Tennessee House approves bill to discipline judges who obstruct iCE

NASHVILLE, TEN. — The Tennessee House on Thursday voted in favor of legislation aimed at disciplining judges who obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration law. The legislation (HB1707/SB1952) by Republicans Rep. Rick Scarbrough of Oak Ridge and Sen. Paul Rose of Shelby County does not define what judicial actions could add up to obstruction. Scarbrough, responding on the House floor to a request for examples of judges’ obstructing immigration enforcement posed by Democratic State Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, said the bill was intended to set clear guidelines. Johnson also noted that judges can already be referred to a disciplinary board for any allegation of misconduct. “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 bill, approved in the House by a 71-24 party-line vote is one of dozens aimed at immigrants without legal status put forth by Tennessee Republicans this year. On Thursday, the Senate approved a bill aimed at commercial vehicle companies and their drivers: the bill makes it a crime for an employer to hire commercial vehicle operators without legal immigration status and subjects commercial vehicle license holders to drive in Tennessee without proof of legal immigration status to arrest. Other legislation that is part of the Republican’s so-called “immigration 2026” agenda continues to wind through the legislative process as it enters its remaining weeks before the session ends. The legislation heard in the Senate Thursday says a judge who “obstructs lawful operations by the United States Department of Homeland Security or federal immigration authorities acting in the enforcement of federal immigration law may be referred to the board of judicial conduct for proceedings.” The findings of those proceedings, the legislation says, could be cause for removal under the Tennessee Constitution.