One in 30 adult black males in Tennessee are incarcerated, only slightly below the average of 1 in 26 for all states, according to new data from The Sentencing Project. The report evaluated the issue on a national scale and found “African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at more than five times the rate of whites, and at least 10 times the rate in five states." Read more from Nashville Scene. 

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has announced a partnership with First Presbyterian Church in Clarksville to launch the Presbyterian Legal Assistance Network. Staff attorneys from Legal Aid Society’s Clarksville office will provide a free legal clinic every second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. – noon at a meal program that operates out of the church.

A federal judge in San Francisco is extending the deadline for attorneys for Volkswagen to reach a final settlement proposal, citing the “highly technical nature” of the proposed settlements. Bloomberg News reports that the new deadline, June 28, will deny Volkswagen the opportunity to present a conclusion to investors at its annual shareholders meeting on June 22. Without the settlement, the German carmaker’s efforts to navigate out of the crisis remain incomplete nine months after admitting to rigging the exhaust systems in some 11 million vehicles worldwide.

The Tennessean reports Rep. Bill Spivey, R-Lewisburg, has joined other Republican lawmakers who are calling for an end to Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s investigation of Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin. In a letter to the head of the committee that initiated the investigation, Spivey cited concerns over some of Slatery’s actions in the investigation and said that the probe "reeks of a political witch hunt.” State election officials announced earlier this month that they are also investigating Durham’s finances. 

A new analysis by The Associated Press finds minority residents are underrepresented — in terms of the numbers of seats they hold relative to their shares of state populations — in 47 state legislatures across the country, including Tennessee's. White residents comprised 74.5 percent of Tennessee's estimated 2014 population, but white lawmakers held 84.7 percent of the total 132 seats in the state Legislature. The Knoxville News Sentinel takes a closer look at the issue and argues that a more diverse legislature could be in the state’s future based on recent elections.  

WTVF reports that Davidson County Deputy District Attorney General Amy Hunter was suspended today for one month without pay after being charged with DUI in Williamson County. “I am personally disappointed in General Hunter’s actions, but respect that she has taken full responsibility and is accepting the consequences handed down by the Williamson County Courts and this office,” said District Attorney Glenn Funk, who announced the suspension. 

Attorney General Herbert Slatery addressed judicial retention elections, his AG appointment and the legislature’s judicial confirmation process yesterday while speaking at the Memphis Rotary Club. Slatery praised the work of the legislature in confirming Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page and Tennessee Appeals Court Judge Ross Dyer. He added that the process has provided “stability” and eliminated legal challenges to the retention by voters on those who are appointed and then confirmed. Read more from the Memphis Daily News. 

A 62-year-old Clinton resident has filed a $1.25 million age discrimination lawsuit after he was fired from an auto dealership and reportedly told that he was "too old to run the shop and turn a profit." The lawsuit alleges the termination violates the state's Human Rights Act and the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Read more from the Knoxville News Sentinel. 

Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley said he plans to shut down the judicial confirmation process this summer ahead of President Obama’s last months in office, Roll Call reports. The Iowa Senator said that he will allow for limited exceptions. Edward Stanton III of Memphis is among the reported more than a dozen nominees awaiting Senate approval; Stanton was nominated by Obama in May 2015 to serve as U.S. district judge for the Western District of Tennessee.   

Urgent Care: Trends, Compliance and Regulatory Issues, a CLE course on July 12 from noon-4:15 p.m. at the Tennessee Bar Center, will address the corporate practice of medicine, staffing issues, compliance matters, permits and licensures. A panel of experts will provide their unique perspectives on how new urgent care health care trends will impact hospitals, physicians and urgent care companies. The course is approved for three CLE credits.