The offices of U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett and U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty have agreed to forward materials from the Knox County Sheriff's Office investigations into a teenager's death to the FBI, Knox News reports. Ruth Dolin, the mother of 15-year-old Conor Dolin, who died in a Knox County car crash in 2022, sent the elected officials investigative files, public records responses and internal affairs findings. Dolin's family filed a lawsuit in Knox County Circuit Court alleging the sheriff's office was negligent in its investigation of the accident. A hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for July 17. The family's attorney said the lawsuit and any potential FBI investigation are separate matters.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche will face the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 9 a.m. EDT for what’s expected to be a two-day hearing on his confirmation as U.S. attorney general. Bloomberg Law looks at the issues at stake and how the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will affect the balance of power on the committee.

Metro Nashville Council member Mike Cortese is running the most well-funded congressional challenge to U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais in more than a decade in Tennessee's newly redrawn 4th Congressional District, according to the Tennessean. Lawmakers redrew the district earlier this year. Republican DesJarlais, who has represented the district since 2011, is seeking another term. Democrat Cortese, who shifted his campaign from the 5th District after redistricting, has focused on affordability and representation. DesJarlais has been touting his congressional record and committee work. As of March 31, Cortese had outraised the incumbent, bringing in more than $534,000 compared with DesJarlais' nearly $381,000. Analysts continue to view the race as favoring the Republican incumbent though according to the paper.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 27 decision upholding birthright citizenship, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, has introduced the "Ban Birth Tourism Act," which would bar foreign nationals from obtaining nonimmigrant visas primarily to give birth in the U.S. for citizenship purposes. The Tennessean reports that Blackburn's office cited an estimate that 33,000 children are born annually to mothers on tourist visas, framing the practice as exploitation of U.S. immigration law by wealthy foreign nationals. The bill carves out an exception for legitimate medical care and does not specify how officials would determine an applicant's "primary purpose." The proposal follows President Donald Trump's call for Congress to act after the Supreme Court's ruling and a U.S. House bill introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia. The "Anchors Away Act" would redefine birthright citizenship eligibility itself, granting automatic citizenship only to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident or active-duty service member.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a pair of bills that would allow television cameras in federal courtrooms, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would authorize the presiding judge to permit the “photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising” of court proceedings at their discretion. The Cameras in the Courtroom Act would direct the U.S. Supreme Court to allow television coverage of oral arguments and other sessions open to the public, unless a majority of justices decide the action violates due process. According to Reuters, senators cited a need to end longstanding broadcast prohibitions that have inhibited the ability of most Americans to watch proceedings in major cases. The federal judiciary opposes cameras in its courtrooms, in part because of increasing concerns over deepfakes and the cost of retrofitting courtrooms for the inclusion of cameras, the ABA Journal reports. Read more from the Judiciary Committee.

President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated acting Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general, according to The Hill. Blanche, who previously served as deputy attorney general and as Trump's personal attorney, has led the Department of Justice for the past two months following the dismissal of former AG Pam Bondi. His nomination now goes to the U.S. Senate for confirmation, where he is expected to need near-unanimous Republican support. Blanche was previously confirmed as deputy attorney general in a 52-46 Senate vote.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn are criticizing a proposed $735,000 allocation in Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's fiscal year 2027 budget for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), according to the Tennessean. In a social media post, Sexton said the Tennessee Comptroller's Office and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference are reviewing the funding for compliance with state law while Blackburn is urging Nashville council members to reject the funding, describing TIRRC as a "pro-illegal alien nonprofit." TIRRC officials and the mayor's office are defending the allocation, noting the organization provides legal services and support for immigrants and refugees and has received city funding for years.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. Often called the "Keep Nine" amendment, the measure would permanently cap the number of justices on the court at nine. According to Reuters, lawmakers said the move was necessary to block Democratic members from “packing” the court if they regain control of Congress. The committee voted 15-8 along party lines to move the measure forward. To take effect, the amendment would need a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate and 38 states would need to vote to ratify it.

According to a statement released on May 21, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has introduced six articles of impeachment against U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Local Memphis reports that Cohen claims Roberts has committed high crimes and misdemeanors by "violating the Constitution, disregarding his statutory obligations as Chief Justice, and breaching his oaths of office." Specifically, the articles assert that Roberts has allowed the court to become a partisan force and has "systematically preferred the powerful over the people" and delivered "arbitrary, unexplained, and inconsistent decisions that violate the Constitutional protection of the parties." No co-sponsors have come forward so far but Newsweek reports that the effort reflects widespread Democratic frustration with recent rulings. In previous remarks Roberts has pushed back against characterizations of the court as politically motivated.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has asked President Donald Trump to commute the sentences of all federal inmates serving time for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses, according to a letter posted on social media and reported on by the Commercial Appeal. Cohen and eight other members of Congress wrote that approximately 3,000 people are federally incarcerated on nonviolent marijuana convictions and urged the administration to provide reentry services for those granted commutations. Cohen, a Democrat who has represented Memphis in the U.S. House of Representatives for 19 years, announced in May that he will not seek reelection. During his time in Congress, Cohen has co-sponsored multiple bills aimed at legalizing marijuana.