(The Center Square) – The federal government filed suit Thursday against Tennessee and its Tennessee Bureau of Investigation over enforcement of the state’s aggravated prostitution statute.
The state law requires people with HIV convicted of aggravated prostitution to register for life as a violent sex offender. The federal suit seeks to stop enforcement of the statute.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the state law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against people with HIV. Justice Department officials sent a letter to state officials in December 2023 warning of a lawsuit if the state continued to enforce the law.
“The enforcement of state criminal laws that treat people differently based on HIV status alone and that are not based on actual risks of harm, discriminate against people living with HIV,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. “People living with HIV should not be subjected
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