State Attorney General Robert Cooper has said in an advisory opinion that the new “guns-in-trunks” law does not forbid employers from firing employees who bring a gun onto company parking lots in violation of company policy, the Commercial Appeal reports. The law, which goes into affect July 1, “only decriminalizes the carrying and storage of firearms and firearm ammunition in a permit holder’s privately owned motor vehicles in public and private parking areas” under the circumstances defined in the law but it “does not address and thus has no impact on the employment relationship between an employer and an employee,” the opinion says.

Former Knox County Criminal Court judge Richard Baumgartner is now in federal custody to begin serving his six month sentence at a medium-security prison in West Virginia, WATE reports. His lawyer has filed an appeal of the ruling.

The Obion County Budget Committee approved Circuit Court Clerk Harry Johnson’s request for the addition of a collection person to the court’s staff for a trial period of one year, NWTN Today reports. The increased focus comes on the heels of what Circuit Judge William B. Acree called an “unfortunate” situation -- the alleged misappropriation of funds and subsequent dismissal of a Westate probation officer who worked part-time with Drug Court.

Gov. Bill Haslam announced yesterday Larry Martin will become the interim commissioner of the state Department of Finance and Administration when Commissioner Mark Emkes retires effective May 31. Martin "has been critically important in helping us establish the systems and organizational structure to begin recruiting, attracting and retaining the best and brightest to serve in state government," Haslam said, "and I look forward to continuing to work with him as interim commissioner of F&A.” The Chattanoogan has the story.

The U.S. Senate last week voted unanimously to confirm Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, WRCB reports. Srinivasan is the first nominee on a key appeals court appointed by President Barack Obama to be approved in five years. In a statement, Obama praised the Senate's approval of Srinivasan, whom he called a "trailblazer who personifies the best of America." But like Senate Democrats, he also poked Republicans for what he said was the slow approval of his judicial nominations.

Between now until the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on hot button issues including affirmative action in college admissions, same-sex marriage and gene patenting. View the video at WCYB.

Chip Saltsman, a former Tennessee Republican Party chairman and manager of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, has joined state Rep. Joe Carr’s congressional bid as its campaign director, the Tennessean reports. Saltsman, who also managed U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s campaigns in 2010 and 2012, will “manage all facets” of the Lascassas Republican’s 4th Congressional District campaign, a spokesman said.

U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais has been fined $500 by the state’s top medical disciplinary panel for sexual relationships with two female patients, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The congressman must pay the $500 fine -- $250 per patient, according to the order -- within 60 days. Documents also show he's responsible for up to $1,000 in costs for the state's investigation. In an interview with the Tennessean, DesJarlais stated, "I take responsibility for past mistakes and am happy to get this resolved."

In lieu of flowers, tax deductible contributions may be made to the Camp DeSoto Scholarship Fund in memory of Memphis lawyer Elizabeth Collins, who died last Thursday (May 23) at the age of 50. Checks should be made out to "ACA Camper Scholarship Program" with "Camp DeSoto-Collins" written on the lower left corner of the check. Mail to Camp DeSoto, P.O. Box 432, Mentone, AL 35984.

Two Pilot Flying J executives -- Arnold Ralenkotter, and Ashley Smith Judd -- have pleaded guilty to engaging in a scheme to reduce promised rebates to truckers across the country, the Tennessean reports. Employed by Pilot for more than 10 years, Ralenkotter admitted in the plea agreement to reducing promised rebates to truckers and attending training for staffers on how to do the same to other Pilot customers. Judd also participated in the scheme, which ran from 2008 to 2013, “so that Pilot could create and maintain the materially false pretense that those customers were in fact receiving their agreed upon diesel price discount,” according to the seven-page court document outlining the charges. Pilot CEO James A. Haslam has publicly denied any knowledge of the rebate scheme and has promised to repay trucker with 10 percent interest for any money owed.