On the second day of a trial that seeks to have Tennessee's lethal injection protocols declared unconstitutional, testimony has centered on the role of compounding pharmacists in producing lethal injection drugs, Memphis Daily News reports. Tennessee's protocol calls for the use of compounded pentobarbital. The only commercial producer of the drug has placed restrictions on its distribution to prevent it from being used in executions.

A second trial for former Vanderbilt University football players accused of rape has been set for Nov. 30, the Tennessean reports. Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were found guilty of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery but because of an issue of juror bias, Judge Monte Watkins declared a mistrial in the case last month. That date could change as defense attorneys have already voiced concerns about having enough time to prepare.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean will become a distinguished visiting professor at Belmont University after he leaves office in late September, he announced today. The mayor told reporters he has no specifics set in stone in terms of the coursework he will teach, but said it would likely focus on American politics, city government and current events. Dean previously served as a law professor at Vanderbilt University School of Law. The Nashville Business Journal has more.

After a decisive win in the 2014 primary, Steve Crump planned to take office as District Attorney General for the 10th Judicial District on Sept.1, serving the residents of Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. But when the holder of the office at the time, Steve Bebb, decided to take early retirement, Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Crump to take the office two months early. Crump reflects back on his first year in the first of a four part series in the Cleveland Daily Banner. 

Pope Francis’ historic address to a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24 will be broadcast live from the West Front, allowing the public in the shadow of the Capitol to watch along with those in the House chamber, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said today. The speech will mark the first time the head of the world's Roman Catholics addresses Congress, WRCB reports from the Associated Press.

The fourth Family Justice Center in Tennessee opened today in Chattanooga. The new center, which will be located at 5741 Cornelison Road at Eastgate, will help bring together separate groups under one roof that are already working together to serve victims of domestic violence. The Chattanoogan has more.

Chattanooga attorney Terrance L. Olsen will give I-9 Employment presentations in Nashville on Aug. 4, in Chattanooga in late September and in Lexington, Kentucky, in early November. The presentations will address how to understand, apply and adhere to an I-9 compliance system; how to develop, install and maintain a self-audit system; and how to be aware of, communicate through and comply with federal & state I-9 penalties and punishments, the Chattanoogan reports.

Law firm mergers are taking place at a record rate, according to a survey by Altman Weil Inc. A total of 19 were announced in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2015. Add that to those announced in the first quarter of the year, and the total rises to 48, the highest in the nine years that the Pennsylvania-based legal consultant has been compiling the law firm M&A list. The ABA Journal has the story.

The TBA will be closed tomorrow for Independence Day. The office will reopen Monday at 8 a.m. As always, our TBA.org website has plenty of continuing legal education options and other information available to you 24/7.

A law firm filed a federal lawsuit yesterday challenging Tennessee campaign finance laws on behalf of Williamson Strong, which was fined $5,000 for failure to register as a political action committee and failure to disclose expenditures. The lawsuit is separate, but related to, the group's appeal of the state's Registry of Election Finance ruling in May. The Tennessean has more.