A bill prohibiting marriage between first cousins is on its way to the Tennessee governor's desk after the state house voted overwhelmingly to pass the measure. The bill sponsor, a Democratic representative, explained that the bill aims to update a law enacted by the state's General Assembly in 1829.
The proposed change would substitute the language 'nor the child of a grandparent' with 'nor the lineal descendant of a grandparent,' effectively prohibiting marriage between first cousins. This adjustment seeks to close a loophole that was identified in a 1960 opinion by Tennessee's attorney general, which stated that the 1829 statute did not explicitly ban marriage between cousins.
