Gary Humble
Gary Humble is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Tennessee Stands, an organization working to secure liberty and hold elected officials accountable to the Constitution through legislation, litigation, and education. Follow Gary @garyhumble and visit www.tennesseestands.org.
Celebrating Conservative Wins in Court – Victories for Tennessee Values
Over the past weeks, we have witnessed a series of landmark court decisions that represent major victories for conservative principles – and Tennessee is taking a leading role. From protecting children and empowering parents, to upholding equal opportunity and reining in judicial overreach, the rulings coming out of the courts have affirmed what we in Tennessee have long stood for. This is cause for celebration, and also a call to action: armed with these legal wins, we should confidently push for related conservative legislation here at home.
Tennessee’s Ban on Gender Transitions Upheld
First and foremost, we celebrate a historic win for child protection. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s law banning gender-transition procedures for minors, firmly siding with our state’s right to safeguard children from irreparable harm. In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that Senate Bill 1, which prohibits medical interventions aimed at “enabling a minor to identify with a gender inconsistent with their sex,” does not violate the Constitution. The Justices recognized that Tennessee has a “legitimate governmental interest in protecting minors from experimental treatments, irreversible bodily harm, and possible regret.” 1 This common-sense conclusion validates what we have been saying all along: decisions with life-altering consequences should wait until adulthood, and our children deserve protection from unproven, irreversible procedures.
This victory is especially sweet because it was hard-fought. We congratulate Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti for his steadfast defense of our law protecting children. “In today’s historic Supreme Court win, the common sense of Tennessee voters prevailed over judicial activism,” AG Skrmetti said in the wake of the ruling.2 He noted that an alarming surge in minors seeking these life-altering interventions – “despite the lack of supporting evidence” – demanded “careful scrutiny from our elected leaders.” The Court’s “landmark decision”, he added, affirms that “the Constitution lets us fulfill society’s highest calling – protecting our kids.” 3 We couldn’t agree more. Tennessee’s stance to put the safety of children first has now been vindicated at the highest level.
The impact of this ruling extends far beyond our state. Some 20 other states have enacted similar protections for minors, and even the federal government is taking note. U.S. Attorney General (and former Florida AG) Pam Bondi applauded the decision as empowering states to “protect vulnerable children from genital mutilation and other so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ that leaves children permanently disfigured and scarred.” She urged “other states to follow Tennessee’s lead and enact similar legislation to protect our kids.” 4 In short, Tennessee is leading the nation in defending children from radical agendas – and now we have the Court’s green light to press forward confidently. This win should energize us to ensure rigorous enforcement of our laws and to consider additional measures to protect children, whether in medicine, education, or any domain where their well-being is at stake.
Empowering Parents in Education
Another major conservative victory came with the U.S. Supreme Court’s defense of parental rights in education. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, a 6-3 ruling, the Justices sided with a group of parents who sought to opt their young children out of public school lessons featuring LGBTQ+-themed storybooks. The Court held that school officials may not force elementary students to participate in lessons that conflict with their families’ religious beliefs. This is a resounding affirmation that parents – not bureaucrats – should decide what is appropriate for their children. As U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon put it, this decision is “not only a win for religious liberty, but for parental rights,” praising that “families – not bureaucrats – [are] reclaiming their role in raising their children according to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” 5
For Tennessee families, this ruling hits close to home. We have long believed that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and values of their children. Our state has already taken steps in this direction – for example, ensuring parents can review school library materials and object to inappropriate content. But now, emboldened by the Supreme Court, we can do even more. We should push for legislation guaranteeing parents the right to opt their children out of any curriculum that violates their convictions. No child in Tennessee should be forced into instruction that undermines their family’s faith or values. The Court’s decision gives us strong footing to solidify parental rights in our state code.
This victory also serves as a reminder that community values matter. The Maryland school district in the case had tried to impose one-size-fits-all lessons about gender and sexuality on very young kids. The Supreme Court said no – local values and parental judgments must be respected. Here in Tennessee, our values are clear. We stand for age-appropriate education and for letting kids be kids. With this ruling, we can confidently press forward to make sure Tennessee law unambiguously supports parents: whether it’s opting out of certain lessons, being notified about sensitive materials, or having the final say in moral and religious matters affecting their children. Our legislature should seize this opportunity to reinforce parental primacy in education.
Shielding Kids Online With Age Verification Laws Upheld
Conservatives notched another win in the effort to shield children from online pornography and obscenity. Tennessee passed a law requiring adult websites to verify that users are 18 or older, with penalties for sites that refuse to comply. Initially, a federal judge put our law on hold over First Amendment concerns. But now a unanimous Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel has lifted that block, allowing Tennessee to begin enforcing the age-verification requirement while the case continues. The appellate judges saw “no reason to keep Tennessee’s law on ice” and recognized the law’s valid purpose – “to protect children from the devastating effects of easy access to on-demand pornography.” 6 This commonsense protection for our kids is finally moving forward.
The momentum is not just at the appellate level. At the U.S. Supreme Court, a similar law from Texas has been in the spotlight – and the signs are encouraging. The Supreme Court declined to halt Texas’s age-check law earlier this year, allowing it to be enforced. In fact, just this week the Justices upheld the Texas law, signaling that these state efforts to require age verification online do not violate free speech and are on solid constitutional ground. This is a huge development. It means states have the green light to keep pornography out of the reach of children without running afoul of the First Amendment.
What does this mean for Tennessee? It means our legislature and Attorney General can confidently defend and enforce our age-verification law – and even consider strengthening it. Tennessee State Representative Jody Barrett has already called for doing more to “protect the innocence of our children” in response to the court ruling.7 Already, we’re seeing real impact: after the Sixth Circuit ruling, Pornhub began blocking access in Tennessee rather than comply with the new verification rules. This only underscores how necessary the law is. We know that when the law steps in, bad actors will be forced to act responsibly or exit the market. Moving forward, Tennessee can explore additional measures to protect minors online, such as stricter penalties for violators or expanded definitions of harmful content, knowing that the highest court in the land has signaled support for our cause. Our children’s innocence and mental health are worth every effort. With the courts on our side, we can fortify Tennessee as a safe zone for kids both offline and online.
Ending Racial Preferences and Quotas
One of the most consequential conservative victories in recent times – albeit from the previous term – is the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based affirmative action in college admissions. In June 2023, the Court struck down the use of racial preferences at Harvard and UNC, affirming that equal protection means race cannot be used as a factor in admissions decisions. This was a watershed moment for the principle of colorblind fairness. And Tennessee wasted no time in helping to carry that principle forward.
Attorney General Skrmetti, partnering with Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) – the group behind the Harvard case – has taken on a new battle: challenging the federal government’s practice of earmarking grants for “Hispanic-Serving Institutions” (HSIs). Together, Tennessee and SFFA filed suit arguing that the U.S. Department of Education’s HSI grant program “openly discriminates against students based on ethnicity.” Under this program, colleges with at least 25% Hispanic enrollment get special federal funds, which by definition excludes many institutions (including all public colleges in Tennessee) regardless of need. As AG Skrmetti points out, this system “perversely deprives even needy Hispanic students” of benefits if they happen not to attend a qualifying school.8 In other words, it’s unfair and divisive – the antithesis of true equal opportunity.
Our lawsuit argues that, after the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, any policy that conditions benefits on hitting “arbitrary ethnic targets” is unconstitutional. Edward Blum, president of SFFA, put it plainly: “No student or institution should be denied opportunity because they fall on the wrong side of an ethnic quota.” The Supreme Court made clear that such practices are “patently unconstitutional”. We at Tennessee Stands wholeheartedly agree. We believe merit, need, and character – not skin color or ancestry – should be the basis for educational and economic opportunities.
The conservative legal triumph over affirmative action opens the door for Tennessee to lead on genuine equality. Practically, this means reviewing our own state and local policies to ensure we have no trace of discriminatory quotas or preferences. Do any Tennessee public universities or agencies still have diversity set-asides or race-based scholarships? Those should be re-evaluated in light of the new legal landscape. It also means supporting AG Skrmetti’s effort to dismantle unjust federal programs – and perhaps identifying other areas where Washington is imposing “equity” schemes at the expense of fairness. Tennessee can set an example by championing race-neutral policies that uplift all communities based on need and achievement. The Court has given us the constitutional backing to insist on equal treatment under the law; now it’s on us to make that a reality on the ground.
Reining in Judicial Overreach and Restoring Constitutional Order
A final but critical victory worth highlighting is the Supreme Court’s move to rein in activist judges who have been overstepping their authority. In a case stemming from President Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship by executive order, the Court held that federal judges can no longer issue sweeping nationwide injunctions to block policies outside of the specific cases before them. This 6-3 decision sharply limits the ability of lone judges to wield outsized power, a change that President Trump praised as a major restoration of proper judicial role. For years, we saw an epidemic of forum-shopping – where opponents of conservative policies would run to a single friendly judge (often in California or Hawaii) to freeze a policy nationwide. Those days are coming to an end. The Supreme Court found that such nationwide orders likely “exceed the authority” that Congress has given the courts. In doing so, the Justices have curtailed one of the judiciary’s most abused tools.9
Why does this matter for us in Tennessee? Because it means a return to constitutional order and states’ rights. Our duly enacted laws and the policies of conservative administrations should not be subject to immediate veto by an unelected judge hundreds of miles away with a political ax to grind. As one official noted, certain judges were acting like “emperors”, purporting to “veto” entire national policies they disliked. That’s not how our system is supposed to work. Now, with nationwide injunctions curtailed, the balance of power tilts back toward the people’s representatives. If Tennessee passes a law, we fight it out in court on its merits – but we won’t as easily be hit by a universal order from a single district judge that halts the law beyond the parties involved. Likewise, when a conservative administration in Washington enacts policy (such as securing the border or protecting life), activists will have a harder time finding a single judge to stop it everywhere. This change will prevent a lot of mischief and forum-shopping.
Moving forward, Tennessee’s leaders should take heart that the era of judicial imperialism is waning. We should continue to pass bold legislation in line with our values, confident that the judiciary’s proper role – to interpret the law in specific cases, not dictate policy for the whole country – is being restored. It’s also a reminder that our efforts to appoint constitutionalist judges are paying off. The Supreme Court’s current majority has signaled a return to the Constitution’s text and the Framers’ design. We must keep supporting that approach at every level. After all, as much as elections matter, judicial appointments matter too – and we are seeing the fruit of many years of work to put rule-of-law judges on the bench.
Seizing the Momentum in Tennessee
In sum, these court victories mark a turning point. The Supreme Court and other courts have delivered outcomes that align with the values we cherish: protecting children, empowering parents, preserving fairness, and enforcing constitutional limits. Tennessee has reason to be proud – our laws and leadership have been at the forefront of many of these fights. Now it’s time to seize the momentum.
On the heels of these wins, we at Tennessee Stands urge our state legislators and officials to act boldly. Let’s translate these legal precedents into strong state policy. That means ensuring our child protection laws (from medical procedures to obscenity exposure) are second to none. It means passing a Parents’ Bill of Rights so that no Tennessee parent is ever sidelined in their child’s education. It means doubling down on equality under the law by removing any remaining discriminatory policies and resisting new ones from Washington. And it means being unafraid to challenge federal overreach – because we now see that when we stand on principle, the courts will have our back.
Finally, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to those who have championed these causes – from AG Skrmetti’s office fighting in court, to the lawmakers who had the courage to pass these laws in the first place, to you, the Tennessee conservative grassroots, who never wavered in demanding that our values be reflected in our laws. These victories belong to all of us. They show that when we stand firm, we can shape the law of the land.
The work isn’t over, of course. Each victory opens new avenues to advance our principles. But this much is clear: the wind is at our backs. The courts have affirmed what we know in our hearts to be true and just. Let’s celebrate these wins, give credit where it’s due, and then roll up our sleeves to leverage them for an even stronger Tennessee. Together, bolstered by these legal triumphs, we will continue to stand for freedom, faith, and family – and we will keep Tennessee a beacon of conservative values for the entire nation.
[1] Perry, S. P. (2025, June 19). Supreme Court upholds Tennessee’s ban on “gender affirming care” for minors in United States v. Skrmetti. The Federalist Society. https://fedsoc.org/commentary/fedsoc-blog/supreme-court-upholds-tennessee-s-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-minors-in-united-states-v-skrmetti
[2] Tennessee Office of the Attorney General & Reporter. (2025, June 18). Landmark victory for State of Tennessee at United States Supreme Court (Press Release PR25‑37). Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2025/6/18/pr25-37.html
[3] Gerstein, J. (2025, June 18). Supreme Court upholds Tennessee’s ban on gender‑affirming care for minors. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/18/supreme-court-tennessee-transgender-care-ban-00411939
[4] Bondi, P. [@AGPamBondi]. (2025, June 28). “I encourage other states to follow Tennessee’s lead and enact similar legislation to protect our kids.” [Tweet]. X (formerly Twitter). https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1935362210638729531
[5] Leesman, M. (2025, June 27). Trump administration reacts to parental rights case. Townhall. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/06/27/trump-admin-react-to-parental-rights-case-n2659564
[6] Mattise, J. (2025, January 14). Court lets Tennessee porn site age verification law take effect as Texas law goes to Supreme Court. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/ae6a224a2f9ff2f05f37121f38bf9c94
[7] Jodyforstaterep [@Jodyforstaterep]. (2025, June 29). [Post text] [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/Jodyforstaterep/status/1938932904748257728
[8] Tennessee Office of the Attorney General & Reporter. (2025, June 11). TN Attorney General and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. sue Department of Education over discriminatory grant program (Press Release PR25‑33). Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2025/6/11/pr25-33.html
[9] Fleetwood, S. (2025, June 27). Supreme Court nukes nationwide injunctions against Trump’s birthright citizenship order. The Federalist. https://thefederalist.com/2025/06/27/supreme-court-nukes-nationwide-injunctions-against-trumps-birthright-citizenship-order/
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Gary Humble
Gary Humble