A U.S. Supreme Court decision will extend an earlier ruling from 2012 that struck down automatic life terms with no chance of parole for teenage killers, the Associated Press reports. The 6-3 ruling – in favor of a Louisiana man who was 17 when he killed a deputy – means more than 1,000 inmates will get a chance to seek their freedom. In dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia said the ruling "is just a devious way of eliminating life without parole for juvenile offenders."

A superintendent and principal are being subpoenaed to testify in the hearing for three officials at Ooltewah High School, WATE reports. Two coaches and the athletic director are facing charges for failing to report child sex abuse involving a basketball player. Three of the victim's teammates have been charged for the incident.

House Speaker Beth Harwell is creating an independent committee to review the legislature’s 19-year-old sexual harassment policy. Harwell, R-Nashville, also announced that as a precautionary measure, interns will not be permitted to attend receptions or events related to the legislature. The announcement comes on the heels of The Tennessean investigation that revealed Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, sent inappropriate text messages to women who worked in the statehouse. GOP leaders have come under fire from Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini, who today called for Harwell and House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Frankin, to resign from their leadership positions. The Tennessean reports Mancini claims the pair created a “toxic workplace."

Nashville attorney and politician John Jay Hooker died Sunday morning. He was 85. Hooker, previously a partner at the firm of Hooker, Hooker and Willis, ran for various political offices in Tennessee, including governor. After being diagnosed with stage four melanoma in January 2015, Hooker began urging Tennessee lawmakers to adopt “death with dignity” legislation. “John Jay Hooker Jr.’s remarkable personality spread a bright light across Tennessee government and politics for a half century,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. “He had friends everywhere.” Funeral announcements have not been announced yet. Read more from The Tennessean.

Is anger okay on the bench? An article published in Vanderbilt Magazine suggests the answer might be yes. Vanderbilt law professor Terry Maroney writes that while judicial outbursts may be negatively portrayed by the media, anger can help judges recognize wrongdoing and make difficult decisions. “The righteously angry judge is a virtuous judge: He or she gets angry for good reasons, experiences and expresses that anger in a well-regulated manner,” Maroney said.

A bill (HB2143) proposed by House Republican Caucus Chair Glen Casada would allow the General Assembly to appoint the state’s solicitor general. The position, currently held by Andrée Blumstein, is appointed by the state attorney general. “My concern is the judiciary interjects itself too much into the doings of the legislature,” Casada, R-Franklin, said. “And having a legislature-appointed solicitor general would provide more balance." Read more from Humphrey on the Hill. 

A Washington, D.C., appellate judge says a court rule is needed to ban statements from experts on “unique ballistics matches,” The Washington Post reports (reg. req.). The request from Judge Catherine Easterly comes after an expert incorrectly testified that a match between bullet slugs found in a murder victim’s vehicle and a gun found in the convicted killer’s bedroom was a match. Claims that forensic experts can match a bullet or shell casing found at a crime scene to a specific weapon lack a scientific basis and should be barred, Easterly writes.

Tennessee House Republican Chair Ryan Haynes and House Speaker Beth Harwell are asking Rep. Jeremy Durham to resign from the state legislature, The Tennessean reports. Durham, R-Franklin, resigned from his House leadership position Sunday afternoon, amidst a growing controversy over sexual harassment charges related to inappropriate text messages.

Members of the Tennessee Supreme Court joined lawmakers and other state officials last Wednesday for a community service project aimed at filling up the state’s five food banks. The volunteers packed 50,000 meals in 90 minutes at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. "They call it food insecurity, but I don't mince words: It's hunger,” said Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who organized the event. “We can't abide that in Tennessee, and so we're trying to help people help themselves." Read more from The Commercial Appeal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court appointed the following people to serve a three-year term on the Access to Justice Commission: Mary Jo Middlebrooks of Middlebrooks & Gray in Jackson; Beverly Watts, Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission in Nashville; J. William Coley of Hodges, Doughty & Carson in Knoxville; and Sean Hunt of Hunt Law in Memphis. The term will begin April 1. Former TBA president Marcia “Marcy” Meredith Eason was appointed to serve as chair for a two-year term. The state Supreme Court created the Access to Justice Commission in 2009 and tasked it with improving access to justice in Tennessee.