Gov. Bill Lee responded Thursday to an open letter from three Republican legislators urging Lee to abandon a special session on state gun laws and public safety that is scheduled for Aug. 21. Lee told WKRN that he feels confident lawmakers will accomplish something during the special session in August, saying, “I certainly respect the thoughts and opinions of every lawmaker and have a great relationship with them and will continue to work together with them.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation served a court-authorized search warrant yesterday at the family home of Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and Memphis City Councilman Edmund Ford Sr. Jeff Ridner, assistant attorney general for the 17th Judicial District of Tennessee, confirmed that the search was related an ongoing criminal investigation into Ford Jr. precipitated by Ford ushering a $450,000 grant to the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South and then also selling them computers, a business interest he did not disclose. Read the full report from the Commercial Appeal.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which develops bar exam content for 54 U.S. jurisdictions, has published the content scope for the NextGen bar exam, which is set to launch in 2026. According to a press release from the NCBE, the exam is expected to include new integrated sets of questions — combinations of short-answer and multiple-choice questions in scenarios involving complex legal issues, drawn from multiple subject areas, that require applicants to demonstrate both in-depth knowledge of the law and skill in a range of essential attorney functions, in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions and longer written analyses.

The Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hold in-person oral arguments in two cases on June 8. First, the Board will consider the definition of “reasonable and necessary” medical bills, and if the trial court erred by excluding bills at a compensation hearing, in Lentz v. Coca-Cola Consolidated. (Read additional order.) Second, in Semich v. AT&T Services Inc., the question is whether the trial judge abused its discretion by ordering an employer to give employee’s counsel contact information of employees, who might provide information about the willful misconduct defense, outside of the parameters of a deposition. Arguments will start at 9:30 a.m. CDT in the Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave N, Nashville 37219. The docket (revised) is available here.

House Republicans passed a resolution Wednesday to overturn President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan in an effort led by Rep. Bob Good, R-Virginia, and joined by Democratic representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington. The House bill, passed 218-203, would terminate the pandemic-era student loan payment pause and cancel the potential relief for 40 million borrowers. The Biden proposal is estimated to cost around $400 billion. The Hill has the full story.

The governor’s office has extended to June 5 the application deadline to fill the post of 10th Judicial District attorney general. The position will be vacant as of July 16 following the resignation of current district attorney Stephen D. Crump, who earlier announced he would be filling the executive director position for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Candidates must have resided in the state for five years and in the judicial district for one year. The district includes Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. Interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter by mail to Erin Merrick, Chief Counsel to the Governor, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Nashville, TN 37243 or by email to Katelin.Brown@tn.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on June 5. 

The three attorneys practicing as Goodman Callahan Blackstone PLLC have joined Gullett Sanford Robinson and Martin PLLC. Joe M. Goodman, William E. Blackstone and Michael R. Griffin will practice in GSRM’s Wills, Trusts and Estates and Tax sections. Goodman and Blackstone will continue to operate out of their Franklin office at 725 Cool Springs Boulevard. Griffin will move to GSRM Law’s downtown Nashville office at 150 3rd Avenue South. Read the full press release here.

Friday's issue of TBA Today incorrectly stated Joanne Sowell's law school. She attended Tulane University School of Law. According to the Nashville Post, Sowell is preparing to launch her campaign to challenge current U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn.

Former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and current NSL Dean William Koch was honored by the Harry Phillips Chapter of the American Inns of Court last month. The organization voted to establish the Bill Koch-Harry Phillips American Inns of Court Scholarship. The award will be for a third-year law student in the top 20% of his or her class entering a fourth year of legal training at the Nashville School of Law. Author and former Tennessean reporter Keel Hunt penned this opinion piece on Koch’s contributions to the legal community.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced a number of actions. First, on Tuesday, he led a coalition of 16 state attorneys general in urging the Biden administration to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls. On Wednesday, his office's Division of Consumer Affairs issued a warning regarding a widespread fraud scheme targeting medical professionals. Scammers impersonating agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are attempting to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. On these calls, scammers often claim the provider’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) has been compromised and is being used for illicit purposes. Today, Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 other attorneys general in urging congressional leadership to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act (H.R.1839/S.993), which would provide critical measures to combat the widespread illicit use and trafficking of xylazine and help prevent xylazine-related deaths. Skrmetti also today led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in urging various financial institutions to adhere to their fiduciary duties when voting their shares in the ongoing proxy season.