Kevin McLean Kelly and James Gregory King received public censures on July 16. Kelly was censured for entering a guilty plea to driving under the influence. King failed to deposit and/or maintain client funds, which were paid for a court reporter in his IOLTA account. Additionally, King kept personal and operational funds in his IOLTA account and paid personal bills from his IOLTA account.

The number of untested rape kits could still number into the hundreds of thousands despite a decade of Congressional spending that should have been enough to reduce the nation's backlog of sexual assault DNA evidence kits, WRIR reports. A USA Today investigation says the U.S. Department of Justice has failed to comply with laws that would have paid for testing and reducing the backlog of untested rape kits. The report comes at a time when Tennessee is pushing ahead with more consistent policies, including a new law that requires law enforcement agencies to submit sexual assault evidence kits for testing when the victims are willing. The Jackson Sun has more.

Tennessee lawmakers are wrangling with Gov. Bill Haslam over what to do with a half-billion dollar state surplus, Nashville Public Radio reports. House Speaker Beth Harwell kicked off the debate last week, raising the idea of using the state's tax surplus for roads. Haslam has argued that road funding is a long-term problem that needs to be addressed with a gas-tax increase, rather than a one-time infusion from the surplus.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is applauding President Barack Obama for his push to reform the criminal justice system, calling the president’s recent visit to a federal prison in Oklahoma “very significant, ” Knoxnews reports. The Memphis Democrat has been urging Obama for years to make a forceful case for criminal justice reform, something he has been preaching his entire career— as an attorney, as a state senator and as a member of Congress. 

A town hall for liberal activists featuring two Democratic presidential candidates was interrupted by dozens of demonstrators on Saturday who shouted down the contenders and demanded they address criminal justice issues and police brutality. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders planned to participate in a public sit-down interview when demonstrators from the Black Alliance for Just Immigration took the stage. WCYB has more from CNN.

Gov. Bill Haslam on Sunday ordered a review of security policies and procedures, after he was accused of "dithering" over security issues affecting the Tennessee National Guard's storefront recruiting stations, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Haslam also instructed state Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons to assess the process of issuing handgun-carry permits to trained members of the military. The steps came as governors in at least six states quickly ordered changes in their National Guard operations following last week's slayings of five U.S. servicemen in Chattanooga.

Two attorneys were chosen for the 2015-2016 Leadership Chattanooga class. Charles Flynn of Berke, Berke & Berke and April Holland of Miller & Martin will participate in the 10-month program. Sponsored by the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation, Leadership Chattanooga brings professionals throughout the city together to cultivate leadership and community growth. The Hamilton County Herald has more.

Four Republican presidential contenders have announced plans to visit Middle Tennessee. Former Gov. Jeb Bush will attend a high-price reception in Brentwood on Aug. 4, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is slated to speak in Nashville at Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant this Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and controversial businessman Donald Trump also recently announced August stops in Middle Tennessee, the Tennessean reports.

The Shelby County Criminal Justice Center is slated for a top-to-bottom renovation after 34 years, the Commercial Appeal reports. Shelby County government has entered into a contract with architects Evans Taylor Foster Childress to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the CJC and provide prioritized recommendations for the renovation, budgeted at $16.3 million. The complex opened in 1981 at a cost of more than $40 million, and houses city and county courtrooms, the district attorney general’s office, sheriff offices, the Memphis Police Department, the 911 center and other entities.

An editorial saying sentencing laws for child pornography are too harsh drew a strong response from Virginia attorney Stacey Estep Munsey. The Times News's editorial board commented on the disparity between sentences for possession of child porn and murder. “Make no mistake, murder is one of the most serious of our crimes," Estep Munsey wrote in response, "but that is not to say that possession of child pornography isn’t. In the crime of murder, a life is ended. In the crime of child pornography, a life is forever ruined.”