Anita Wadhwani

Anita Wadhwani

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Anita Wadhwani is a senior reporter for The Tennessee Lookout. The Tennessee AP Broadcasters and Media (TAPME) named her Journalist of the Year in 2019 as well as giving her the Malcolm Law Award for Investigative Journalism. Wadhwani is formerly an investigative reporter with The Tennessean who focused on the impact of public policies on the people and place across Tennessee. She is a graduate of Columbia University in New York and the University of California at Berkeley School of Journalism. Wadhwani lives in Nashville with her partner and two children.

Judge extends order blocking Tennessee officials from reporting sick, disabled immigrant children 
Tennessee

Judge extends order blocking Tennessee officials from reporting sick, disabled immigrant children 

6:02am ET
Anita Wadhwani
A Nashville judge on Wednesday extended an order from last week that blocks Tennessee health officials from reporting 400 immigrant children with disabilities and chronic illnesses, enrolled in a safety-net health program, to a state immigration enforcement office. Chancellor Patricia...
Doctors file suit against Tennessee plan to report sick, disabled immigrant kids to authorities
Tennessee

Judge issues restraining order in doctors’ challenge to TN plan to report disabled immigrant kids

Jun 24, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
A Nashville judge on Wednesday swiftly issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Tennessee Department of Health from turning over the names of about 400 disabled and critically ill kids to a state immigration agency that cooperates with federal immigration...
Advocates for critically ill kids urge Lee to intervene before deadline to report immigration status
Tennessee

Advocates for critically ill kids urge Lee to intervene before deadline to report immigration status

Jun 24, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
As a deadline looms for about 400 sick and disabled kids to be reported to immigration officials because they receive public healthcare benefits, advocates on Tuesday urged Gov. Bill Lee to intervene. “Today we’re calling on Gov. Lee to take...
Trump administration to appeal dismissal of criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Tennessee

Trump administration to appeal dismissal of criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Jun 22, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
The Trump administration filed notice it intends to appeal the dismissal of its Tennessee criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to an El Salvador prison last year served as an early flashpoint over the administration’s immigration enforcement...
Report: Tennessee sees decline in most measures of child well-being
Tennessee

Report: Tennessee sees decline in most measures of child well-being

Jun 18, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Tennessee experienced a sharp decline in measures of child well-being in recent years, according to a state-by-state assessment of federal economic, educational, census and health data analyzed yearly by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation’s “2026 Kids Count Data...
Congressman urges Gov. Bill Lee to revoke directive to report immigration status of sick kids
Tennessee

Congressman urges Gov. Bill Lee to revoke directive to report immigration status of sick kids

Jun 17, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen on Wednesday urged Gov. Bill Lee to revoke a state directive that requires the reporting of approximately 400 sick or disabled children enrolled in a public health program to a state immigration enforcement division. In...
After One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 100,000 Tennesseans’ lose SNAP food aid
Tennessee

After One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 100,000 Tennesseans’ lose SNAP food aid

Jun 16, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
As she neared her 60th birthday, the stable pieces of Cassandra Doyle’s life began to fall away: first, she was laid off from her job. Then, a newly-purchased used car died in the middle of the freeway. She depleted her...
Providers scramble as Tennessee tells sick, disabled immigrant kids they will lose healthcare
Tennessee

Providers scramble as Tennessee tells sick, disabled immigrant kids they will be reported

Jun 15, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Last week Gov. Bill Lee’s administration issued an ultimatum to hundreds of immigrant families in Tennessee: If parents wished to keep their disabled and critically ill children on a last-resort medical program, their personal information would be turned over to...
Tennessee health department warns parents their children will be reported to immigration officials
Tennessee

Tennessee health department warns parents their children will be reported to immigration officials

Jun 11, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Pediatricians and public health care providers on Wednesday said they feared life-threatening consequences for children with critical illnesses who rely on a specialized public health care program as Tennessee moves forward with a directive to verify and report their immigration...
Democrats drop Tennessee redistricting challenge; two other legal challenges ongoing
Tennessee

Democrats drop Tennessee redistricting challenge; two other legal challenges ongoing

Jun 09, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Tennessee Democrats have voluntarily dismissed a federal lawsuit challenging a Republican-led redistricting process that carved majority-Black, majority Democratic Memphis into three U.S. House districts. The now-dismissed challenge was brought by the Tennessee Democratic Party, four Democrats running for U.S. House...
Tennessee to report disabled immigrant kids getting public healthcare to ICE, advocates say
Tennessee

Tennessee to report disabled immigrant kids getting public healthcare to ICE, advocates say

Jun 09, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
Scores of low-income immigrant children living with critical illnesses could soon lose access to life-sustaining medical care after Tennessee officials directed public health departments to verify their immigration status and report to the federal government, according to the Tennessee Justice...
Lawsuit seeks to halt Tennessee law making illegal immigration a state crime
Tennessee

Lawsuit seeks to halt Tennessee law making illegal immigration a state crime

Jun 05, 2026
Anita Wadhwani
The ACLU and National Immigration Law Center on Thursday filed a legal challenge to a new Tennessee law that makes it a crime for immigrants without legal status to enter or remain in the state. The federal lawsuit, filed on...