Justice Roger Page, first row on right, attends Gov. Bill Lee’s State of the State address on Jan. 31, 2022. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal) Justice Roger Page plans to retire after a decade on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Page was appointed to the state’s highest court by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014 and served as chief justice from 2021 to 2023. Gov. Bill Lee will name Page’s successor, his third appointee to the five-member bench. “My service on the Supreme Court and in the judiciary has been the honor of a lifetime,” Page said in a statement. “The experience has been humbling and inspiri ..read more

Senate Speaker Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton await Gov. Bill Lee’s arrival for his State of the State address in Nashville on Feb. 3, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal) The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it: — Sexton rekindles House-Senate acrimony over special session. — No bombshells in federal funding study, voucher enrollment lags. — Governor’s travels: Price tag for Lee administration’s trip to France, Italy raises questions. — Scott’s presidential bid is second with Tennessee ties to close shop. — TennCare travails: House ..read more

Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) speaks to colleagues on the House floor in Nashville on Oct. 19, 2021. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal) The ad hoc committee called to take a deep dive into federal education funding is wrapping up the last of five days of meetings it was originally scheduled to hold. But House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) has suggested more meetings may need to be called before the panel can deliver its recommendations to the General Assembly. Sexton and panel members have spent much of their time trying to fend off questions about how Tennessee would make d ..read more

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley held a fundraiser for her presidential campaign in Nashville on Friday. By the end of the weekend, the field had shrunk by one major player, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), for whom former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam had served as a national co-chair. Haley’s event, which is said to have raised $200,000, was co-hosted by former NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker, lobbyist and former Haslam chief of staff Mark Cate, businessman Jay Cooper, and Leigh Anne McWhorter. Baker’s husband is political consultant Ward Baker, while McWhorter is married to state Economi ..read more

Gov. Bill Lee, center, attends a budget hearing in Nashville on Nov. 8, 2023. He is joined by Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gibson, left, and Finance Commissioner Jim Bryson. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal) The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it: — School vouchers and federal education funding take center stage at the Statehouse. — TennCare warns of coming ‘chaos’ if House balks on MCO extensions. — Going ballistic: Lawmakers question single-source contract for bulletproof film. — Airport saga: Legality of state-appointed board decisions to get s ..read more

Curtis Carney, the owner of Off the Wagon Tours, has been sentenced to 40 days in jail after being found guilty of criminal contempt for continuing to operate his transpotainment business in the downtwon Nashville tourist district without a license. The Tennessean reports Carney’s attorney, Bryant Kroll, plans to mount a legal challenge to the state Court of Appeals. “Mr. Carney stands firm in his belief that opposition to Metro’s overreach is necessary to protect the rights of all citizens operating businesses in Nashville, even if it comes with the risk of his incarceration,” Kroll said i ..read more

Rep. Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville), seated, center, attends a House floor session in Nashville. At left is Rep. John Holsclaw (R-Elizabethton) and Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro) is to the right. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal) Rep. Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville) announced Tuesday he won’t seek an 11th term in the state House. Johnson, 71, currently serves as deputy speaker and was previously speaker pro tem from 2013 to 2018. He was first elected to the House in 2004. “I make this announcement with a profound sense of gratitude to the people of Montgomery County who have backed me in 10 succ ..read more

Gov. Bill Lee’s annual public budget hearings begin this week. At the same time, an ad hoc committee of state lawmakers is gathering for first three of five meetings to discuss whether Tennessee can do without $1.9 billion in federal education funding. The budget meetings can be viewed here, while the federal education funding discussions will be streamed on the legislative website. Here are the rundowns for both. FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDING: November 6 2 p.m. State Comptroller’s Office, Fiscal Review. November 7 9 a.m. The Sycamore Institute, leaders from local school districts. Novembe ..read more

The new international arrivals area at the Nashville airport (Image credit: Nashville International Airport) The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it: — Out with the new, in with the old: Court nixes Nashville airport law. — ACLU wants nation’s highest court to review gender-affirming care ban. — Fiscus settlement closes loop on state’s uneven response to the COVID-19 pandemic. — Casada’s attorneys say the former speaker was engaged in “harmless self-dealing.” Also: The late Bob Knight was a big fan of Rep. Kirk Haston, a new strategic litigation direct ..read more

(Image credit: Nashville International Airport) A ruling by a Republican-controlled panel of judges says the newly installed board of the Metropolitain Nashville Airport Authority needs to be disbanded and replaced by the previous body. But how soon will that go into effect? That depends on the next steps by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and the appeals courts. After the state lost the initial home rule case challenging the controversial 2019 school voucher law, the Attorney General’s office asked for ruling to be stayed while an appeal was mounted. The request was turned down. The gov ..read more