Tennessee Governor Signs Law Allowing Removal of Judges Who Don’t Cooperate With ICE
New Tennessee law creates pathway to remove judges who don’t cooperate with ICE, though what constitutes ‘obstruction’ remains undefined.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation that could lead to the removal of Tennessee judges who do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, introducing new oversight mechanisms for judicial conduct concerning immigration enforcement.
The measure, sponsored by Representative Rick Scarbrough of Oak Ridge and Senator Paul Rose of Covington, both Republicans, requires all state courts to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and federal immigration authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Potential Penalties for Non-Compliance
Under the new law, judges who “obstruct lawful operations” by federal immigration officials can be referred to the state’s judicial oversight board for misconduct proceedings. The legislation establishes a pathway for removing non-compliant judges from office.
The law does not specify which judicial actions would constitute obstruction, and bill sponsors avoided direct questions during the legislative session about whether the measure addresses an existing problem in Tennessee courts.
Sponsors Defend Proactive Approach
“I can’t speak to a specific event, but I’d like to consider here that this is a proactive bill,” Scarbrough said. “Nothing is more disruptive or embarrassing for any kind of agency than when you find you don’t have a policy to address a certain situation that has occurred…when those policies are nonexistent your practice becomes a policy.”
The legislation comes as ICE agents have conducted periodic mass arrests in recent months targeting individuals appearing for traffic and misdemeanor citation hearings in Robertson and Wilson Counties.
Court System Remains Silent
County court officials in the affected jurisdictions have declined to respond to Tennessee Lookout inquiries about potential agreements or cooperation between judges and immigration officials facilitating these arrests.
The Administrative Office of the Courts, which manages state court operations and typically speaks for Tennessee’s judicial system, also declined to comment on the new legislation.
The law represents Tennessee’s latest effort to align state judicial operations with federal immigration enforcement priorities, though questions remain about implementation and what specific judicial conduct would trigger disciplinary action.
