Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam talks about his Plan to Expand Medicaid to the editorial staff of the Times Free Press. 
Herbert Slatery speaks about his appointment as attorney general in the Tennessee Supreme Court chamber in Nashville on Sept. 15.NASHVILLE — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is backing Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s decision to join a multistate lawsuit aimed at blocking President Barack Obama’s executive order on illegal immigrants.
“From what I understood, what they’re challenging it on is not on the basis of the immigration deal but more on the basis of can you do that by executive order,” Haslam said Monday of Slatery, his former legal counsel. “And I do think that’s a legitimate concern.”
With Slatery’s actions, Tennessee becomes the 25th state — half of all states — challenging Obama’s executive order. Other states already suing include Georgia and Alabama. All have Republican attorneys general.
Slatery announced earlier Monday that he has notified parties that Tennessee was joining the lawsuit that challenges Obama’s actions and charges it “tramples” on portions of the U.S. Constitution.
In his statement, Slatery said Tennessee “cannot sit on the sidelines of this case, when unlawful directives of this magnitude grant lawful presence and other rights such as work permits to such a large number.”