SAM STOCKARD

Sam Stockard

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Sam Stockard is a reporter at the Tennessee Lookout. He is veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state's best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. He has led the Capitol Hill bureau for The Daily Memphian. His awards include Best Single Editorial from the Tennessee Press Association.

LGBTQ+ advocates blast law blocking doctors from gender questions
Tennessee

LGBTQ+ advocates blast law blocking doctors from gender questions

6:01am ET
Sam Stockard
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are criticizing a new law prohibiting doctors from asking minor patients questions about gender, saying it could be disastrous for transgender children. Republican lawmakers passed House Bill 1665 , with no support from Democrats, in March despite...
Voters face three constitutional questions in November election
Tennessee

Voters face three constitutional questions in November election

Jun 03, 2026
Sam Stockard
When Tennessee voters go to the polls in November, they’ll see three constitutional amendment questions on the ballot, two of them dealing with crime and punishment and the other with banning a state property tax. Republican leaders launched a “Yes...
Tennessee lawmakers push ban on state property tax
Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers push ban on state property tax

Jun 02, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee’s Republican leaders are embarking on a campaign to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting a state property tax, even though the state hasn’t had one for more than 75 years. Dubbed “Yes on 2,” the effort taps a handful of...
Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee Correction leader linked to botched Arizona executions
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee Correction leader linked to botched Arizona executions

May 29, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is no stranger to botched executions such as the one in which defense attorneys say death row inmate Tony Carruthers was “tortured.” Strada served as deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections...
Nashville promises massive return on Super Bowl spending
Tennessee

Nashville promises massive return on Super Bowl spending

May 28, 2026
Sam Stockard
Nashville is planning to pour $60 million into Super Bowl LXIV while expecting a greater return on the investment than any event the city’s ever held, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Much of the title game budget...
Tennessee Democratic senator suspended from committee over special session protest
Tennessee

Tennessee Democratic senator suspended from committee over special session protest

May 27, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee’s Republican lieutenant governor is meting out punishment to a Democratic senator for protesting on the Senate floor at the end of a special session in which lawmakers broke up the state’s only majority-minority congressional district in Memphis. Lt. Gov...
Public defenders ask governor to delay all executions amid litigation
Tennessee

Public defenders ask governor to delay all executions amid litigation

May 27, 2026
Sam Stockard
In the wake of a botched execution, Tennessee public defenders are urging Gov. Bill Lee to extend a reprieve to all death row inmates until litigation over the state’s lethal drug protocol is complete. Lee issued a one-year delay for...
Shelby County district attorney sues state of Tennessee over two new laws
Tennessee

Shelby County district attorney sues state of Tennessee over two new laws

May 27, 2026
Sam Stockard
Shelby County’s district attorney filed an emergency lawsuit against the state Tuesday to block two new laws he claims illegally interfere with his office in connection with cases coming from the federal Memphis Safe Task Force, according to a statement...
Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee, Nashville pour untold resources into Super Bowl LXIV
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee, Nashville pour untold resources into Super Bowl LXIV

May 22, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tens of millions of dollars from Nashville’s tourism development zone will be tapped in the bid to draw Super Bowl XLIV to Nashville, former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said this week as officials celebrated landing the 2030 game. Super Bowl...
State approves $30M for Starbucks’ Nashville location
Tennessee

State approves $30M for Starbucks’ Nashville location

May 21, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee officials approved $30 million Wednesday for Starbucks Corporation’s planned Southeast headquarters in downtown Nashville despite opposition from a conservative group and questions about the company’s treatment of coffee shop workers. The State Funding Board, composed of constitutional officers and...
Immigrant rights group sues Tennessee Highway Patrol over motorist stops
Tennessee

Immigrant rights group sues Tennessee Highway Patrol over motorist stops

May 20, 2026
Sam Stockard
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court against the Tennessee Highway Patrol, claiming its practice of systematic roadway stops violates people’s constitutional rights. The lawsuit alleges the Highway Patrol is ordering...
NFL tabs Nashville for Super Bowl LXIV
Tennessee

NFL tabs Nashville for Super Bowl LXIV

May 19, 2026
Sam Stockard
The National Football League’s owners voted Tuesday to play Super Bowl LXIV at the new Nissan Stadium in 2030. The league made the announcement at its spring meeting in Orlando, Florida after its Fan Engagement & Major Events Committee reviewed...