Tennessee
learn about our work in Tennessee
learn about our work in Tennessee
All Cases
12 Tennessee Cases
Tennessee
Sep 2023

L.W. v. Skrmetti
Samantha and Brian Williams of Nashville, TN and their 15-year-old transgender daughter are challenging a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18. Tennessee is home to over 3,000 transgender adolescents and the health care banned by this law is supported by the entire mainstream of the medical community.
Status: Ongoing
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Tennessee
LGBTQ Rights
L.W. v. Skrmetti
Samantha and Brian Williams of Nashville, TN and their 15-year-old transgender daughter are challenging a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18. Tennessee is home to over 3,000 transgender adolescents and the health care banned by this law is supported by the entire mainstream of the medical community.
Sep 2023
Status: Ongoing
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Tennessee
Sep 2023

L.E. v Lee
Luc Esquivel is a 15-year-old sophomore at Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN who has been looking forward to trying out for the boys’ golf team. That aspiration was derailed when the Tennessee legislature passed and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law SB 228, which bans transgender middle and high school students from participating on interscholastic sports teams that match their gender. Luc and his family have sued the state of Tennessee.
Status: Ongoing
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Tennessee
LGBTQ Rights
L.E. v Lee
Luc Esquivel is a 15-year-old sophomore at Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN who has been looking forward to trying out for the boys’ golf team. That aspiration was derailed when the Tennessee legislature passed and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law SB 228, which bans transgender middle and high school students from participating on interscholastic sports teams that match their gender. Luc and his family have sued the state of Tennessee.
Sep 2023
Status: Ongoing
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Tennessee
Jan 2023

Busby v. Bonner
Medically vulnerable people and people with disabilities detained at Shelby County Jail are at grave risk of severe injury or death from COVID-19. An outbreak is already underway, and has infected hundreds of people living and working in the Jail. One staff member has died as a result. Social distancing is impossible, basic hygiene is deficient, and the jail isn’t properly screening, identifying cases, or quarantining people who have been exposed to the virus.
Status: Closed (Settled)
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Tennessee
Criminal Law Reform
Busby v. Bonner
Medically vulnerable people and people with disabilities detained at Shelby County Jail are at grave risk of severe injury or death from COVID-19. An outbreak is already underway, and has infected hundreds of people living and working in the Jail. One staff member has died as a result. Social distancing is impossible, basic hygiene is deficient, and the jail isn’t properly screening, identifying cases, or quarantining people who have been exposed to the virus.
Jan 2023
Status: Closed (Settled)
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Tennessee
Sep 2022

Bongo Productions LLC et al v. Lawrence et al
Two businesses owners in Tennessee are challenging a new, first-of-its-kind Tennessee law that would require businesses and other entities that open their facilities to the public and allow transgender people to use the restroom that matches their gender to post a government-prescribed warning sign. The ACLU and the ACLU of Tennessee filed the lawsuit in federal court and claim it violates the First Amendment rights of the business owners.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Tennessee
LGBTQ Rights
Free Speech
Bongo Productions LLC et al v. Lawrence et al
Two businesses owners in Tennessee are challenging a new, first-of-its-kind Tennessee law that would require businesses and other entities that open their facilities to the public and allow transgender people to use the restroom that matches their gender to post a government-prescribed warning sign. The ACLU and the ACLU of Tennessee filed the lawsuit in federal court and claim it violates the First Amendment rights of the business owners.
Sep 2022
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Tennessee
Dec 2021

League of Women Voters of Tennessee v. Hargett
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee, Campaign Legal Center, and Fair Elections Center filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Tennessee law that imposes substantial penalties on groups that foster political participation via voter registration efforts.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Tennessee
Voting Rights
League of Women Voters of Tennessee v. Hargett
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee, Campaign Legal Center, and Fair Elections Center filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Tennessee law that imposes substantial penalties on groups that foster political participation via voter registration efforts.
Dec 2021
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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