Category: Tennessee
Jelly Roll receives second chance, thanks to Tennessee governor’s Christmas season tradition
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) maintains an annual Christmas season tradition of granting clemency to select individuals, highlighting stories of redemption and second chances.
This year, Lee extended pardons to 33 individuals. The most notable beneficiary was country music star Jelly Roll, who was previously convicted of robbery and drug felonies.
‘His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for.’
“I am genuinely inspired by the broadness of the folks that are getting pardons today,” Lee said, the Tennessean reported.
The governor called his pardon power “a very serious responsibility.”
While federal pardons allow convicted individuals to avoid prison time, Tennessee pardons serve as a statement of forgiveness after time has been served. The AP reported that they offer a path to restoring certain civil rights, including voting rights. The governor may specify the terms of the pardon.
Jelly Roll, whose given name is Jason DeFord, stated during a January 2024 congressional hearing that his right to vote had been restricted due to his criminal past.
Jelly Roll. Photo by Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images
As part of the clemency process, applications undergo a months-long review, the Associated Press reported. The state parole board reportedly issued a unanimous, non-binding recommendation for Jelly Roll in April.
The music artist visited the governor’s mansion on Thursday to receive the news.
“His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee stated.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Jelly Roll stated that the clemency would make it easier for him to travel internationally for his concert tours and Christian missionary work.
Earlier this month, while appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Jelly Roll received word that he had been invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
“I didn’t even dream of it,” Jelly Roll told Rogan. “God will make things bigger than your dreams. Somebody out there right now is dreaming of something, and it’s too small. Dream bigger, baby.”
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Democratic Strategist Makes Admission About Aftyn Behn One Day After Election
‘maybe take a run at the seat’
MAGA Republican defeats Nashville-hating Democrat in special election
The Republican candidate has prevailed in the special election for the 7th Congressional District of Tennessee.
With 81% of the vote in, Matt Van Epps, a Trump-endorsed Republican, holds a lead of more than 11,000 votes over radical Democrat state Rep. Aftyn Behn. CNN and NBC News among other outlets have called the race for Van Epps.
‘I hate all of the things that make Nashville.’
Though as of this writing he hasn’t yet claimed victory on social media, Van Epps did tweet, “THANK YOU, TENNESSEE,” shortly after media began calling the race.
Behn has not commented on social media.
However, she has lately had to answer for some previous comments and behaviors that indicate an erratic temperament and a deep-seated animus for Nashville, the city she was running to represent in Congress.
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville, apparently, an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country,” she said.
In 2019, Behn also stormed into the office of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and security had to come in and forcibly remove her, video revealed. She then began kicking, screaming, and sobbing on the floor.
By contrast, President Trump described Van Epps as a “phenomenal Candidate” and a “MAGA Warrior” in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning.
Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images
The special election was held on Tuesday to replace former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who abruptly retired in June after helping pass Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Green said he planned to pursue a private-sector opportunity that was “too exciting to pass up.”
By holding the seat, Republicans will keep a 220-213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, though Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) has already announced that she plans to resign in January. Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill also stepped down from her seat after winning the New Jersey gubernatorial election last month.
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Republicans Hold On To House Seat In Tennessee
race was triggered after former Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green resigned
It gets worse for Nashville Democrat who ‘hates’ her own city: ‘Burning down a police station is justified’
Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn’s political past has once again come back to haunt her.
Behn, who currently serves in the Tennessee state legislature, has failed to navigate her on-the-record remarks ahead of the December 2 special election to replace former Republican Rep. Mark Green. Despite running to represent Tennessee’s 7th congressional district, Behn has expressed disdain for the district and critical resources that assist constituents.
‘I don’t remember these tweets.’
Behn was confronted on MS NOW about a series of now-deleted tweets where she apparently advocated to dissolve the police department in 2020, the same summer as the George Floyd riots.
One of these tweets read, “Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified.”
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Photo by SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images
“Yeah, I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points,” Behn said. “But what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions. We need local people deciding … solving local problems with local solutions … and that’s not the overreach of a federal government or a state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state.”
The MS NOW anchor pressed Behn to clarify her comments repeatedly, but she failed to do so.
“Once again, I don’t remember these tweets,” Behn said.
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This is not the first time Behn’s past remarks have landed the Democrat in an uncomfortable situation. She previously expressed severe disdain for Nashville, the very city she is running to represent.
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville, apparently,” Behn said.
“I hate it.”
In a video posted to X on Thursday, Behn seemed to deny that she hates Nashville, admitting that she takes issue with “the bachelorettes” and “pedal taverns” but ultimately blames Republicans for her comments.
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Activist Democrat judge sabotages National Guard surge in Memphis after 100 children rescued
Officials, including activist judges, refuse to let Republican efforts to fight crime go unpunished, with the most recent challenge coming from Tennessee.
On Monday, a Tennessee judge blocked the deployment of the National Guard to clean up the city of Memphis.
‘I’m grateful for the President’s commitment to keeping Memphians safe by ensuring we have every federal resource at our disposal.’
According to the AP, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal, a Democrat, decided that Republican Governor Bill Lee does not have the power to deploy the Tennessee National Guard in the absence of rebellion or invasion.
The judge found that the deployment of the National Guard likely violates the state’s military code and that state officials “are suffering or will suffer irreparable harm” if the injunction isn’t granted, according to NBC News.
Photo by AUSTIN JOHNSON/AFP via Getty Images
Moskal paused the order for at least five days to give the government time to file an “immediate application for permission to appeal.”
Democrat Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, a plaintiff in the case, said he was “pleased” with the decision.
“This is a positive step toward ensuring the rule of law applies to everyone, including everyday Tennesseans and even the Governor,” Harris said on X.
The National Guard arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 10 as part of the so-called Memphis Safe Task Force.
Upon the task force’s establishment in the middle of September, Governor Lee posted on X, “I’m grateful for the President’s commitment to keeping Memphians safe by ensuring we have every federal resource at our disposal.”
Democrat Memphis Mayor Paul Young, who is not party to the lawsuit, said that he wanted the task force to target violent offenders, a major problem in the city.
The Memphis Safe Task Force has been highly successful by many metrics, including recovering over 100 children from human trafficking networks by November.
Newsmax host Todd Starnes said in response to the judge’s ruling, “Will the Democrats also demand that the missing children recovered by the task force be returned to the human traffickers?”
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Judicial Watch: Hearing Set for Thursday in Lawsuit for Release of ‘Manifesto’ in Nashville School Shooting
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that oral argument is set for Thursday, October 30, 2025, 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET, before a three-judge panel in the Tennessee Court of Appeals in the public records lawsuit against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County for records related to the March 2023 shooting […]
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