Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to sue over a state takeover of the district, the Daily Memphian reports. On Wednesday, the House and Senate passed the measure, sending it to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The plan would give a nine-member, state-appointed board authority over the district through at least 2030, potentially reshaping how Memphis’ approximately 100,000 students are educated, how schools are governed and how roughly $1.7 billion in annual local, state and federal education funding is allocated. The school board argues the measure is unconstitutional and grants “unprecedented authority” over the system. It also directed general counsel Justin Bailey to retain outside counsel. Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, who sponsored the legislation and spoke prior to its passage, said that the measure is not targeted at any particular district.

A record percentage of U.S. law school students landed legal jobs soon after graduating in 2025, according to new American Bar Association (ABA) data, despite reduced hiring for government and public interest jobs, Reuters reports. The percentage of 2025 law degree graduates who landed ‌jobs requiring bar admission within 10 months of leaving campus ticked up one percent from 2024, which also was a record year, to 83%. In total, 31,743 of the 2025 graduates from the 195 ABA-approved or provisionally approved law schools were employed in such roles as of March 16 of this year. The data also ranks employment success by law school with Vanderbilt University Law School coming in at third place behind Cornell Law School and Duke University School of Law. ABA officials noted that reporting changes this year include certain law school-funded positions in the totals, affecting year-over-year comparisons.

The Red Bank City Commission has appointed attorney Bryan Hoss to serve as city judge until a special election on Aug. 6 to fill the remainder of Judge Johnny Houston’s term following his medical disability, Chattanoogan.com reports. Hoss, who had been serving in an interim capacity, said he has picked up qualifying papers and plans to run in the election. Hoss has more than 20 years of legal experience, including work in criminal defense, civil litigation and appellate advocacy. He is a graduate of the McCallie School and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved a recommendation Tuesday to name the courthouse at the Kingsport/Sullivan County Justice Center in honor of the late Judge John S. McLellan III, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 80. A graduate of the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law, McLellan practiced for 24 years as a general practitioner and served as the Sullivan County attorney, city attorney for Mt. Carmel and judge of the Kingsport City Juvenile Court. In 1994, Gov. Ned Ray McWherter appointed him to the 2nd Judicial District Circuit Court, where he served for 30 years. McLellan served as director of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association from 1996-1997 and joined the Court of the Judiciary in 1999. In 2004, his fellow judges elected him president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. The TimesNews reports that the $14.4 million justice center expansion is expected to modernize court and police facilities and improve safety and accessibility for staff and the public.

The death of a Shelby County Jail inmate last year was caused by a drug overdose, according to an official autopsy report. According to the Daily Memphian, Marcel Hutton was found unresponsive around 7 p.m. CST Dec. 21 and was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Hutton was one of 13 inmates who died at the jail in 2025. He was in custody on a second-degree murder charge related to a 2024 shooting in his Millington home. According to reports, his cellmate said Hutton had been smoking K2 liquid, a form of synthetic marijuana, prior to his death. It remains unclear how drugs and other contraband entered the jail, though guards have been charged with smuggling items inside in the past.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are accepting nominations for the 2026 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award until May 8. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the Eastern Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Knoxville June 10-13. See past recipients of the award.

Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said the county is developing a plan to build a new jail to address ongoing overcrowding, the Rutherford Source reports. The process is expected to take about five years. The current detention center, built in 1998 for 500 inmates, now houses more than 1,000 and is considered full at 834. Fitzhugh said more than 100 inmates sentenced to state prison remain in local custody because of limited space in the Tennessee Department of Correction, with the county spending about $92 per inmate per day while receiving $42 in state reimbursement. He also addressed the sheriff’s office agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and noted deputies’ salaries remain about $15,000 lower than those of city police officers despite recent increases. He concluded his remarks with an announcement that he plans to retire Sept. 1 after serving as sheriff since 2017.

The nonprofit organization Common Cause has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for collecting sensitive voter data — such as Social Security numbers, home addresses and voter histories — to create a centralized record system, according to the Nashville Banner’s newsletter, Tennessee was one of at least 12, and as many as 19, states that voluntarily complied, according to the DOJ. The department also has sued non-compliant states. Suits have been dismissed in five of those states. The DOJ says the effort is intended to check voter rolls for noncitizens and deceased individuals, according to NPR. Common Cause called it a “a blatant, partisan power grab” in a press release. In addition to requiring the DOJ to stop collecting data, the suit asks the court to require the DOJ and anyone who has received sensitive voter information to delete it.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of a nearly 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling,  creating a split with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which recently struck down the law. According to Reuters, in a 2-1 decision, the 6th Circuit said the ban is a “necessary and proper” means of enforcing federal excise taxes on distilled spirits, rejecting a challenge brought by an Ohio brewery owner who sought to produce whiskey at home for personal use. Read the opinion. The ban, enacted in 1868 to curb tax evasion, carries potential penalties including fines and prison time. Attorneys for the plaintiff said they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator Troy Haley has named Peter Frech of Nashville as the newest judge on the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims, according to a blog post from the court. Frech will replace Judge Thomas Wyatt of Chattanooga, who will retire at the end of June. Frech focuses exclusively in workers’ compensation and has experience as both a plaintiff and defense lawyer. He also has worked for many years in family law. He earned his law degree with a focus in advocacy and dispute resolution at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law in 2012. “He [Frech] brings stellar and wide-ranging experience, having represented both employees and employers, before the Court and the Appeals Board. He has a deep knowledge of the Workers’ Compensation Law, and a commitment to fairness and following the law,” Haley said. Frech will sit in both Nashville and Murfreesboro. His term will begin on July 1.