Politics

Hundreds of defendants imprisoned under Tennessee's harsh drug-free school zone law are now eligible for a second chance at justice.

• A new reform signed into law last month allows them to ask for resentencing. Cases are already working through the court system.

It would cost Metro $1.8 billion through 2039 to fulfill its obligations to the Tennessee Titans under the current lease agreement at Nissan Stadium, according to a report the team presented to the Sports Authority on Thursday.

Why it matters: The obligation of the current lease deal is a crucial comparison because the Titans and Mayor John Cooper are negotiating a deal to build a new enclosed stadium next to Nissan.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher program was in line with the state constitution.

• The 3-2 decision overturns rulings from lower courts that blocked the program.

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses to post a public notice for allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity.

Why it matters: Tennessee has emerged as a leader in anti-trans legislation. LGBT+ advocates say the legislation, which passed into law last year, is offensive and transphobic.

Welcome to Metro budget season!

Driving the news: Metro Council begins reviewing the city's $2.96 billion operating budget with hearings on Wednesday.

• The top officials from each city department will appear before the budget and finance committee to discuss their spending plans.

The new Titans stadium project came into sharper focus last week.

• Mayor John Cooper submitted his annual capital improvement budget showing the plan will cost $2 billion and wrote a Tennessean Op-Ed outlining the generic parameters of a deal.

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles raised $453,000 in the first 30 days of his bid for Congress, his campaign announced Tuesday.

• Ogles was a late entry into the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in the newly drawn District 5.

Less than three years after David Briley became the first incumbent mayor in Metro Nashville history to lose reelection, he found redemption at the polls.

• Briley won the Democratic primary for Division I Circuit Court judge and doesn't have a Republican opponent on the August ballot, so he is headed for the bench.