© Erin Brady Worsham

This original work of art
was inspired by the
Tennessee Justice Center.
Learn more about the artist, Erin Brady Worsham,
by clicking here.

Click to get involved.

The Tennessee Justice Center is a non-profit, public interest law and advocacy firm serving the poor. We give priority to policy issues and civil cases in which the most basic necessities of life are at stake, and where our advocacy can benefit families statewide. We work to empower our clients - who drive our work - by holding government accountable for its policies and actions.

Latest News

Federal Appeals Court Rules in TennCare Children’s Health Case
Case Affects Health Care for One in Three Tennessee Children

Nashville, TN -- A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Thursday, June 26, 2008, in a closely watched case involving TennCare’s treatment of 650,000 children across Tennessee. Thursday’s ruling means that senior state officials must produce electronic records and other files containing evidence about the operations of the TennCare program. Read more here.

Find the entire ruling here. For background, read the District Court Judge's October 2007 order here.

TJC Honors 2008 Mothers of the Year with Reception on May 6

Gordon Bonnyman presents a Mother of the Year Award

Five Tennessee mothers, whose children’s lives are dependent on TennCare health services, were honored for their extraordinary commitment to their own sick and disabled children and to all TennCare children and families during a reception in Nashville on Tuesday, May 6, hosted by the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center. Read the press release here. See the official invitation here.

“These five mothers and thousands of Tennessee families must persistently fight to overcome constant challenges so that their children can receive the TennCare services they need,” said Michele Johnson, TJC managing attorney. Read these women's stories here.

TJC is Officially "Cool" and Has the Ice Cream to Prove it!

Dozens of containers of Dibs® ice cream snacks have been delivered to TJC, a winner in the national Dibs® Quest for a Cooler Workplace. TJC received the honor for the creative ways in which it fosters a positive and enjoyable work environment. From TJC’s bring-your-baby-to-work policy to staff members biking or busing into work to avert CO2 emissions, the TJC folks are keeping things “cool.”

Court Orders State: Give TJC All Relevant Electronic Documents in John B.

On October 10, 2007, US District Court Judge William J. Haynes, Jr. ordered the State and its contractors, the managed care companies, to produce "complete responses" to TJC's electronic document requests. The documents, which date from June 2004 to the present, will help us make our case on behalf of the 640,000 children on TennCare. Read this important order here.

Gordon Bonnyman Among the "Best of the Bar" 2007

Chosen by his peers and honored in the Nashville Business Journal, Mr. Bonnyman is recognized as one of Nashville’s top lawyers.  According to the Business Journal, winners are chosen by “lawyers selecting the lawyers they believe are the very best legal professionals the Nashville area has to offer.”

Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Business Journal Honor TJC Managing Attorney, Michele Johnson

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and 20/20 Leadership Alliance have selected TJC Managing Attorney Michele Johnson as one of three finalists for the Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELAs), community service/non-profit division.

The NELAs salute Middle Tennessee’s young professionals for significant accomplishments in their chosen professional field as well as their commitment and contribution to the community.

In addition, Ms. Johnson is a winner of this year's Nashville Business Journal's Women of Influence Award. The award honors thirty amazing women who have led, inspired and influenced the lives of many people in Middle Tennessee. Ms. Johnson received the award with special recognition of her role as a mentor to others.

Redbook magazine features TJC client Sandy Flanigan

Read Redbook's July 2007 article about the health care crisis in the U.S., what you can do about it, and how TJC client Sandy Flanigan has struggled to get the care she desperately needs. Click to read the article . (Used by permission.)

Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine in Tennessee Portrays Crisis in Tennessee's Health Care System

Click photo to watch the trailer for this documentary.

For more information, visit www.talkingeyesmedia.org. For help showing the film in Tennessee call the Tennessee Health Care Campaign at 1-877-431-7083 or visit www.tenncare.org.

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Presents Gordon Bonnyman with War Horse Award

Gordon Bonnyman, executive director and co-founder of the Tennessee Justice Center, received the prestigious War Horse Award from the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA) during the organization’s recent annual conference in New Orleans.  The War Horse Award is presented each year to a trial lawyer who is recognized as a leader of the trial bar, who is highly regarded by his or her legal colleagues, and possesses the highest reputation in terms of ethics and honesty. Read more <here>.

Tennessee Justice Center and State Face Off On TennCare for Children

The Chattanooga Times Free Press offers this article from February 26, 2007 about TJC's children's health case impacting more than 679,000 Tennessee children. Read the article <here>.

2007: State Is Still Not Meeting Health Care Needs of Tennessee's Children

The State of Tennessee is not meeting the minimum federal standards for providing health care to more than 600,000 children according to a report issued on January 26, 2007, by five independent monitors appointed by Federal District Judge William Joseph Haynes. In addition, the Court's monitors concluded that the state still does not have a plan to establish a system to meet the often urgent health care needs of Tennessee children, although the state has promised to establish such a plan since 1998. <more>

Court Monitors: State Has No Plan for Fixing TennCare for Children

Read the Monitors' Executive Report here. Read the detailed reports on Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment, Outreach, Department of Children's Services: Part 1 and Part 2, and Coordination.

The TennCare Cuts: Plunging Into the Unknown

The collapse of the TennCare program has shocked Tennessee’s health care system in a way that no other state has ever experienced.  Read about the consequences of TennCare disenrollment in this article by TJC Executive Director Gordon Bonnyman for Tennessee's Business, a publication of Middle Tennessee State University’s Business and Economic Research Center. <more>