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Federal Judge Blocks Tennessee Law Protecting Children From Life-Altering Transgender Procedures

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A federal judge in Tennessee has put a partial block on a law intended to shield children from life-altering transgender procedures, following other federal judges who blocked similar protective laws in other states.

U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson placed a temporary injunction against the ban on giving children cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers, which have been shown to have life-altering impacts on children. Richardson did not block the provision of Tennessee’s law banning double mastectomies on girls identifying as boys or other genital procedures.

“If Tennessee wishes to regulate access to certain medical procedures, it must do so in a manner that does not infringe on the rights conferred by the United States Constitution, which is of course supreme to all other laws of the land. With regard to SB1, Tennessee has likely failed to do just this,” Richardson wrote in his ruling.

Richardson’s ruling just places temporarily blocks the law, which was set to go into effect on July 1, but will now be held while a suit against the law is adjudicated. The judge’s ruling was widely condemned by Republicans in the state, who promised to continue the fight. (Read more from “Federal Judge Blocks Tennessee Law Protecting Children From Life-Altering Transgender Procedures” HERE)

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Six People Dead in Murder-Suicide in Tennessee: Report

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Six people, including two children, are dead in what law enforcement believes was a murder-suicide at a rural Tennessee home Thursday night.

Law enforcement said they responded to a shooting at a home in the town of Sequatchie to find the house on fire, per WTVC. There was one survivor, an adult, who was brought to the hospital with a bullet wound.

Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnett told the local outlet it was a “domestic situation” that was “ongoing for a pretty good while.” He said it was unclear how many people were shot, but at least two of the victims died from inhaling smoke.

A neighbor said they heard five shots at about 8 p.m. Details as to the ages of the victims and the possible suspect and motive were not released. (Read more from “Six People Dead in Murder-Suicide in Tennessee: Report” HERE)

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Gas Station Clerk, 23, Shot Dead After Texting Pals About Safety

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A 23-year-old Tennessee woman was shot dead at a convenience store where she worked the midnight shift only hours after she expressed safety concerns — and a father and son have been charged in her murder.

Tava Woodard, a clerk at the Roadrunner Market on North Broadway in Johnson City, texted friends and co-workers on June 2 about a shoplifting incident and said she wanted to find a new job, People reported.

A short time later, two masked men identified as Mark Sexton Jr., 41, and his son Mark Sexton III, 18, entered the store and stole money from her at gunpoint, WJHL reported.

“The two men then walked towards the door but as they were leaving, one of the men turned around and fired a shot from the pistol, striking Ms. Woodard,” according to an affidavit cited by the outlet.

When police arrived eight minutes later, they found her body lying on the ground. (Read more from “Gas Station Clerk, 23, Shot Dead After Texting Pals About Safety” HERE)

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What Is a Woman? Tennessee Has the Answer, With Gov. Bill Lee Signing Bill Defining Sex in State Law

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation defining the word sex in state law, becoming the second state this year to provide an answer to the increasingly polarizing question, “What is a woman?”

Senate Bill 1440, which was signed Wednesday, clarifies that sex means “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth,” letting the state Legislature draw clear sex-based distinctions in areas such as public accommodations and scholastic sports.

“Unfortunately, we have reached a point in society where common words like man or woman, male or female, boy or girl have come under attack,” said Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso, the bill’s House sponsor.

Members of the Biden administration have been stumped during congressional hearings after being asked to define “woman” by Republican lawmakers amid the rise of the gender-identity movement.

“I am proud to have sponsored legislation to amend the Tennessee code to define the biological term sex to ensure that our laws are crystal clear so that judges and bureaucrats understand the biological and genetic differences between a man and a woman,” said Mr. Bulso. (Read more from “What Is a Woman? Tennessee Has the Answer, With Gov. Bill Lee Signing Bill Defining Sex in State Law” HERE)

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DOJ Sues State to Reverse Ban on Trans Treatments for Minors

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The Department of Justice sued Tennessee on Wednesday over a state law prohibiting transgender hormone treatments and surgeries for minors.

Tennessee’s ban on sex-change treatments for minors violates the Equal Protection Clause, the DOJ said in a statement. The law discriminates against “transgender youth” diagnosed with gender dysphoria, blocking sex-change treatments for them “while allowing non-transgender minors access to the same or similar procedures.”

“No person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “The right to consider your health and medically-approved treatment options with your family and doctors is a right that everyone should have, including transgender children, who are especially vulnerable to serious risks of depression, anxiety and suicide. The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department will continue to aggressively challenge all forms of discrimination and unlawful barriers faced by the LGBTQI+ community.” (Read more from “DOJ Sues State to Reverse Ban on Trans Treatments for Minors” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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Biden Invites ‘Tennessee Three’ to White House — But Won’t Invite Families of Covenant School Massacre Victims

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President Joe Biden has invited the so-called Tennessee Three to the White House, but he is not inviting the families of the victims of the Covenant School massacre.

At the White House press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that Biden has invited Tennessee Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson to the White House. They will visit next Monday. . .

When it was his turn to ask a question, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy wanted to know: What about the families of the victims of the massacre? . . .

Jean-Pierre, however, could not provide an answer. Instead, she vaguely explained how Biden is “focused on getting things done” and plans to use his “bully pulpit” to continue pushing his agenda, which includes banning so-called assault weapons. Hosting the lawmakers at the White House, Jean-Pierre said, is about fostering a conversation to that end.

(Read more from “Biden Invites ‘Tennessee Three’ to White House — But Won’t Invite Families of Covenant School Massacre Victims” HERE)

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Second Tennessee Democrat Reappointed to State House After Expulsion

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The second Tennessee Democrat expelled from the state House of Representatives last week for disrupting proceedings in the chamber was restored to his seat Wednesday after a unanimous vote.

Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) will return to serve the 86th District following the special vote by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

“Nashville thought they could silence democracy,” said the 28-year-old, whose political persona has undergone a series of changes in recent years. “You can’t expel hope, you can’t expel justice.”

The board has 13 members, but only seven, all Democrats, were present for the vote to reinstate Pearson.

The Republican-led Tennessee House ousted Pearson by a 69-26 vote April 6, moments after voting to expel state Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) by a 72-25 vote. (Read more from “Second Tennessee Democrat Reappointed to State House After Expulsion” HERE)

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Expelled Tennessee Democrat Was Previously Banned From Capitol for Assaulting GOP Speaker

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. . .Rep. Justin Jones (update: who has since been re-appointed to the seat and sworn back in, pending a special election) has experience in this realm, after all. Strangely, this relevant little nugget was omitted from nearly all of the hero worship “news” coverage of the expulsions. I can’t imagine why:

A protester behind a series of recent demonstrations at the Tennessee state Capitol has been banned from the building and ordered to have no contact with House Speaker Glen Casada after being charged Thursday with assault. Justin Jones, 23, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct after authorities say he threw a cup of coffee into an elevator, striking Casada and Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington…According to arrest documents, Jones “attempted to push his way past uniformed state troopers” as he approached the elevator while yelling “Casada is a racist.” Jones then is accused of throwing a paper to-go cup “filled with an unknown liquid believed to be hot coffee” into the elevator. The liquid splashed onto Casada and Moody…

So in his days an unelected left-wing agitator, this man — then a divinity student — shoved police officers while accosting the Tennessee House Speaker, per police records, then allegedly hurled a cup of hot coffee at the man, striking his target and another GOP lawmaker. This conduct earned him a ban from the building. Democrats in Tennessee then decided it would be a good idea to nominate and elect Jones to that very chamber, where he flagrantly violated the rules, disrupting the legislative process with a new form aggressive agitation. And that’s not all. He also insulted another GOP colleague with a racial slur, because he’s classy that way:

(Read more from “Expelled Tennessee Democrat Was Previously Banned From Capitol for Assaulting GOP Speaker” HERE)

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One Expelled Black Lawmaker Reinstated to Tennessee House

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One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.

The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council restores Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat. Moments after the decision, Jones began marching to the Capitol.

Republicans banished the two lawmakers over their role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting. (Read more from “One Expelled Black Lawmaker Reinstated to Tennessee House” HERE)

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Kamala Harris Meeting With Expelled Dem Lawmakers in Tennessee

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Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to stop in Nashville, Tennessee, to meet with two Democratic state lawmakers expelled from the Republican-controlled General Assembly after participating in a gun-control protest in the chamber.

The vice president’s trip on Friday follows the chamber’s vote on Thursday to expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, a move that drew swift condemnation from President Biden and Democrats nationwide.

The White House said in addition to meeting with state lawmakers, Ms. Harris will also meet with young people and advocates who are demanding action to address gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in which a transgender person killed three 9-year-olds and three adults.

“While in Tennessee, the Vice President will make clear what happened in Nashville, continue to call on Congress to renew the assault weapons ban and ensure that in Tennessee and across the nation, the voices of our young people are heard,” a White House official said.

The Tennessee House voted to expel the two Democratic lawmakers Thursday for rule violations, but failed to oust a third. (Read more from “Kamala Harris Meeting With Expelled Dem Lawmakers in Tennessee” HERE)

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