Nashville Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins heard more than four hours of testimony and arguments yesterday related to requests for a mistrial in the Vanderbilt rape case. Defense attorneys for Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey, who were convicted in January of raping an unconscious student in a dorm, say a juror heard 104 questions during jury selection that should have prompted him to disclose he was a victim of statutory rape as a teen. Watkins is expected to rule on the motions next week. The Tennessean has more.

Tennessee and nine other states are now fully compliant with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, according to an updated list released by the Department of Justice. All but four states have either met or are working toward meeting federal guidelines intended to prevent prison rape. ABC has the story from the Associated Press.

Sullivan County commissioners are considering the option of adding four Judicial Commissioners, known as Magistrates, to help work flow in the county court system. The proposal would hire four part-time judicial commissioners to serve on-call hours in Bristol and Kingsport in each of the general sessions court districts. WCYB has more.

The Administrative Office of the Courts is seeking a Pro Bono Coordinator to work with the Access to Justice Commission. Main job duties will be to cultivate, monitor and follow-up with new pro bono initiatives, especially in parts of the state where none currently exist to serve specific segments of the population or communities with legal needs that are not being met. The position is a one-year grant-funded position, beginning August 1. Applications are due June 30.

William Caldwell Hancock was reinstated yesterday to the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Hancock was suspended on Sept. 30, 2014, for a period of 30 days. View the BPR notice.

The law license of Gayle A. Lattimore was transferred to disability inactive status yesterday (June 15). Lattimore may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing of clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and she is fit to practice. View the BPR notice.

The future of same-sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act hang in the balance as the Supreme Court's 2014 term draws rapidly to a close. But those aren't the only big issues on the justices' plate. The court is slated to complete action on 20 cases involving issues that include free speech, fair elections, religious liberty, racial discrimination, clean air and capital punishment. WBIR has more.

TBA’s CLE Committee is hosting an open meeting in Memphis for attorneys to share CLE proposals and ideas or to ask questions. The meeting will be in the Kentshire room of the Peabody from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday during the TBA Annual Convention.

Firefighters say they believe someone intentionally set fire to the back door of the Legal Aid Society office in Murfreesboro, WSMV reports. A police officer who was patrolling in the area first saw flames at the back of the office building on Walnut Street around 11 p.m. last night.

Delegates from the Republic of Georgia will stop in East Tennessee during an upcoming visit to learn about the U.S. criminal justice system and enhance their efforts to modernize their justice sector/system. After a short stay in Washington, D.C., the group will travel to Chattanooga where they will be hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The week will include meetings in both Chattanooga and Knoxville during which the delegates will study how the probation/pretrial services system operates in federal court. News Channel 9 has the story.