Tennessee Justice Center

10/08/2026

Thanks so much to Nashville State for hosting TJC at their North Campus Resource Fair! We loved sharing the resources we provide with your students. Special thanks to Shane and Courtney, pictured with TJC's Shana Watkins, for making us feel so welcome!

If your organization is hosting an upcoming event and you would like to provide attendees with more information about the programs TJC helps with, we would love to participate!

Fill out our form here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=EuEsKENlbkaMhTgZUVR2_2s596Fit-1Fm_AnplWqMXtUNE5QMU9BWUlKWkZLUFpOVUwwWlA1UVdDSyQlQCN0PWcu

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

The TJC team was proud to attend Equal Justice University, a statewide conference for public interest attorneys and advocates. We’re especially proud that several TJC staff members had the opportunity to share their expertise as presenters, leading sessions and contributing to important conversations with colleagues!

10/06/2026

We are deeply grateful for our board members, whose guidance, expertise, and dedication strengthen our impact across Tennessee. Thank you to each of you! It was a pleasure to gather together in person and reflect on all that we've accomplished together thus far! 💜

Learn more about our amazing board members at https://www.tnjustice.org/our-board

10/06/2026

Thank you so much to Brian Haile, the CEO of Neighborhood Health, for joining us for our webinar on September 17th, "How Clinicians Can Support Access to SNAP amidst New Work Requirements."

Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed, more Tennesseans are subject to SNAP work requirements. For example, people who are unhoused, elderly folks between age 55 and 64, veterans, and children aging out of foster care must now meet a work requirement in order to receive SNAP.

However, many of these individuals have trouble meeting the work requirement due to physical and mental health issues. Therefore, their access to food is now interrupted, exacerbating their struggles and leading to both immediate and long-term poor health outcomes.

This webinar is for healthcare providers, social workers, and mental health professionals to learn about the role you can play to ensure Tennesseans maintain access to SNAP. Here are helpful resources:

⭐️ Full webinar recording: https://youtu.be/Dy1w_IkKLKI?si=nhXOONYZ29EPUbGv
⭐️ SNAP Unfit to Work Certification Form: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:5d6266be-3485-4b4d-8ee7-3ff8c9390966
⭐️ SNAP Health Care Professional Procedural Guidance: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:7247d0a2-3170-427f-b96e-3ebe5669be16
⭐️ SNAP Health Care Professional Statement: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:3a991a6e-e7b7-4bee-a67e-a74b1267ca1

10/06/2026

Tennessee Justice Center's Co-Founder and Executive Director Michele Johnson has been named one of Equal Justice Works' 40×40 Alumni Changemakers, a national recognition honoring 40 alumni whose leadership and service have advanced justice and strengthened communities across the country.

The recognition is part of Equal Justice Works’ 40th anniversary celebration and honors public interest leaders from across four decades. Johnson was selected for her leadership in expanding access to healthcare and nutrition programs and building TJC into a statewide organization serving Tennesseans across all 95 counties.

Michele helped found TJC in 1996 after federal restrictions threatened the ability of legal services organizations to advocate for systemic change on behalf of low-income families. She has since helped lead TJC’s work to remove barriers to healthcare and nutrition programs through individual representation, litigation, and policy advocacy.

As lead counsel, Michele negotiated a landmark class action settlement that reformed healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Tennessee children enrolled in TennCare. Over the past 30 years, TJC’s work has secured more than $8 billion in healthcare benefits and hundreds of millions of dollars in nutrition assistance for Tennesseans.

“When we started TJC 30 years ago, we wanted Tennesseans to have somewhere to turn when systems meant to help them fell short. I’m proud of what we’ve built, the families who have trusted us and the advocates and public interest lawyers who continue to choose this work,” Michele shares.

Read more about this wonderful recognition in our latest press release here:https://www.tnjustice.org/_files/ugd/07a490_497512eeabfe42adab31ddc0765ce6e2.pdf

10/05/2026

EXTRA! EXTRA! SNAP enrollment across Tennessee is dropping, but costs are rising!

Beginning October 1st of this year, states must absorb new administrative costs, AND starting in 2027, states with higher SNAP error rates could be required to pay a portion of benefit costs.

For Tennessee, that obligation is projected to reach $162 million annually.

“It’s a lot of money,” says our Director of Nutrition Policy Anna Grace Dastugue. “States have essentially been set up to fail because they’ve been asked to implement all these changes and do it perfectly correctly or if they don’t they will owe $100 million to $200 million dollars.”

There is effort to delay these cost shifts at the federal level to ensure that Tennessee can lower their error rate while families maintain access to SNAP benefits. Some states already received a a two-year delay. Tennessee did not.

Read the full story on the front page of Tennessean, or read it digitally here: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2026/10/01/snap-cost-increase-enrollment-drops/92004113007/

10/05/2026

Today is October 5th, which means it’s the LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE before the November election!

Registering only takes a few seconds! Visit https://www.GoVoteTN.org to register or check your voter information!

10/02/2026

We’re proud to celebrate our own Lillian Marcum, who was named Community Partner of the Year by RCS School Nutrition Program! Thank you to Patsi Gregory, immediate past President-Elect of the Tennessee School Nutrition Association and current Supervisor of School Nutrition for Robertson County Schools, for visiting TJC to present this award and to tour our building. Massive thanks to Patsi and Robertson County School Nutrition for your tenacious advocacy and partnership!

Learn more about TJC's work to expand free school meals at https://www.tnjustice.org/antihunger

10/02/2026

The King Fellowship would not be possible without the generosity of Bill and Robin King. Watch to hear how meaningful this experience was for our 2025-2026 King Child Health Fellow Annie Eby.

Learn more about the fellowship at tnjustice.org/king