A number of news outlets are providing profiles of judicial races in Davidson County. The Tennessean looks at the race between incumbent Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk Joseph Day and his challenger Howard Jones. The Nashville Banner has interviews with incumbent Davidson County 3rd Circuit Judge Bethany Glandorf, and challengers Audrey Anderson and Corletra Mance. The paper also features a Q&A with three candidates for Davidson County Criminal Court: incumbent Judge Jim Todd and challengers Dawn Deaner and Ronald Dowdy. The Banner also sent a questionnaire to the judicial candidates, including to General Sessions Court incumbent Judge Jodie Bell and her challenger Michael Robinson. Their responses are available here.

An inmate has died at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility after being found unresponsive on April 10. Fox 17 reports that the death is under investigation. The embattled CoreCivic facility announced in February that the fourth warden in just over a year would take over leadership. The facility has faced a number of criticisms in recent years. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into conditions at the prison.

The next installment of the TBA Intellectual Property Section's IP Webcast Series will debut April 29 with section chair Ryan Levy exploring the growing phenomenon of “zombie trademarks,” where abandoned or expired brands are revived by new owners seeking to capitalize on residual goodwill. The program will examine the legal framework governing abandonment under the Lanham Act, the role of consumer perception, and how courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board have treated attempts to resurrect legacy marks. The webcast also will cover risks of consumer deception, strategies for acquiring dormant brands and best practices for advising clients looking to either revive — or defend against — the undead. Register on the TBA website.

A jury on Wednesday found Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly over major concert venues, following a lawsuit brought by dozens of states, including Tennessee. The Associated Press reports that the verdict could cost the companies hundreds of millions of dollars, as jurors determined customers were overcharged by $1.72 per ticket across 22 states. While Live Nation vowed to appeal and downplayed the financial impact, state attorneys general celebrated the ruling as a potential path to lower ticket prices for consumers. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued a statement, saying, “Thanks to a relentless bipartisan coalition of states, [the companies are] finally being held accountable.” A separate penalty phase will determine whether the company must divest assets such as concert venues. The states decided to continue the suit after the U.S. Department of Justice settled with Live Nation and withdrew from the case in March.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted 9-0-1 to begin the process of finding experts to study options for a new or renovated county jail and justice center, directing staff to draft a request for qualifications by June 15. The Daily Memphian reports that the process is expected to extend well beyond the current administration, as a new mayor and commission will take office in September, and the project — estimated to cost over $1 billion — could take a decade to complete. The commission also shuffled funds within the Sheriff's Office budget, moving money originally earmarked for jail shower repairs toward a shooting range renovation and backup generators, while approving an emergency fence installation at a jail annex in Millington.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean introduced two new QR codes to streamline common courthouse processes. The first allows defendants with dismissed traffic citations to scan a code, complete expungement paperwork on their own time, and receive electronic notification when the process is complete — eliminating the need to wait in line. The second code guides defendants through the driver's license reinstatement process, also allowing paperwork to be filled out and submitted electronically at their convenience. Chattanoogan.com has the story.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) recently announced that Brent Jones will join the faculty as a visiting assistant professor of law. Jones has served as an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at LMU Law since 2019. He most recently served as an assistant United States attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, where he prosecuted federal cases involving drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering. Jones currently serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the Office of Special Trial Counsel. Jones earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Read more in a press release from LMU Law.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals heard oral arguments April 7 and 8 at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Judges John W. Campbell, Camille R. McMullen and Robert W. Wedemeyer sat for the court. “This year marks 50 years since my graduation from the Law School, and it was an honor to be back and to talk to students, faculty, and Dean Jim Strickland. Judge Campbell and I are both Memphis Law grads and we shared some of our law school memories with the students,” Wedemeyer said after the proceedings. The law school hosted the oral argument for the court while the Jackson courthouse undergoes renovations. The change of venue provided a unique opportunity for law students to observe the appeals process and ask questions of both the attorneys and the judges. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) or watch the arguments on the AOC's Youtube channel.

Sumner County attorney Beth Angel Garrison received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 15. A client hired Garrison to prepare an agreed order for reduction of his child support, to which the other parent had agreed. Garrison prepared the order and sent it to opposing counsel, who requested minor changes, but she failed to take any action for eight months until she was contacted by the client. At that time, she prepared the revised order and sent it to the client. After the client approved, however, Garrison failed to send the agreement to opposing counsel. The court found that Garrison violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4 and 1.16.

More than 20 Tennessee counties are getting an extension on filing their federal taxes, according to an announcement from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Individuals, households and businesses in most of Middle Tennessee’s counties now have until May 22 to file their 2025 tax returns and scheduled payments. The extension was granted as part of federal disaster relief for the winter storm that impacted those areas in late January. No action is required to take advantage of the extended deadline. The IRS says that it automatically identifies taxpayers in those areas and “applies filing and payment relief.” View the IRS announcement for the full list of counties.