Gov. Bill Lee last week signed into law a measure (SB2118/HB2498) that bars TennCare from covering any gender transition treatments, surgeries or hormone therapies. Those already undergoing gender transitions may continue to receive care covered through TennCare through March 31, 2027, if a physician deems that stopping the treatment would be harmful. And TennCare will continue to cover treatments for congenital conditions, early puberty, disease and physical injuries. A 2024 law banned the Tennessee Department of Correction from using state funds to offer hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Lawmakers banned gender transition treatments for minors in 2023, a law that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025 after a yearslong legal challenge. The Tennessean has more on the new law.

Nashville yesterday celebrated its first Z. Alexander Looby Day, which will be marked each April 19 to commemorate the prominent attorney and civil rights activist. On April 19, 1960, the home of Looby, who was a sitting city councilmember, was bombed. That led to a march of 4,000 people to City Hall, where student activist Diane Nash confronted then-mayor Ben West about segregation. Davidson County historian Dr. Learotha Williams Jr. led the effort to establish the day to recognize Looby and his legacy. At an event yesterday, he read the mayor’s proclamation designating the day in what is now known as Diane Nash Plaza. He also noted the significance of reading the proclamation on the Public Square, a place where African Americans were once bought and sold, and where Native Americans passed through on the Trail of Tears. The Nashville Banner has more on the event. Also yesterday, the city marked the 4th annual Diane Nash Commemorative March according to WSMV.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law recently dedicated the Pamela Reeves Institute for Professional Leadership. Seventeen past TBA presidents — including Reeves' husband Charles Swanson — were on hand to celebrate the renaming of the institute. According to the school, the renaming was made possible through the generosity of the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence George “Buck” T. Lewis and his wife Malinda. Lewis is a co-founder of the institute, which helps students identify and develop their leadership skills, professional values and career path through interdisciplinary programming. Reeves was a 1979 graduate of the law school and became the first woman to serve as both district judge and chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Prior to joining the bench, she was a respected mediator in private practice and served as TBA's first female president from 1998-1999. See photos from the event.

The TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast returns this week with attorneys and TBA lobbyists Berkley Schwarz with Pier Strategies and Ashley Harbin of Adams & Reese. This week they discuss the 2026 legislative session winding down, the passing of the state's budget and what's left before legislators hit the campaign trail. Tune in on the TBA website or through this link. Attorneys interested in supporting the TBA’s lobbying efforts may do so by contributing to LAWPAC.

National law firm Adams & Reese, with offices in Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville, is expanding its presence in Nashville's Midtown Broadwest building. According to a release from the firm, the lease covers 5,500-square-feet of space located on the 17th floor of the office tower component of the mixed-used Broadwest, supplementing the current office space. “Adams & Reese is happy to be part of Nashville's thriving business community," said firm managing partner Gif Thornton. "As our office continues to grow, Broadwest offers the modern workspace and convenient location that our team needs to succeed." In recent years, the firm has strengthened its presence in Nashville through lateral hires and expansion of its litigation and crisis management practices.

Nicholas Moore of Springfield was sentenced to one year of probation after prosecutors said he illegally accessed the U.S. Supreme Court’s online filing system and posted screenshots on a social media account titled, “I hacked the government.” Senior Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia announced the sentence today, Bloomberg Law reports. Moore pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor computer fraud charge. He admitted that he accessed the high court’s system on 25 different days in 2023 using an authorized user’s stolen credentials.

This summer, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will co-sponsor and host "The Supreme Court and My Hometown," a civic education program for high school students. This immersive, two-week day camp is available to rising 10th, 11th or 12th grade students who reside within driving distance of the federal courthouse in Chattanooga. Students participating in the Chattanooga program will learn about the historic Ed Johnson case and the 1909 Supreme Court case of United States v. Shipp. Participants will learn directly from sitting judges, legal scholars and historians. For more information about the program, visit the Supreme Court Historical Society's website. Applications are due by April 24 and must be submitted online.

President Donald Trump in mid-March released a national AI regulatory framework building on his December executive order, calling for children's online protections, reduced permitting barriers for data centers, anti-censorship provisions and expanded AI workforce training — while also aiming to preempt the growing patchwork of state-level AI laws, Bloomberg Law reports. Shortly after Trump's announcement, Tennessee hosted its inaugural AI Tennessee Summit in Nashville, uniting federal and state officials, industry executives and university leaders to address how national AI priorities translate to the state level, where AI is projected to affect roughly 500,000 jobs in the near future. The Nashville Post reports on the event and its goals as Tennessee positions itself as a proactive leader in AI innovation and workforce development. Meanwhile, Axios reports that U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, whose own draft proposal closely mirrors the White House framework, released an updated version of her TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, which incorporates a "duty of care" for AI developers, chatbot safety provisions and a full sunset of Section 230, all framed around protecting children, creators, conservatives and communities. Finally, the state legislature is considering a bill requiring a study on how AI is governed in other states and at the federal level, as well as the potential economic impact of regulation on businesses in Tennessee. WKRN reports on that measure.

An inmate has died at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility after being found unresponsive on April 10. Fox 17 reports that the death is under investigation. The embattled CoreCivic facility announced in February that the fourth warden in just over a year would take over leadership. The facility has faced a number of criticisms in recent years. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into conditions at the prison.

As people increasingly turn to artificial intelligence (AI) for advice, some lawyers are telling their clients not to treat AI chatbots like trusted confidants, while others are advising clients on how to decrease the chances that AI chats wind up in court. Two recent rulings show there is no judicial standard yet, Reuters reports. In one decision, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York ruled that a target of a criminal investigation had to provide his AI chats to prosecutors. By contrast, U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti in Michigan said a woman representing herself in a lawsuit brought against her former company did not have to hand over chats about her claims. Patti said those communications constituted "work-product" for the case, rather than conversations the employer could use for its defense.