Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti this week led a 38-state and territory bipartisan coalition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take swift action against bad actors who are endangering consumers with counterfeit and unsafe forms of the GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. The group is asking the FDA to lead efforts to safeguard the American supply chain and to work with other federal and state agencies to stop bad actors from producing counterfeit drugs. Read more in a news release from the attorney general office, read the full letter or view Tennessee’s GLP-1 warning.

Make plans now to join the TBA for a CLE like no other! The Murder Mystery CLE, set for May 16, is a unique opportunity that will allow participants to step into the roaring 1920s and unravel the mystery of J.W. Hanks’ untimely demise. Was Hanks’ killer his employee, his doctor, his wife, his mistress, his best friend or someone else he trusted? Using Tennessee’s latest criminal laws to uncover crucial clues, teams will spend the afternoon immersed in this unforgettable blend of education and entertainment with guidance from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law professors Sydney Beckman and Melanie Reid. The event, which includes lunch, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. CDT at the Nashville Public Library. Members of the Criminal Justice Section save on registration. Not a section member yet? Join here.

Due to the winter storm and threat of hazardous travel conditions, Gov. Bill Lee closed state offices in the West and Middle Grand Divisions today. The announcement noted that state services offered online remain available and state employees able to work from home were encouraged to do so. A number of courts across the state also were closed.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday declined the request of 14 Democratic state attorneys general to immediately impose wide-ranging restrictions on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Chutkan ruled that the states had not made the necessary showing of “clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm,” The Hill reports. A separate judge on Friday rejected a request to block access to two federal departments and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while according to Reuters, a judge on Monday declined to block access to student borrower data at the Education Department. There are more than a dozen pending lawsuits challenging DOGE’s structure or its access to various federal departments, according to The Hill.

Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison attorney John L. Farringer IV has been elected as the Tennessee Bar Association’s next vice president. He will lead the association as president in 2027-2028. Farringer is a Tennessee native practicing as a commercial litigator for over 20 years. He has been active in the TBA for many years, including as chair of the Access to Justice Committee, as a six-year member of the board of governors, and as the current associate general counsel with a special focus on issues related to indigent representation. He also was a member of the 2011 Leadership Law class and received the 2015 President’s Award for his work as chair of the Medical-Legal Partnership Working Group. Farringer has made access to justice a passion of his career, including handling complex indigent cases and serving as chair of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. After taking office as vice president at this summer’s TBA Convention, Farringer will become president-elect in June 2026 and take over the organization’s leadership in June 2027.

The 2025 Estate Planning and Probate Forum will take place next Friday, Feb. 28, at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. The daylong event will feature expert speakers covering topics such as community property trusts, AI developments, a probate panel, ethics, legislative updates and much more. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, offering opportunities for networking with colleagues from across the state. Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. The program offers seven hours of CLE including two hours of dual credit. Section members receive discounted pricing. Not a member of the Estate Planning & Probate Section yet? Join here. For more information on the forum, to view the speaker line up and to register, visit TBA’s website.

Carter County lawyer Jason Lee Holly has been reinstated to the active practice of law. He had been temporarily suspended for failure to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility on Oct. 28, 2024. The court reports that on Jan. 3, Holly provided an appropriate response to the board and filed a petition to dissolve the temporary suspension. At a hearing on Feb. 7, a panel of the board determined that dissolution of the temporary suspension was appropriate.

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office has asked the state Supreme Court to set execution dates for five people on death row, five years after the state last put a person to death, the Tennessean reports. The motions, filed on Friday, ask the court to set dates for Kevin Burns, Jon Douglas Hall, Kennath Artez Henderson, Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines and William Glenn Rogers. The motions are the next step in the process to resume executions in Tennessee after they were paused in 2022. Executions will proceed in the state under a new lethal injection protocol using a single drug, pentobarbital.

The 2025 Estate Planning and Probate Forum will take place Feb. 28 at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. The daylong event will feature expert speakers covering topics such as community property trusts, AI developments, a probate panel, ethics, legislative updates and much more. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, offering opportunities for networking with colleagues from across the state. Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. The program offers seven hours of CLE including two hours of dual credit. Section members receive discounted pricing. Not a member of the Estate Planning & Probate Section yet? Join here. For more information on the forum, to view the speaker line up and to register, visit TBA’s website.

A group of state attorneys general (AGs) have sued to stop efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to review federal government spending and recommend cuts, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that DOGE head Elon Musk was illegally appointed and given “unchecked legal authority” by the president without congressional approval. After a hearing today, a federal judge appeared inclined to deny a request to block access to sensitive records, but said she would rule on the issue within 24 hours. ABC has that development. In another suit, the Association of Administrative Law Judges has joined two federal employee unions in seeking to block DOGE from accessing workers’ personal and employment records. That suit alleges that the disclosure of such information violates the Privacy Act and poses a security risk to federal workers. Read the filing.