Residents of Scott County, Tennessee, and McCreary County, Kentucky, are mounting a grassroots fight against a proposed 700-acre landfill and rail transfer station, citing environmental risks, government inaction and lack of transparency. Two citizen groups — Cumberland Clear and the Transparent Bridge Initiative — have organized petitions, livestreamed government meetings, retained legal counsel and lobbied state officials, but have mostly been advised to talk to local government officials. State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, in August sent a letter to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) voicing his "strong opposition to this pending permit and expanding the landfill operation on that adjacent property." Recently, TDEC acknowledged that Scott County may have been opted into the Jackson Law, a Tennessee legal provision that allows counties to restrict landfill development. WUOT has the story.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has formed a three-member committee to review procedures for handling complaints against district attorneys (DAs) and public defenders (PDs), after repeated misconduct allegations against Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy by state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads. According to the Daily Memphian, the court in July appointed William Koch, dean of the Nashville School of Law; Victor “Torry” Johnson, Belmont College of Law professor; and Lang Wiseman, former chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee, to the new review committee. In addition, Justice Mary Wagner will chair a committee that will make recommendations on a disciplinary board for court clerks. Mulroy disputes Taylor’s claim that the panel is investigating him personally, noting that five of Taylor’s prior complaints have already been dismissed, including one about sharing juvenile records that was legal under a new law Taylor sponsored. Action News 5 reports on the dismissal of that complaint.

TaxProf Blog, a 21-year-old staple of the law professor blogosphere founded by Pepperdine Law Dean Paul Caron, is shutting down after its host platform Typepad announced it will close on Sept. 30. Reuters reports that Caron said he does not plan to restart on a new platform but hopes to preserve the blog’s archive of nearly 56,000 posts, which have long chronicled developments in tax law, law school rankings and legal education. The closure also casts uncertainty over the future of about 60 other law professor blogs in Caron’s Law Professor Blog Network, many of which also rely on Typepad.

CoreCivic on Sept. 6 announced the appointment of Allen Beard Jr. as senior warden at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility. The Nashville Post reports that Beard replaces Guy Bosch, who was named warden in April after then-warden Vince Vantell was placed on administrative leave and soon resigned. Beard is the former director of the security threats and intelligence unit at the Tennessee Department of Correction. The facility has come under scrutiny in recent years due to its reputation of prison deaths, riots, assaults, mismanagement, high staff turnover and a pending investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) and Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) both have open positions to fill. LAET is hiring a staff attorney to help oversee the administration of its Pro Bono Project in the Knoxville area. View the job description and get instructions on how to apply on the LAET website. MALS is hiring for several positions: an attorney for its Low Income Taxpayer Clinic funded by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, staff attorneys to join its Consumer/Housing and Elder/Family Units, and a part-time bilingual intake specialist. Visit the MALS website for job descriptions and more information.

On Sept. 5, the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Mitchell Ray Miller, who now works in Williamson County, from the practice of law for two years with four months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation with conditions, including engaging a practice monitor and obtaining additional continuing legal education. The court found that in seven separate matters, Miller accepted payment for attorney fees but then either failed to perform the work for which he was retained, failed to appear at scheduled hearings, failed to reasonably communicate with clients or unreasonably delayed matters through a pattern of neglect, resulting in actual or potential harm to multiple clients. Additionally, Miller on repeated occasions failed to respond to BPR inquiries in a timely manner; however, he did ultimately refund all unearned attorney fees. Miller agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 8.1 and 8.4(d).

Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, has announced that he will not seek reelection to the statehouse but will instead run for Rhea County mayor, according to the Tennessee Journal. In a Facebook post, Travis says, "After much reflection, I have decided not to seek re-election when my term ends in 2026. Serving District 31 has been the honor of my life." Current Mayor Jim Vincent recently announced that he would not seek reelection and endorsed Travis as his successor.

Conservative activist Gary Humble has launched a 2026 campaign for Tennessee’s District 27 state senate seat, setting up a rematch with Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, who narrowly defeated him in 2022. The Nashville Post reports that Humble is framing the race as a battle between establishment and grassroots conservatives, pledging support for term limits, transparency measures, gun rights and governing from a “Biblical worldview.” He also highlights opposition to federal health agencies, calls for responsible growth in Williamson County, and ties his platform to his history of leading anti-lockdown protests and faith-based activism.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett defends her 2022 vote to overturn Roe v. Wade in her forthcoming memoir, "Listening to the Law," arguing that abortion rights were never deeply rooted in U.S. history or tradition. According to Reuters, Barrett frames the court’s role as respecting choices made by the people rather than dictating them. She reportedly also reflects on criticism of her Catholic faith and addresses expanded use of the “shadow docket," saying the court is obligated to act on emergency applications. The book is set to be released on Sept. 9.

Matthew Vandergriff, an inmate at the Hamilton County Jail, died last week after going into cardiac arrest. Chattanoogan.com reports that Vandergriff had been routinely treated for a chronic illness. He was being held on charges of arson and violating an order of protection. An investigation by the sheriff's office is pending.