TheVoiceOfJoyce In Memphis local law enforcement vies with Border Patrol to arrest immigrants. In Nashville and other cities, Council members and legislators on the State and local level can now vote for Sanctuary Cities without penalties. It’s now legal to vote your conscience and protect the immigrant community without consequences.

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Sponsored by Belmont UniversityFriday, February 27, 2026Good morning! Emily SinerIn one round of power struggles between the city of Nashville and state of Tennessee, the state seems to be standing down.

The round in question focuses on a law passed last year that criminalizes public officials who vote in favor of “sanctuary policies.” 

It permitted the Tennessee attorney general to initiate the process to remove local officials from their post, or even charge the officials with a felony, if they were to cast votes in favor of a sanctuary city policy. This prompted seven of Nashville’s Metro Councilmembers and the ACLU to sue.

Now, in a proposed settlement, Tennessee’s Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti concedes that he cannot support the law’s constitutionality because the law “infringes[s] on principles of legislative immunity and independence.”

WHAT TO KNOW

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has settled over a state law that penalized local officials for how they vote. Credit: George Walker IV / AP Photo (File)Sanctuary policies are still illegal in Tennessee, says WPLN’s Cynthia Abrams, and have been for many years. But the settlement clarifies that “city and county officials cannot be imprisoned for voting for such policies,” Skrmetti said in a statement to WPLN News. “Every legislator, whether at the federal, state, or local level, has a constitutional guarantee against prosecution for how they vote.”

Councilmember Clay Capp, one of the plaintiffs, said the settlement is a victory for free speech and decried “the MAGA movement” for “trying to clamp down on the free speech of people who disagree with them or people that they don’t like.”

Meanwhile, some state legislators who backed the penalty idea last year have been working to officially remove the policy from state law.

Still, as we’ve been reporting often over the last several weeks, this is far from the end of the state’s power struggle with Metro Nashville. (The Boring Company construction process is one such example.) And it’s certainly not the last attempt to criminalize actions related to illegal immigration in Tennessee.

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Aren’t we all missing Mister Rogers? On this day in 2003, the world said goodbye to Fred Rogers — Mister Rogers. The beloved children’s TV host is also known in the public media world for his valiant effort to defend its educational mission. Plus, the local news for Feb. 27, 2026, and insight into the WNXP Nashville Artist of the Month: Venus and the Flytraps.

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MORE TO KNOW

  • Republican Gov. Bill Lee has called for more state troopers for the “Memphis Safe Task Force.” The initiative got a callout in President Trump’s State of the Union speech this week. But as WPLN’s Marianna Bacallao reports, officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol are now facing questions about racial profiling and dehumanizing treatment of Nashville’s immigrant community during a dragnet operation last May. Newly released body camera footage shows that pairs of Tennessee state troopers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents competed to see who could make the most arrests, often marking the people they detained with a number to show which team had made the arrest. (Check out the Nashville Banner and NewsChannel 5‘s recent reporting.)
     
  • The Southeastern Grasslands Institute at Austin Peay State University has secured $10 million to support its conservation and restoration work. The money will help the institute establish six grassland anchor sites in four counties, totaling 1,500 acres. It will also enable a partnership with Belmont University and the launch of fellowship programs in Hickman and Dickson counties. Grasslands are critically important for water quality, carbon storage, drought protection and supporting local wildlife and pollinators.
     
  • We had a bullet point yesterday on the closing of Nashville’s oldest restaurant, but WPLN’s Justin Barney has found out more. Varallo’s, known for chili served with beans and spaghetti, closed after 119 years in business. The restaurant leased space at the Arcade in downtown Nashville, which was purchased in 2021. Owner Bob Peabody said that the current owners made an effort not to raise rent too much, but he said that stopped this year. His only option was to close shop, he says. “If there was someone interested in picking up the rights to at least continue making the chili, I’d love to talk to them,” Peabody said.

FROM WNXP

The Modest Mouse Ice Cream Floats cruise, a festival at sea, featured indie stalwarts Built to Spill, Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile, The Black Heart Procession and more.

In short, it was a cruise built for the likes of WNXP’s Celia Gregory, who was especially excited to talk to the band Mannequin Pussy after one of three rip-roaring sets they played on board.

Catch the interview here, and if it makes you a fan, note that Mannequin Pussy is opening for Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age at Nissan Stadium, on Aug. 15.Listen to On The Record

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

It’s time for our weekly Roundabout, where our panel representing views across the political spectrum dives into the biggest headlines of the week. We take a deep look at new details surrounding immigration enforcement in Middle Tennessee, including an investigation by a media collaborative including Nashville Banner, as well as challenges to marriage equality and gender-affirming surgeries. We also discuss the latest developments with the underground Tesla loop.

Your input is central to our show. Call (615) 751-2500 to leave us your feedback. Submit your idea or email us. Stream This is Nashville with host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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