Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation that could lead to the removal of state judges who fail to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Sponsored by Republican legislators Rep.Rick Scarbrough and Sen.Paul Rose, the law mandates that all courts comply with requests from the U.S.Department of Homeland Security and related federal agencies.

Judges who are deemed to 'obstruct lawful operations' may be referred to the state judicial oversight board for misconduct proceedings, which could ultimately result in their removal from office.

The law does not explicitly define what constitutes obstructive actions, and sponsors did not specify whether there was a particular problem prompting the measure.

ICE has recently conducted mass arrests in Tennessee for individuals appearing at traffic and misdemeanor court summons, raising questions about coordination with local courts.Efforts in the state Senate to soften the legislation were partly successful, as the law will now automatically expire on February 1, 2029.

The new measure has sparked concern about judicial independence and the lack of clarity around what actions could trigger removal, highlighting tensions between state judicial authority and federal immigration enforcement.