Attorneys representing Tennessee are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on their lawsuit against the federal government's refugee resettlement policy.

The lawsuit, first filed federal court in March 2017, claims the federal government is forcing states to shoulder costs related to refugee resettlement in violation of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The 10th Amendment says the federal government possesses only the powers delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution and that all other powers are reserved for the states.

The refugee resettlement program was designed to create a permanent procedure for the admission of refugees into the United States.

The Thomas More Law Center, which is representing Tennessee after the state attorney general declined to take the case, said Wednesday it had filed a certiorari petition with the high court, which requests that the court consider a case.

The Supreme Court can either accept or reject the state’s request.

Lawyers on behalf of the state asked the high court to consider two questions:

Whether both chambers of a state legislature, acting together, have standing to sue the federal government when the federal government commandeers state funds for a federal program; and

Whether the federal government can force a state to pay for a federal program from which the state has withdrawn by threatening to cut all the state’s Medicaid funding.

Tennessee has argued the federal government has required states, including ones that have opted out of the refugee program, to incur costs affiliated with state services like schools and health care.

Tennessee withdrew its participation from the refugee resettlement program in 2007. Since then, refugee resettlement has continued in Tennessee, administered by Catholic Charities.

The state has also argued Tennessee faces a threat of losing billions of dollars in federal Medicaid funds if it refused to cover resettled refugees.

Attorneys for the federal government have argued the state can submit a Medicaid proposal that does not include covering the expenses of refugees.

Further, federal attorneys have argued for the lawsuit's dismissal because the Tennessee General Assembly is not able to hire outside counsel without passing a state law.

The state's lawsuit has been shot down by different courts.

A federal judge initially dismissed the case in March 2018.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals followed suit in July 2019 by rejecting the lawsuit. In October, the appellate court similarly denied a request from the plaintiffs for the case to be heard by the full 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition have frequently criticized the lawsuit, which they said will negatively affect the state’s refugee community and perpetuate a culture of fear.

Adam Tamburin contributed to this report.

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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.