By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Lookout readers:
Since it was established in 1996, the HIPAA Privacy Rule has protected individuals’ medical records and health information from being shared but the rule has limits. For example, government agencies that do not provide health care or handle health plans are exempt from HIPAA.
Enter Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. As Senior Reporter Anita Wadhwani reports, Skrmetti has filed a sweeping demand for medical records of both adult and minor patients, provider information and even donors to Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi.
Skrmetti is apparently targeting the organization for offering information about out-of-state abortions, as Tennessee banned the procedure in 2022. This isn’t the first time Skrmetti has sought private medical records: in 2023, he demanded records about gender-affirming care — including the resumes of program volunteers — from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Also on tap today: Meet Lookout contributor Ruby Rayner. Formerly a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Rayner writes today about a 1987 civil rights lawsuit in Chattanooga and how activists may soon be fighting for equal representation again.
In other news:
Cohen files to impeach Trump. Retiring 9th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday, reports the Memphis Flyer.
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi clinic in Memphis. (Photo: courtesy of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi.)
by Anita Wadhwani
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi petitioned a Nashville court on Wednesday to set aside a sweeping legal demand by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to turn over the organization’s donor details, healthcare provider information and the medical records of adult and minor patients.
NEWS AND NOTES
FDA nominee faces skepticism on vaccines from Republican senators at confirmation hearing | Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom
ELECTION 2026
Memphis Councilmember Jerri Green, photographed at a Nashville campaign event, is the Democratic candidate for governor. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Cassandra Stephenson
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerri Green, an attorney and Memphis city councilmember, says she meets self-identifying Trump voters looking for change. “They’re tired of the chaos and the culture wars, and they just want somebody who’s going to not gaslight them about grocery prices or gas prices and talk about real solutions,” she said.
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
“They’re trying to take away the vote we had,” says Fran Pierce of the Louisiana v. Callais decision. Pierce stands in front of a mural of her father, Leamon Pierce, a longtime member of Chattanooga City Council. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Ruby Rayner for Tennessee Lookout
Decades after a civil rights case, Brown V. Chattanooga, forced an overhaul of Chattanooga city government to ensure greater Black representation, the strength of the Voting Rights Act that underpinned that decision has been weakened and Black Chattanoogans are preparing for a renewed fight.
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
A three-judge panel U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit agreed with a federal district judge that barring adults from giving out information about abortions violates the First Amendment. Photo from a 2022 Nashville protest following the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennnessee Lookout)
Federal court upholds block on TN law making it a crime to aid minors seeking out-of-state abortions
by Adam Friedman
A Tennessee law remains blocked after a three-judge panel agreed with a federal district judge that barring adults from giving out information about abortions violates the First Amendment.
ICYMI
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