The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for its October docket on Oct. 1 at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave N, Nashville 37219, which will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. At 9 a.m. CDT, the court will hear State v. Torrian Seantel Bishop, State v. William Tony Burrell and Cinda Haddon v. Ladarius Vanlier et al. At 1 p.m. the court will hear SH Nashville LLC et al. v. FWREF Nashville Airport LLC. Additionally, State v. Jeffrey Tate and Steven J. Ogle will be heard on briefs.

Bobby Cain, a member of the "Clinton 12" who helped integrate Clinton High School in East Tennessee in 1956 — one of the first high schools in the South to integrate — died Monday at age 85. The Associated Press reports that Cain was a senior when he entered the formerly all-white school on a court order. He had previously attended a Black high school about 20 miles away in Knoxville and was not happy about leaving his friends to spend his senior year at a new school in a hostile environment. Despite not being allowed to play sports and facing protests and violence — including being attacked after graduation — Cain persevered to become the first Black student in Tennessee to graduate from an integrated state-run school. He later attended Tennessee State University, worked for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and is remembered as a “reluctant hero.”

Former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in a scheme using the state’s constituent mailer program, WKRN reports. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. Casada was convicted alongside his former chief of staff Cade Cothren of secretly running Phoenix Solutions, a company that funneled taxpayer-funded mailer business for profit. Cothren was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson handed down the sentence after rejecting defense objections, finding Casada used “sophisticated” money laundering to conceal the scheme. The Tennessean also reports on the sentencing.

Justice Holly Kirby has announced she will retire from the Tennessee Supreme Court, effective June 30, 2026. “I’ve been privileged to work alongside my Supreme Court colleagues, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Tennessee Bar Association and trial judges and lawyers across the state, as well as our governor and our general assembly, to advance our shared vision for Tennessee’s justice system,” Kirby said in a release. “Their dedication and hard work made all the difference. Together we’re making the judicial branch stronger.”

Kirby was appointed to the court by then Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014 and has served as chief justice for the last two years. She achieved many “firsts” in her career. At just 38 years old, she was the first woman in Tennessee to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. While in private practice, she became the first female partner in the Memphis firm of Burch Porter & Johnson. And she was the first graduate of the University of Memphis to sit on the state’s high court. As chief justice, Kirby helped secure $26 million to fund indigent representation in Tennessee and establish a new commission to oversee the administration and compensation of appointed counsel. Recognizing the need to modernize the court system, she also  supported the court’s Technology Oversight Committee and helped bring stakeholders together to develop a solution to unify court system data. She also focused on increased threats to Tennessee’s judiciary, leading efforts to strengthen laws on intimidation of judicial officials, and to protect judges, their families and justice system employees.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s (AG) Office reportedly is investigating Deloitte, the contractor managing TennCare’s eligibility system, over potential “unlawful discrimination” tied to its hiring practices and former diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Tennesseean reports that the AG's office ordered Deloitte to turn over records related to applicant evaluations, compliance with anti-discrimination laws and its decision to end DEI initiatives earlier this year. Deloitte, which holds a nearly $1 billion contract with TennCare, has not commented. Critics argue the probe is politically motivated and a misuse of taxpayer resources.

Kentucky-based Cornbread Hemp has sued Tennessee over new hemp regulations set to take effect in 2026, arguing they unfairly discriminate against out-of-state businesses by requiring wholesalers and retailers to be physically located in Tennessee and banning direct-to-consumer shipping. The Tennessean reports that the company, which made nearly $1 million in Tennessee sales last year, says the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Interstate Commerce Clause and also infringes on the First Amendment by banning all health-related claims in marketing hemp-derived products. Cornbread Hemp is represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, which argues the rules force companies to either abandon customers or incur costly in-state operations.

Law firms are increasingly adopting generative AI tools and law schools are under pressure to prepare students for this shift. Cat Moon, professor and founding co-director of Vanderbilt Law School’s AI Law Lab, tells Inside Higher Ed: “Law schools have to prepare students to be intentional users of this technology, which will require them to have foundational knowledge and understanding in the first place. We have to preserve that core learning process so that they remain the human expert and this technology complements and supports their expertise.” About 30% of law offices now use AI, while 62% of law schools have integrated AI into first-year courses and 93% are considering further updates, though many programs remain basic. Experts stress that lawyers need not just access to AI but training to use it responsibly, since early misuses have shown the risks. Reuters reports that some schools, including Suffolk University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of San Francisco, have embedded AI instruction into required introductory legal writing and research courses.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2025 Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum this fall. The primer will take place Nov. 12 at Barnes & Thornburg in Nashville. Designed for those new to health practice, that program will provide a general health law overview and practical tips to identify and avoid the pitfalls of real-life situations in the heavily regulated health care industry. Then on Nov. 13 and 14, the forum will take place at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Hear from keynote speakers Adam Herbst, former deputy commissioner at the New York State Department of Health, now at Sheppard Mullin; Dr. David Reich, chief clinical officer at Mount Sinai Health System; and Aidoc CEO Elad Walach. Get more information and register here.

Today is recognized as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the 1787 signing of our nation’s founding document and to celebrate those who have become U.S. citizens. Speaking about the importance of the day, TBA President Heidi Barcus said, "As attorneys in Tennessee, we have all taken an oath to 'support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Tennessee,' tangible foundations of our profession and the justice system." Constitution Day honors the vision of the founders and serves as a reminder that lawyers are uniquely positioned to uphold the ideals embedded in the Constitution — including through zealous advocacy, service to clients and pro bono work that expands access to justice. The TBA website includes a page of resources designed to assist in the presentation of Constitution Day concepts. Celebrate the Constitution today and tomorrow at events in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. Additionally, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee hosted the annual reading of the Constitution in Chattanooga last Friday, and continues to host events all week, including a naturalization ceremony for 100 new U.S. citizens at Tusculum University in Greeneville.

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and 99.7 WTN on Sept. 5 hosted a hosted a debate with four top Republican candidates — State Reps. Lee Reeves, Gino Bulso and Jody Barrett, and Matt Van Epps — who are vying to fill the 7th Congressional District seat vacated by Mark Green in June. The Nashville Banner reports that Bulso, an attorney in Williamson County, said during the debate, “You want us not to simply agree with President Trump on everything. I’m going to do that because I think President Trump is a generational leader unlike we’ve ever seen before.” The Tennessean published photos from the event.