A bill to let some Tennessee public school teachers carry handguns advanced Tuesday in a 7-1 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. SB1325/HB1202, co-sponsored by Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, would let a teacher or staff member carry a concealed handgun at school after completing 40 hours of certified training in school policing at their own expense, as well as passing a mental health evaluation and FBI background check. Chalkbeat reports that parents would not be notified if their student’s teacher is armed. "The director of schools, principal and the chief of the local law enforcement agency are the only ones notified of those permitted to carry,” Bailey told senators, "and they are not to disclose if someone is or is not permitted to carry on school grounds." Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, was the lone vote against the measure, saying, "I do not think that it is the responsibility of teachers in our state, who have taken the oath to educate our children, to now become law enforcement officers."

A group of Memphis law students filed suits against blighted property as a part of a program that helps them get hands-on experience while also helping clean up Memphis. Local Memphis reports that University of Memphis Neighborhood Preservation Clinic law students filed 15 lawsuits against neglected properties in Shelby County Environmental Court on March 14. North Memphis resident Roy Brownlee said the whole area is full of neglected homes, with many becoming targets for squatters and illegal dumping. “Especially when it's cold out and they might accidentally burn them down because they're trying to keep warm,” he said, noting that multiple homes did catch fire during the winter. Law professor Daniel Schaffzin says, “Because this lawsuit is filed against the property itself, and that property is in Memphis, even if the owner never appears, whether they’re living or not, unresponsive, we can still go forward.”

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is joining a multistate lawsuit against Mariner Finance over widespread violations of multiple consumer protection laws. The suit alleges that Mariner Finance charged consumers for hidden add-on products that consumers were not fully informed about or, in some instances, did not agree to buy, and that Mariner engages in illegal, aggressive sales tactics to extend credit to new borrowers. Any consumer who believes they have been deceived by Mariner’s harmful practices can file a complaint with Tennessee.

Knoxville's Union Ave. Books will host author Steven Hale in conversation with LMU Law professor Jason R. Smith on April 11 regarding Hale's new book, "Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber." In 2018, after nearly a decade’s hiatus, the state of Tennessee began executing death row inmates, bucking national trends that showed the death penalty in decline. In less than two years, the state put seven men to death, more than any other state but Texas in that time period. Hale was the leading reporter on these executions and in his book he traces the lives of condemned prisoners at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution and the people who come to visit them. This free event will take place at 6 p.m. EDT at 517 Union Ave., Knoxville 37902. Get more information and RSVP here. Listen to an interview of Hale by the Nashville Banner or read an excerpt from the book.

Twice within the first six months of her employment with the state, Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds signed forms certifying she had been a state employee for more than six months (the minimum requirement for free tuition eligibility for state employees) as she sought a tuition waiver for classes at the University of Tennessee at Martin, reports The Tennessean. In response to inquiries from the news outlet this week about the tuition waiver forms, the Department of Education said Reynolds filed the paperwork as the result of "an administrative error," and recently repaid the tuition money. Reynolds' qualifications to hold her position have come under scrutiny in recent months.

Vanderbilt University announced that it has hired Nashville attorney Aubrey B. Harwell Jr. to review the school’s response to a student demonstrations last week, as well as the campus media access policy. Nashville Scene reporter Eli Motycka was covering the student protest and was arrested by campus police. Four student demonstrators were also arrested and several others suspended. The Tennessean reports that Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said the university’s response to media on campus was a “rightful concern” and a “free speech issue.” The review comes after strong criticism of the arrests from community members and public officials.

Deans from 26 law schools, including three from Tennessee, are asking the American Bar Association (ABA) to pull back on a proposal to accredit fully online law schools, saying more employment and bar pass data for graduates of online and hybrid programs is needed before making the change. The public comment period on the proposal opened Jan. 23 and ended March 25. The deans of the University of Memphis School of Law and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law signed on to the group letter, Reuters reports. Alberto Gonzales, dean of Belmont University College of Law and former U.S attorney general under President George W. Bush wrote in a separate comment that, “Despite offering a lesser educational experience, online schools would be able to out-compete traditional law schools on cost, convenience and scale.”

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) has received a grant totaling $684,475 over three years from the U.S. Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under its Legal Aid for Victims program. The grant will be used to fund the Survivors Immigrant Legal Project, which provides legal assistance to immigrant victims of domestic and/or sexual violence across the 48 counties in Middle Tennessee served by LAS. In addition to continuing its direct work with clients, LAS will produce two client-centered educational brochures that will be available in Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, Kurdish, Nepali, Somali, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Lao. Read more in a release from the organization.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd has resigned her position effective immediately, rather than wait until May 31, as she previously planned. According to the Daily Memphian, the resignation will stop a planned vote by the state legislature on Thursday to remove her from the bench. Boyd was recommended for removal in January by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, which oversees disciplinary proceedings for judges in the state. A joint committee of state legislators voted unanimously March 14 in favor of that recommendation. Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, who co-chaired the committee, told the news outlet Monday that if Boyd were to resign effective immediately, it would be accepted and there would be no need for a vote.

Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny was found dead at his Tullahoma home Tuesday morning. He was 53 years old. WKRN reports that no cause of death was released and the investigation has since been handed over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Matheny had been mayor of Coffee County since September 2022. He served in the state House of Representatives from 2002 to 2018, representing Coffee and parts of Warren counties.