Emory University School of Law has received a $1.5 million donation to help establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice. The gift, given anonymously, funds a professorship that will enable Emory Law to conduct a national search for a scholar with an established academic profile of distinction and a demonstrated desire to promote the rule of law through the study of civil rights. In 1963, at the age of 23, Lewis was a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington. He has served in Congress as representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District since 1987.

State and Metro Nashville lawyers are arguing against the release of the Vanderbilt University rape case files that remain under seal. The Tennessean, eight media organizations and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government filed suit against Metro in 2013 seeking records in the hands of police, including text messages between Vanderbilt football players and coaches. The Tennessee Court of Appeals partially ruled against the media coalition, but the state Supreme Court has agreed to review the case, setting a May 28 date for oral arguments.

Loretta Lynch can expect to be confirmed as the next attorney general within a day or two after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced a deal on a sex trafficking bill that had been tied up in abortion politics for weeks. “And now, I’m glad we can say there is a bipartisan proposal that will allow us to complete action on this important legislation so we can provide help to the victims who desperately need it.” McConnell said today. Roll Call has more.

A retirement reception for Chief Magistrate Judge Dennis H. Inman will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Greeneville Federal Courthouse sponsored by the Northeast Tennessee Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Inman was appointed to the position in November 1995 after serving as chancellor in the state's Third Judicial District, which includes Greene, Hamblen, Hancock and Hawkins counties. The Greeneville Sun has more.

Attorney and former Chattanooga area prosecutor Josh Jones announced the launch of East Tennessee Mediation Services, a mediation firm in Maryville offering comprehensive mediation and alternative dispute resolution services to all of Tennessee. The Chattanoogan has more.

Two abortion measures are now headed to the governor's desk. The Tennessee House voted 79-18 in favor of a bill requiring a 48-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion after in-person counseling by a physician, and it voted  79-17 for new regulations of abortion clinics. A spokesman for Gov. Bill Haslam said he anticipates the governor will sign both bills into law, the Tennessean reports.

Marshall Scott Smith was temporarily suspended from the practice of law upon finding that he misappropriated funds and posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. The Tennessee Supreme Court also entered a separate order finding Smith should be removed from disability inactive status. View the BPR notice.

Middle Tennessee auto dealer Wholesale Inc. has agreed to immediately change its advertising practices and pay the State of Tennessee $50,000, Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced today. The state alleged that the defendant made numerous false representations in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, including use of a fictitious lender called “CreditAble Auto Funding” claimed to be “by military, for military,” offering a limited amount of loans to military personnel. "Our men and women in uniform deserve to be told the truth when considering a consumer purchase," Slatery said.

When Tennessee associate solicitor general Joseph F. Whalen stands before the U.S. Supreme Court next week, the case he will argue will long be remembered as one of the defining events in the battle over same-sex marriage. It will also be the first time in his three-decade career that he has argued before the nation’s high court. According to court briefs, he will contend there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage and that states with bans are not bound by the U.S. Constitution to recognize same-sex unions performed in states where they are legal. Knoxnews has more.

The Supreme Court today threw out a North Carolina court ruling that upheld Republican-drawn electoral districts for state and congressional lawmakers, the Associated Press reports. The justices ordered the state Supreme Court to consider anew whether the North Carolina legislature relied too heavily on race when it redrew voting districts following the 2010 census. WMC News 5 has more.