens said.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Memphis City Councilmember J.B. Smiley Jr., Shelby County Commissioners Henri E. Brooks and Erika Sugarmon, and state Reps. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, and Gabby Salinas, D-Memphis, sued the state over the deployment. They said Gov. Bill Lee’s decision was unconstitutional. The Tennessee Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on March 5 but has not issued an opin...