A years-long fight over a reform to protect domestic violence victims in Tennessee has come to an inconclusive end, WPLN reports. Advocates have been asking the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council to alter the state’s firearms dispossession affidavit form, which is required in cases where an abuser is ordered by the court to give up their guns. The form currently does not require the name or address of the person receiving the guns, an omission that advocates say puts victims in danger. At its most recent meeting in March, the council debated whether it has the power in statute to change the form. In the end, it voted to write a letter to judges across the state recommending they amend their forms to require the name of the recipient. Investigative reporting by the station found that some counties already had begun amending their forms.

Between March 2 and April 30, Davidson County General Sessions Court will operate a Winter Storm Support Docket for tenants who cannot pay rent due to complications from January’s ice storm. The Nashville Banner reports that the docket will help individuals apply for community-based rent assistance to prevent evictions and remain in their homes. Tenants facing eviction who are defendants in detainer actions will appear on the regular docket, at which point the court may determine eligibility for the support docket. Tenants facing evictions for non-monetary reasons are not eligible.

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office has released the full lists of candidates for 2026 federal and state elections following closure of the filing deadline. In the race to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Lee, 11 candidates (six in the Democratic primary and five in the Republican primary) filed to run. In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Bill Hagerty is running for reelection and faces no primary challenger. Five Democrats are running to earn the nomination to face him in the general election while eight Independents also filed for the seat. In the U.S. House, all nine Tennessee seats will be on the 2026 ballot. Six will see primary races. For state legislative races, all 99 seats in the House and 17 in the Senate will be up this year. Of note, Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, decided not to run in District 7, the Nashville Banner reports, and no candidate will appear on the District 93 primary ballot after incumbent Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, failed to obtain enough signatures. That will force candidates to mount a “write in” campaign, the Commercial Appeal reports. See all lists of candidates on the secretary of state’s website.

The federal judiciary is accelerating its move to a new case management system after repeated cyber attacks on the current system used for court filings, Bloomberg Law reports. Six district courts will start testing parts of the new system this year, according to a press release from the judiciary. An outside firm with cybersecurity expertise has been consulting on the project. Court officials also reportedly have been looking at upgrading PACER, the public-facing system used to find and view court filings, and using fees from that service to help fund the new case management system.

The TBA Access to Justice Committee is accepting nominations for the 2026 Public Service Awards. The annual awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent, pro bono work performed by a private or corporate attorney, and a strong commitment to pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations and supporting documents will be accepted through April 17. Awards will be presented during the TBA Annual Convention in June.

Tomorrow is the deadline to register for TBA’s 4th Annual Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp legislative reception! This year's events will take place March 18 in Nashville, beginning at 10:30 a.m. CDT at the Cordell Hull Building with presentations from TBA’s lobbying team and members of the General Assembly. Attendees then will meet with various legislators throughout the day, focusing on building relationships, championing TBA’s legislative priorities and advocating for elimination of the professional privilege tax. After the day’s meetings, attendees are invited to join colleagues, lawmakers and legislative staff at Hotel Indigo Nashville from 5-7 p.m. for the perennial favorite Big Shrimp legislative reception. The hotel is located at 315 Union St., Nashville 37201. Register here or email govaffairs@tnbar.org with questions.

A news item in yesterday's issue of TBA Today highlighted a new expungement process for certain cases in the Shelby County Criminal Court. The court has asked that TBA clarify that the new automatic expungement process is initiated only after the petitioner requests it in court. The new process will allow the order to be signed by all relevant parties in the courtroom, rather than requiring the petitioner to file elsewhere. No expungements will be processed without the petitioner’s or their attorney’s express request. The new process will start March 23. It will apply only to cases that have been dismissed or identified as nolle prosequi with no costs.

Nashville-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims has reorganized its leadership structure, creating four C-suite positions and expanding roles for several executives, the Nashville Post reports. Craig Bingham will serve as chief administrative and operations officer while Kerry Price will serve as chief strategy and operations officer. Both will have expanded responsibilities. The firm also named Melisa Wimsatt as its chief administrative services officer, Arthur Cook as chief risk management officer, and Angela Dunn as senior director of human resources. Firm leaders said the restructuring is part of long-term succession planning and a broader strategic initiative for the firm, which has offices in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. Read more in a release from the firm.

The pass rate for first-time takers of the bar exam rose more than a percentage point in 2025 compared with 2024, according to a news release from the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. First-time takers in 2025 achieved an aggregate 84.10% pass rate (84.19% including alternative pathways), up from 83.02% in 2024. Officials said the annual data release is designed to give prospective law students and the public transparent information on legal education outcomes, including licensure and career pathways. See all law school data collected here.

President Donald Trump and his attorney general were sued earlier this month by retail investors in two social media rivals of TikTok. They are seeking to reverse approval of a deal by the app’s owner, ByteDance, to form a majority American-owned joint venture. According to Reuters, the lawsuit argues that Trump’s approval last year violated requirements outlined in a 2024 divestiture law. Two California residents who hold shares in Alphabet and Meta Platforms filed the suit with backing from a group called the Public Integrity Project. The lawsuit seeks to require a renegotiation of the deal “that doesn't put administration allies in a position to censor political content on one of the world’s most popular media platforms” and does not aim to force a U.S. ban on TikTok, the litigants argue.