Metro Nashville Police say there have been 12 arrests of middle and high school students in Metro Nashville Schools since the shooting at Antioch High School on Jan. 22. Eleven of the arrests were related to making threats against schools while the 12th involved a student bringing a gun on school property, the Tennessean reports. In July of last year, a new law took effect making it a felony to make these kinds of threats. That followed a 2023 law requiring public schools to expel students for one year if they make a threat of mass violence. Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway tells WKRN News, “For me, the most concerning part is these youth just don’t understand the gravity and the severity of what they’re doing. They don’t understand how it emotionally affects everybody in our community."

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in several cases in Nashville on Feb. 12. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. CST at the Supreme Court building, the court will hear the case of Ashley Denson ex rel. Bobbie J. Denson v. Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge et al.  A second case, James B. Johnson v. Bd. of Prof. Resp. of the Sup. Ct. of Tenn., will be submitted to the court on brief. Then beginning at 1:30 p.m., the court will hear oral arguments in two cases — Brian Coblentz v. Tractor Supply Co. and State v. Shenessa Sokolosky — in the historic Supreme Court courtroom at the state Capitol. All proceedings will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. Read more about the cases in a release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Memphis attorney Julia "Judy" Stokes Sayle died Jan. 30 at age 84. After receiving her degree in elementary education in 1962, Sayle became a legal secretary, but later enrolled in night classes and graduated with a law degree in 1970 from the then-Memphis State University. She worked in private practice with Pope, Sayle & Douglas until she and her husband opened their solo practice, Sayle & Sayle Attorneys, where she served until retirement. Services will be Feb. 8 at Elmwood Cemetery Chapel, 824 S. Dudley St., Memphis 38104 with visitation at 1 p.m. and funeral services at 2 p.m. CST and burial following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Daughters of the Nile Endowment Fund benefiting Shriners Children's or a charity of the donor's choice.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that a bipartisan coalition of states led by Tennessee has reached a settlement in principle in its lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia and New York attorneys general, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2024, alleging that its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Recruiting Ban creates anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes. In February 2024, a federal judge in east Tennessee agreed and blocked the NCAA’s enforcement of the rule throughout the duration of the litigation.

Make the Road New York, an immigrant advocacy group, last week sued the Trump administration to block fast-track deportations of people in the country illegally. The lawsuit claims that the policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security, known as "expedited removal," violates the constitutional right to due process as well as immigration and administrative law since people facing fast-track deportations do not have access to an attorney and are unable to present evidence against their removal. Additionally, Quaker groups sued on Monday to prevent U.S. immigration agents from carrying out arrests and searches in houses of worship, after the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a Biden administration order that limited immigration enforcement in "protected areas" such as hospitals, shelters, playgrounds and food pantries. Reuters reports on both lawsuits.

Hundreds of students, parents and advocates gathered outside the Tennessee State Capitol on Monday, calling for gun reform after the Jan. 22 fatal shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, where 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante was killed. According to the Nashville Post, attendees, including members of Escalante’s family, criticized the lack of school safety discussions in the special legislative session that began the same day. The Tennessean reports that the special session will consider $470 million in Hurricane Helene relief, a $447 million statewide school choice voucher program and new a state immigration enforcement entity. In preparation for the session, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, named six special committees to consider seven bills that have been filed, according to the Tennessee Journal. The Senate plans to keep its existing committee structure for the special session. During debate on the special session rules, Democrats criticized the adoption of a "flow motion" proposal, allowing bills to potentially go from committee to a vote in the same day, claiming the shortened timeframe does not provide enough time to review proposals. The session is set to wrap up by the end of the week, with the House scheduled to return to normal operations by Feb. 3. The Senate plans to reconvene on Feb. 10 in time for Gov. Bill Lee's State of the State address.

Shelby County commissioners on Monday announced the process and timeline for filling a vacancy that will be created with the March 1 retirement of Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson. The Daily Memphian reports that the commission will consider a resolution setting a deadline of Feb. 12 for attorneys to apply for appointment, and then interview applicants on Feb. 19 and make the appointment at its Feb. 25 meeting. Under the proposed process, the appointee will serve until the winner of an August 2026  special election, which will appear on the county general election ballot, is certified. The winner of the election will serve out the remainder of Anderson’s eight-year term, which began in September 2022.

Chancellor Jim Kyle was elected to the bench in 2014 and spent the next 10 years serving the people of the 30th Judicial District, which covers Shelby County. “Having a judicial career has meant a lot to me,” Kyle says. “In every job I’ve had it’s been important to me to feel I am helping others.” Before serving on the bench, Kyle served as a state senator for the 28th and 30th districts for 31 years. After temporarily stepping away from the bench in June of last year to manage a nonfatal autoimmune disorder, his retirement was effective on Jan. 3. Read more in this announcement from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Samuel “Randy” Randolph Ayres died Jan. 22 at age 86. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1963, Ayres practiced law in Athens and served as a circuit court judge for the 10th Judicial District. Visitation will be Jan. 31 from 12:30–2 p.m. CST at Rose Funeral & Cremation — Mann, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville 37919. A memorial service will immediately follow visitation.

Charles "Chuck" Sterling Sexton died Jan. 21 at age 71. He graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, in 1978 and went on to practice law in Sevierville until his retirement in 2020. Sexton served 10 years as Sevier County’s first public defender and also served eight years as trial justice judge. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to First Baptist Church Sevierville (music ministry, missions, media ministry or Christmas store) 317 Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37862; to the donor's home church; or to a family in need.