Title 4, State Government

(1) It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to:(1) Provide for execution within this state of the policies embodied in the federal Civil Rights Acts of 1964, 1968, and 1972; the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. § 2000e(k)); the Age Discrimination in Employment…

(1) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Attorney general” means the office of the attorney general and reporter, the attorney general and reporter, or the attorney general and reporter's designee;(2) “Commission” means the Tennessee human rights co…

(1) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a person to:(1) Exclude an individual from participation in, deny an individual the benefits of, or subject an individual to discrimination under a program or activity operated by a school on the basis of race, …

(a) (1) Not later than June 30, 2025, all commission procedures, reports, functions, duties, and records, including, but not limited to, all the commission's case files, must be transferred to the office of the attorney general and reporter. The attorney general is not required t…

(a) There is created a civil rights enforcement division in the office of the attorney general and reporter. The offices of the division are to be located in a place to be determined by the attorney general. The attorney general is authorized to hire, fire, supervise, direct, and…

(a) The attorney general is authorized to employ such personnel as may be necessary and appropriate for the division to accomplish the purposes of this chapter. (b) The attorney general may receive, initiate, investigate, seek to conciliate, refer, and pass upon complaints allegi…

(a) (a) If the attorney general has reason to believe that a person is engaging in or has engaged in an act or practice in violation of this chapter, or that it is in the public interest to conduct an investigation to ascertain whether a person is engaging in, has engaged in, or …

(a) It is a violation of this chapter for a person to retaliate or discriminate against another person because such person has opposed a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter or because such person has made a charge, filed a complaint, testified, assisted or partic…

(a) (1) If the attorney general has reason to believe that a person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in an act or practice in violation of this chapter, then the attorney general may bring an action in the name of the state or on behalf of the complainant aga…

(a) After the attorney general receives a complaint pursuant to this chapter, or when the attorney general has reason to believe a person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in a violation of this chapter, the attorney general may negotiate and accept a concilia…

(a) (1) In a complaint involving discrimination in employment and public accommodations, within ninety (90) days after an administrative determination of reasonable cause to believe that discrimination took place, unless the commission has issued an order stating the terms of a c…

(a) If the commission determines that the respondent has not engaged in a discriminatory practice, then the commission shall state its findings of fact and conclusions of law and shall issue an order dismissing the complaint. A copy of the order must be delivered to the complaina…

(a) Affirmative action ordered under this section includes, but is not limited to:(1) Hiring, reinstatement, or upgrading of employees with or without back pay. Interim earnings or amounts earnable with reasonable diligence by the person or persons discriminated against must oper…

(a) A complainant, respondent, or intervenor aggrieved by an order of the commission, including an order dismissing a complaint or stating the terms of a conciliation agreement, may obtain judicial review, and the commission may obtain an order of the court for enforcement of its…

(a) As part of an investigation of a complaint filed under this chapter and at a reasonable time, the commission or its designated representative may request access to premises, records, and documents relevant to the complaint and the right to examine a photograph and copy eviden…

(a) (1) Upon written application to the commission, a party to a proceeding is entitled as of right to the issuance of subpoenas for deposition or hearing in the name of the commission by an individual designated pursuant to its rules requiring attendance and the giving of testim…

(a) It is a violation of this chapter for a person to:(1) Willfully interfere with the performance of a duty or the exercise of a power by the attorney general;(2) Willfully obstruct or prevent a person from complying with this chapter or an order issued under this chapter; or(3)…

(a) A person injured by an act in violation of this chapter has a private right of action in chancery court or circuit court in a county in which the alleged violation occurred, in a county in which a respondent resides or has the respondent's principal place of business, or anot…

(1) For a private cause of action arising under § 4-21-401, § 8-50-103, or § 50-1-304, the sum of the amount of compensatory damages awarded for future pecuniary losses, emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other nonpecuniary lo…

An employee shall not concurrently maintain a cause of action in state court under § 4-21-401, § 8-50-103, or § 50-1-304, while at the same time prosecuting an action in federal court based on a common nucleus of operative facts. Upon motion of the employer, the state court shall…

No employee may concurrently maintain any cause of action in state court under § 4-21-401, § 8-50-103, or § 50-1-304, while at the same time prosecuting an action in federal court based on a common nucleus of operative facts. Upon motion of the employer, the state court shall dis…

(a) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for an employer to:(1) Fail or refuse to hire or discharge a person or otherwise to discriminate against an individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such ind…

(1) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a labor organization to:(1) Exclude or expel from membership, or otherwise to discriminate against, a member or applicant for membership because of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin;(2) …

It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for an employment agency to classify or refer for employment, or to fail or refuse to refer for employment, or otherwise to discriminate against a person because of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national or…

(1) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for:(1) An employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship, or on-the-job, or other training or retraining programs, to discriminate against an individual because of race…

This chapter does not apply to religious corporations, associations, educational institutions, or societies, with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by the corporation, association, educational institut…

(1) It is not a violation of this chapter for:(1) An employer to employ or assign the terms and conditions of employees;(2) An employment agency to classify, or refer an individual for employment;(3) A labor organization to classify its members or to classify or refer a person fo…

(a) It is not a violation of this chapter for an employer, employment agency, or labor organization to:(1) Discriminate in employment on the basis of age where age is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the business, or where the…

(a) Employees who have been employed by the same employer for at least twelve (12) consecutive months as full-time employees, as determined by the employer at the job site or location, may be absent from such employment for a period not to exceed four (4) months for adoption, pre…

If an employer discovers that an employee is not authorized to work in the United States under federal immigration laws through results produced by the E-Verify program, as defined in § 50-1-702, or otherwise, and discharges the employee based on immigration status, then the empl…

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a person to deny an individual the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommoda…

It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a person, directly or indirectly, to publish, circulate, issue, display, or mail or cause to be published, circulated, issued, displayed, or mailed a written, printed, oral, or visual communication, notice or advert…

(1) This part does not prohibit segregation on the basis of sex:(1) Of bathrooms, locker rooms, shower facilities, health clubs, and rooms or spaces for sleeping or changing clothes; and(2) In places of public accommodation specifically exempted in writing by the attorney general…

(a) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a person, because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin, to:(1) Refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sal…

(a) Section 4-21-601 does not apply to:(1) The rental of housing accommodations in a building that contains housing accommodations for not more than two (2) families living independently of each other, if the owner or a member of the owner's family resides in one (1) of the housi…

(1) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a real estate operator, a real estate broker, a real estate salesperson, a financial institution, an employee of such persons and entities, or another person, for the purpose of inducing a real estate transactio…

(a) Every provision in an oral agreement or a written instrument relating to real property that purports to forbid or restrict the conveyance, encumbrance, occupancy, or lease thereof to individuals of a specified race, color, creed, religion, sex, or national origin is void. (b)…

It is no defense to a violation of this chapter by a real estate operator, real estate broker, real estate salesperson, financial institution, or other person subject to this chapter that the violation was requested, sought, or otherwise procured by a person not subject to this c…

(a) It is a discriminatory practice in violation of this chapter for a person or other entity whose business includes engaging in residential real estate-related transactions to discriminate against a person in making available such transaction, or in the terms and conditions of …

Where a real estate broker or a real estate salesperson has been found by a court to have committed a discriminatory housing practice in violation of § 4-21-601 or § 4-21-603, the real estate broker or salesperson shall notify the real estate commission of the violation in writin…

(a) The attorney general may bring a cause of action for malicious harassment in a court of competent jurisdiction. (b) A person commits malicious harassment when, because of another person's race, color, ancestry, religion, or national origin, the person purposely or knowingly, …

The remedy for malicious harassment provided in this part is in addition to, and must not preclude victims from seeking other remedies, criminal or civil, otherwise available under the law.

This part is known and may be cited as the “Civil Rights Act of 1990.”

(a) A state official, employee, or agency shall not sponsor or organize a meeting or other activity, the purpose of which is related to state business, including an athletic competition, in an establishment or facility that does not afford full membership rights and privileges to…

(a) A state official, employee, or agent shall not enter into a commercial agreement on behalf of the state with a club that denies to a person entry, use of facilities, or membership, or unreasonably prevents the full enjoyment of such club on the basis of sex, race, creed, colo…

An adjunct organization, including, but not limited to, booster groups, of a state university, community college, or institution of higher learning shall not enter into a contract on behalf of, or purchase membership for, an employee of such university, college, or institution of…