Former Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt will not be called to testify in former spokeswoman Debby Jennings’ federal job discrimination lawsuit, an attorney said today in U.S. District Court. Jennings claims she lost her job when she took up for Summitt when Summitt believed she was being forced to retire due to a diagnosis of early onset dementia. The Tennessean has more.

Montgomery County Judge Ken Goble and Juvenile Magistrate Tim Barnes are asking citizens to look at their circumstances and see if they have the ability to become a foster parent, the Leaf Chronicle reports. There are currently 50 foster families, but the judges say the county needs to double that number to adequately serve all of the 279 children in the system.

Several family members of murder victims gathered in Knoxville yesterday to discuss opinions issued by the three State Supreme Court Justices up for a retention vote. The group is pushing for more rights for crime victims, and one woman said she was upset that justices weren't in support of showing a photo of a murder victim during a trial and felt that their decisions limited victim impact statements. WATE has the story.

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled yesterday that some legal rights of same-sex couples predate the state’s approvals of civil unions in 2005 and gay marriage in 2008, WATE reports. The 6-0 decision — which gay rights supporters call the first of its kind in the country — overturns two lower court rulings and allows a widow to sue a doctor in a medical malpractice case for the death of her spouse and the loss of her spouse's companionship and income.

Utah officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily block a lower court's order that the state formally recognize hundreds of same-sex marriages performed earlier this year. In an emergency appeal filed late Wednesday and addressed to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Gov. Gary Herbert and Attorney General Sean Reyes said the issue of whether the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional remains pending in the courts. The court is expected to rule on the issue in the next year or so, WCYB has more.

The state Comptroller’s Office recently released the review of funds administered by district attorneys general and judicial district drug task forces in Districts 1 through 31 for the fiscal year that ended June 30. According to the annual report, auditors had findings in five of the judicial districts. The Daily Times has more.

The American Bar Association International Criminal Court Project today launched a new and comprehensive website to coincide with International Criminal Justice Day. According to the ABA , the website is an interactive resource that educates visitors about the International Criminal Court, which is the world’s only permanent tribunal with a mandate to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Knoxville Bar Association Board of Governors will consider whether to pass a resolution in support of Amendment 2 at its Aug. 20 meeting. In November, voters will be asked whether they approve Amendment 2, which provides that the governor will select appellate judges, subject to approval by the legislature. Sitting judges will then sit for retention elections every eight years. Email KBA President Wade Davies  to share your views on this issue.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) and the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County will hold a forum to inform voters about their choices among judicial candidates competing in the general election. All candidates have been invited to participate in the forum, which will take place tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the South College Auditorium, 400 Goodys Lane, Knoxville. Seating is limited. RSVP online at the KBA website.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, and congressional Democrats are targeting predatory lenders with new legislation aimed at capping high fees and interest rates than can eclipse 300 percent. The Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act would limit interest rates and fees at 36 percent for all consumer credit transactions, a rate cap that currently applies only for military personnel and their families. The Memphis Business Journal has more.