Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti told Knoxville-area residents to be wary of scammers after an earthquake affected the area.
Last week, East Tennessee saw a 4.2 magnitude earthquake.
Read the full story
The Tennessee State Senate on Wednesday voted to advance legislation that would move the duties currently assigned to the Human Rights Commission under the purview of the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, with the legislation advancing through the Senate Government Operations Committee along partisan lines.
As currently amended, Senate Bill (SB) 861 by State Senator John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) would transfer the responsibilities of the state Human Rights Commission, whose board members are currently appointed by Tennessee’s governor and leaders in the General Assembly, to the Attorney General, who would create a new Civil Rights Enforcement Division to handle the workload.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said his office is focused on multiple fronts ranging from issues at the state level to advocating for issues that would impact the entire nation.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Friday submitted an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse birthright citizenship, the legal right to citizenship granted to any person born inside the United States, even if they are born to illegal immigrants or tourists.
Skrmetti announced the amicus brief on a Friday video posted to the social media platform X, where he confirmed he filed a brief in support of the executive order signed by President Donald Trump to deny citizenship at birth to children of certain non citizens, which was frozen by a federal judge in New Hampshire after a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Read the full story
Mark Pulliam, a retired attorney and Misrule of Law blogger, said a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly would essentially “tie” the hands of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti when defending the separation of powers and constitutional rights of Tennesseans.
Read the full story
by Mark Pulliam In a shocking development, State Sen. Janice Bowling’s thrice-defeated “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act,” re-introduced this year as SB 479/HB 441, has been abruptly amended to eliminate the controversial “nullification” provisions that I testified against in last year’s “summer study” hearing, to focus instead on micro-managing the Tennessee Attorney General’s “Strategic Litigation Unit.” The SLU is the division of the Hon. Jonathan Skrmetti’s office that (according to the AG’s website) “handles complex affirmative litigation and defends the separation of powers and constitutional rights of Tennesseans.” The amended language is apparently retaliation against General Skrmetti for having issued a carefully-reasoned legal opinion in 2024 (at the request of State Sen. Richard Briggs) that (correctly) concluded that a prior version of the nullification bill was unconstitutional. General Skrmetti’s SLU is a stalwart — and highly effective–defender of federalism, yet the amendment to SB 479, if passed, would force his office to adopt a discredited, fringe theory that rejects the legitimacy of over 200 years of Supreme Court caselaw. Senate Bill 479, as amended, would command the SLU to disregard stare decisis (the practice of following Supreme Court precedents) and other controlling legal authorities, even though the SLU frequently litigates in federal court, where such authorities are treated as “the…
Read the full story
The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday ruled the state law mandating only the Tennessee Attorney General can handle post-conviction death row cases is constitutional, dealing a blow to Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, who joined a legal effort by a death row inmate that sought to disqualify Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti from his case.
Mulroy became involved in the legal effort after Larry McKay, who was convicted of murder in 1982, asked for a new trial in 2023, when lawmakers changed Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 40-30-114(c) to mandate that Skrmetti’s would office “has exclusive control” over the case, as well as all other death row appeals.
Read the full story
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) introduced a bill on Thursday to withhold state funding from local governments that defy state law or the state’s constitution.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Friday celebrated a legal settlement between the State of Tennessee and BlackRock, Inc., which resulted in the company changing its policies related to Environment, Social, and Governance investing.
“Tennessee beats ESG,” wrote Skrmetti in a post to the social media platform X containing a link to the settlement. “BlackRock’s stringent obligations under this settlement ensure Tennesseans will not see their retirement funds used to support radical ideologies they oppose.”
Read the full story
New legislation filed Monday in the Tennessee General Assembly would empower Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to launch nepotism investigations against judges, magistrates, elected judicial officials, and district attorneys, then launch criminal action if warranted.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti celebrated on Monday after the Biden-Harris administration withdrew its proposed changes to Title IX, which would have prohibited school and athletic organizations from prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on teams reserved for biological females.
The White House quietly withdrew the proposed change on Friday, according to National Review, which reported the Department of Education (DOE) received more than 150,000 public comments on the proposal before it was shelved.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a bipartisan coalition of 31 state attorneys general in sending a letter to Congressional leadership on Monday urging the passage of U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before the end of the year.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in sending a letter to Special Counsel Jack Smith, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis demanding that their offices’ prosecutions of President Donald Trump end “immediately.”
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Monday that the state will receive approximately $42.9 million from a settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s opioid-related misconduct.
The Volunteer State’s settlement with Kroger is part of a combined $1.37 billion settlement agreement between the grocery chain and a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a response brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday defending a Tennessee law that bans “gender-affirming care” on minors – including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-change surgeries.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion on Tuesday in the Twentieth Judicial District of Tennessee as part of his office’s ongoing investigation into the social media platform TikTok.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office is warning Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene to be wary of scammers and knowledgeable of price gouging in the aftermath of the storm.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sent a letter to Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk on Wednesday announcing that he would not pursue charges against the 20th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office following a 19-month investigation into wiretapping concerns.
On February 10, 2023, Skrmetti launched a criminal probe into Funk’s office after revelations of listening devices being installed around the district attorney’s offices in downtown Nashville, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti provided an update on prominent lawsuits his office has filed under his leadership and discussed his goals for the remainder of his eight-year term during an exclusive sit-down interview this week on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Skrmetti, who began serving as attorney general in 2022 after being appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, said, “I’ve been blessed with a great team and there is a lot of work for us to do.”
Read the full story
We just passed the two-year anniversary of Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti taking office, and it has to be said that he has exceeded even the loftiest expectations we conservatives could have had. For the first time, we have an Attorney General who is on the same page with the Legislature and the vast majority of the population, fighting the fights we want to see fought, and doing us proud in the process. Now seems like a fine moment to reflect on the gift we’ve been given, and marvel at what we might come in his next six years, if he gets the resources to keep this up.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti celebrated U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker’s ruling on Monday to halt the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new program allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who are the spouse or stepchild of a U.S. citizen to “parole in place” from taking effect.
Barker’s ruling comes just three days after 16 state attorneys general and America First Legal filed a 56-page complaint challenging DHS’ “Keeping Families Together” program, which began accepting applications last week.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was one of the state attorneys general who joined a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new program process to allow hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who are the spouse or stepchild of a U.S. citizen to “parole in place.”
The 56-page complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Texas U.S. District Court on Friday, challenges DHS’ “Keeping Families Together” program, which began accepting applications on Monday.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a federal lawsuit on Thursday challenging the Biden administration’s plan of extending Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, benefits to more than 200,000 illegal immigrants.
The lawsuit, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota Western Division.
Read the full story
Tennessee’s secretary of state and attorney general’s offices warn Tennesseans of a “significant rise” of scammers attempting to use celebrities’ names and likenesses to solicit consumer money.
“Sadly, we’ve seen a significant rise in scammers attempting to utilize the name or likeness of celebrities to take advantage of consumers,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said in a statement. “We encourage all to remain vigilant and report any questionable communications to us or the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office so we can prevent Tennesseans from being victimized.”
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a coalition of 13 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) final rule, which redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include “gender identity.”
As of May 6, HHS’ final rule requires medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs to both children and adults for the purpose of gender transition, without regard for a doctor’s medical judgment as to whether that treatment was appropriate.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday that his office is “looking into” a private investment company’s attempt to foreclose on Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland home in Memphis.
Graceland became the target of Nausanny Investments and Private Lending, LLC after the company claimed that the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in 2023, didn’t repay a loan that used the home as collateral.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 17 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) final guidance on harassment in the workplace which went into effect on April 29.
Read the full story
The attorneys general of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia have joined Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) name, image, and likeness (NIL) recruitment ban.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the Biden administration’s finalized rule to rewrite Title IX is “extreme,” noting how the administration’s determination to rewrite anti-discrimination rules to encompass gender identity issues appears to be one of its “highest priorities.”
On Tuesday, Skrmetti led six states in suing the Biden administration’s Department of Education on Tuesday over its finalized rule to rewrite Title IX to encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti pursued legal action against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Thursday over its new rule regarding workplace abortion accommodations.
In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) into law, which protects pregnant workers and their babies by directing that women receive workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”
Read the full story
The Tennessee Senate approved a bill that would put state law on college athletics name, image and likeness rules in line with a lawsuit brought against the National Collegiate Athletic Association by the Tennessee Attorney General.
The bill would change Tennessee law to allow prospective students to hire an agent and would eliminate fair market value limitations on athlete pay.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 25 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate urging the immediate passage of the Laken Riley Act.
Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was allegedly killed at the hands of an illegal Venezuelan immigrant while on a jog near campus.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined Saturday’s edition of Fox & friends to discuss his antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 26 other attorneys general in sending a letter to the Biden administration proclaiming support for the steps Texas has taken at its border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrant crossings.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Biden administration to allow Border Patrol agents to cut through or move razor wire Texas installed on its border with Mexico to prevent illegal entries into the U.S.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined 25 other state attorneys general this week in sending a letter to Congress requesting lawmakers pass the Immigration Enforcement Partnership Act of 2023.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in drafting a comment letter in opposition to a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposal regarding consumer boilers.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a group of 25 other state attorneys general in issuing a joint statement condemning Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 19 states in sending a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) expressing opposition to a proposed rule regarding workplace abortion accommodations.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday the state will receive $882,312 from a multi-state settlement with software company Blackbaud.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed an official complaint against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, alleging the two entities have failed to produce documents regarding the release of immigrant detainees into Tennessee.
Read the full story
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request from the plaintiffs in L.W. v. Skrmetti on Thursday to block a Tennessee law banning “gender-affirming care” on minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-change surgeries.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed another public comment opposing the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) latest rule to set new efficiency standards for consumer water heaters.
The DOE’s rule, proposed in July, would “prescribe energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including consumer water heaters,” according to the department.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday his office reached a $44.5 million settlement with Food City over the grocery store chain’s opioid-related misconduct.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion to compel the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok to comply with an earlier court order requiring it to produce relevant evidence in response to a multi-state investigation.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has led a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in a letter warning the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance (NZFSPA) that their “coordinated commitments may violate state and federal antitrust and consumer protection laws.”
Read the full story
Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti warned Tenessee residents on Wednesday of a scam business that utilizes Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Carter Lawrence’s forged signature through a Facebook Marketplace listing.
As part of the scam, according to Skrmetii’s office, a listing is placed on Facebook Marketplace for a nonexistent tractor for sale.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Tuesday that the Volunteer State was included in the 41 states and the District of Columbia which reached a $35 million settlement with leasing company Tempoe, LLC.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 54 states and territories urging federal lawmakers to study and eventually propose legislation to protect children from being exploited through artificial intelligence (AI).
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the rise of flavored, disposable e-cigarettes use among the nation’s youth.
Read the full story
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a coalition of 15 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler regarding business practices reported by the China-founded, fast-fashion retailer SHEIN.
SHEIN was founded in Nanjing, China in 2008 has become the world’s largest fashion retailer with an estimated value of $64 billion. The company’s mobile app is currently the fourth most downloaded app in the United States. In addition, the company is one of TikTok’s largest advertisers and pays thousands of social media “influencers” to market its wares to consumers via videos on the platform.
Read the full story