Seemingly divided, the U.S. Supreme Court struggled yesterday with the question of whether for-profit companies have religious rights, a case challenging President Barack Obama's health overhaul and its guarantee of birth control in employees' preventive care plans. The Hobby Lobby chain of stores and others challenging the provision provide health insurance to their employees, but object to covering certain methods of birth control that they say can work after conception, in violation of their religious beliefs. The justices peppered attorneys with questions during a 90-minute argument. The outcome could turn on the views of Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the decisive vote, as his colleagues appeared otherwise to divide along liberal and conservative lines. A decision is expected by late June. The Chattanoga Times Free Press has more.

According to an anonymous client, Sallee’s Bail Bonding in Clarksville has not been notifying clients of their court appearance dates, as required by law. On March 6, the 19th Judicial District suspended Sallee's from issuing new bonds, which court officials said happens when bonding company clients don’t show up for court. Patty Arms, chief deputy of court operations told News Channel 5 that even if the company is suspended, it is still required to notify its clients of their court dates. The court said Sallee's owes $44,000 in unpaid bonds for missed court appearances, which have gone into "final forfeiture." Reached by phone, owner Marques Sallee told the television station that he wasn't aware he owed $44,000 and that the reason people haven't been notified is because he can't track them down.

Nashville attorneys shared their opinions on dozens of candidates running in the May 6 primary election in a Nashville Bar Association (NBA) poll released today. NBA members were asked to evaluate all candidates for judicial, court clerk, district attorney and public defender positions. Executive Director Gigi Woodruff said the NBA conducts the poll "to encourage the selection of qualified judges and public officials" and "to have attorneys who are likely to know these candidates, both personally and professionally, provide an opinion on their qualifications.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people convicted of minor domestic violence offenses can be barred from possessing guns even in states where no proof of physical violence is required to support the domestic violence charge. The justices unanimously rejected the argument put forth by gun rights groups and a Tennessee man who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault against the mother of his child in 2001, the Johnson City Press reports.

East Ridge City Judge Arvin Reingold is seeking a new eight-year term as judge. He was appointed to the bench in 2002 by the East Ridge City Commission after longtime Judge Bill Luther retired. He will face opposition from attorneys Ryan Hanzelik and Cris Helton, a former city attorney for East Ridge, the Chattanoogan reports.

Football players at Northwestern University are deemed employees under federal law and so can create the nation’s first college athletes’ union, according to a ruling by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional director Peter Ohr. Union lawyers argued the Big Ten school's football players are part of a commercial enterprise that generates hefty profits through their labor. The NCAA, Big Ten Conference and the private school vehemently opposed the union drive. The Tennessean has the story.

Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville says he is dropping the legislative fight over the student run Sex Week at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, the Memphis Daily News reports. Campfield and other lawmakers took issue with the use of student fees for the weeklong program about sex and funding for campus speakers. The Senate last week passed a resolution decrying what it called the "radical agenda" of Sex Week. Campfied has withdrawn the measures, however, because of steps UT officials have pledged to take voluntarily.

Spending by special interest groups continues to rise in judicial elections, accounting for 27 percent of all the money spent on the races in 2011 and 2012, according to a new report by a Justice at Stake partner organization. This is a sharp increase from the 16 percent seen in the 2003 and 2004 elections, which held the previous high in outside spending. The report has detailed information about judges who raised the most money and donors who gave the most, and it also identifies funding trends. As an example, the report says that during his campaign for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2012, Roy Moore raised more out-of-state money than any other appeals court judge running in the country. Moore’s campaign took in $265,440 — or 41 percent of his total campaign contributions — from donors in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Australia and Canada. Gavel Grab has more.

U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger will not halt her order that three same-sex couples’ marriages be recognized by the state of Tennessee, despite State Attorney General Robert Cooper’s request that a preliminary injunction granting recognition be stayed, the Tennessean reports. In a nine-page ruling, Trauger states that because the scope of the ruling was small — it affects just three couples — it poses no risk to the state on any level. She also refutes Cooper’s claim that the couples will not face “irreparable harm” by not having their marriages recognized.

The 2010 federal court lawsuit over the failed attempt at consolidating the city of Memphis and Shelby County governments has failed as well with an order Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Thomas Anderson granting a motion for summary judgment by defendants in the case. The proposal for consolidation lost by a large margin in the county outside Memphis, although it was approved by a narrow margin within Memphis. The lawsuit filed in 2010 challenged on constitutional grounds the state law requiring that such a charter must be approved by dual majorities in separate referendums for consolidation to take place. The Memphis Daily News has more.