The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee has welcomed Michael J. Dumitru as its newest magistrate judge. Dumitru took the oath of office during a private ceremony in the Joel W. Solomon U.S. Courthouse. A public investiture will take place in the coming months, according to a news release from the court. Dumitru succeeds Susan K. Lee, who is retiring after serving the court since 2004. Dumitru previously worked as a Hamilton County circuit court judge and a litigator in private practice. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2011. See a photo from the event.

The Tennessee Worker’s Comp Appeals Board has announced it will hold winter oral arguments in four appeals on Jan. 21. Two cases, White v. Federal Express Corp. and Markin v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, will be argued in person beginning at 9 a.m. CST in the Supreme Court Building, 402 S. Shannon St., Jackson 38301. Virtual arguments in two other cases, Torres v. Allvan Corp. and Pritchard v. GSP Transportation, will follow at 11:30 a.m. and 12:40 p.m., respectively. Read more about the cases.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not have legal authority to reinstate so-called “net neutrality” rules, which had been in place during the Barack Obama presidency but repealed in 2017 during the first Donald Trump administration. Generally, net-neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds or blocking content for certain users. The rules also forbid special arrangements in which providers give improved network speeds or access to favored users. The Biden administration had made restoring the rules a priority, Reuters reports. The panel cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in a Loper Bright, which overturned a precedent giving deference to government agencies in interpreting laws they administer. Read the opinion.

LaFollette City Judge Kathy Parrott tendered her resignation in a letter dated Dec. 30, 2024, the same day the city council was to discuss whether to fire her or not, the Mountain Press reports. Parrott wrote to council members that her resignation would be effective at the end of the day Tuesday “due to reasons I have discussed with you and interested council members.” Parrott was appointed to the position in 2016. At that time she was serving as Caryville city attorney and a partner in the law firm of Pryor Parrott.

A new state law that was set to go into effect on Jan. 1 has been blocked by a federal judge, the Tennessean reports. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman in Memphis said the law — which requires websites with content deemed "harmful to minors" to verify the age of each user — was an unconstitutional "scorched earth" approach to free speech rights. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who has defended the law, argues it is a common-sense approach to “stop kids from accessing explicit obscene content while protecting the privacy of adults who choose to do so.” According to the paper, Skrmetti has filed an appeal with the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson, who was first elected to the bench in 2010 and was not up for reelection until 2030, will retire as of March 1, the Daily Memphian reports. In a letter to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Anderson says he planned to retire in 2025 since being reelected in 2022. Of his 51-year career in the legal system, he says that opening a veteran’s court 12 years ago was one of the best things he did. Anderson has come under fire for decisions to release suspected criminals without bail, including from elected members of the General Assembly. In February 2024, he was reprimanded for stating in a Shelby County Commission meeting that he "detest[s] the bail bond system in Shelby County." The Board of Judicial Conduct expressed concern that the statement could "undermine public perception and confidence" that a judge would approach cases "fairly and impartially."

After more than 60 years, the historic Highlander Research and Education Center in Grundy County, once known as the Highlander Folk School, has reacquired 8.5 acres of its original land. Highlander hosted pivotal civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., who spoke in the library that is on the reacquired land. The purchase follows years of tension and disputes with the Tennessee Preservation Trust (TPT), including a controversial sale to a third party. Highlander now plans an inclusive design process involving community and civil rights stakeholders to develop a vision for the site, ensuring it benefits the region and honors its legacy. The Tennessee Lookout has the story.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Alistair Newbern of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee recently sat down with the Nashville Business Journal for the paper's "Women of Influence" series. The court hears all criminal and civil cases falling within Article III federal jurisdiction and in the 32 counties that comprise the district. Newbern praises attorneys who take court-appointed cases, and shares her views on the importance of civic education and her next personal goal: learning to play the banjo.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Comission on Immigration in June partnered with Microsoft to launch a new virtual clinic to help pro se asylum-seekers complete their asylum applications. During this clinic, which included four sessions, nearly 30 volunteers from Microsoft worked with asylum-seekers to gather necessary information and prepare their applications for submission, according to the ABA Journal. “In an ideal world, we would get everyone an in-person attorney to represent them for the full length of their case,” says Stephanie Baez, the commission's director of pro bono. “But in the reality we live in ... we are trying to be thoughtful and innovative on how we engage the most volunteers to help the most people who would otherwise not be able to access any legal assistance.” For more information or to volunteer, fill out the volunteer interest survey on the Commission on Immigration’s website.

Despite a 20% drop in homicides mid-year, and the fact that overall violent crime is down, Nashville will end the year with at least one more homicide than 2023. The Nashville Banner reports that more than 50% of the year’s homicide victims were between the ages of 18 and 34, according to Metro Nashville Police Department data, and 14 were between the ages of 13 and 17. The overwhelming majority of the cases — 92 as of Dec. 28 — involved a gun. Violent offenses are down 5%, aggravated assaults are down more than 6%, and robberies — including those involving businesses as well as individuals on the street — are down more than 10%. Rapes reported to police, however, have risen nearly 20% — 627 as of Dec. 23. Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a statement to the paper that Nashville had more people die while homeless than died from homicide this year, “so we’re still working on housing as a critical safety issue.”