For more than a year, allegations that local police protected a well-known businessman accused in multiple sexual assaults — or incompetently bungled their investigation into allegations against him — have gripped Johnson City. Local advocates have taken to the streets demanding reform, a special U.S. attorney has filed a federal lawsuit, alleged victims have hired a California law firm, and city officials have secured an outside consultant to determine whether the police department’s actions “were inconsistent with acceptable practice of law enforcement.” Read more about the case from Tennessee Lookout.

Former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and current NSL Dean William Koch was honored by the Harry Phillips Chapter of the American Inns of Court last month. The organization voted to establish the Bill Koch-Harry Phillips American Inns of Court Scholarship. The award will be for a third-year law student in the top 20% of his or her class entering a fourth year of legal training at the Nashville School of Law. Author and former Tennessean reporter Keel Hunt penned this opinion piece on Koch’s contributions to the legal community.

Friends, family and colleagues gathered in Greeneville Friday for the formal investiture ceremony for U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Richardson Wyrick. Ceremonies at the James H. Quillen U.S. Courthouse featured remarks by former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade, former Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Norma McGee Ogle, Circuit Court Judge James L. Gass, Merit Selection Panel member Olen G. Haynes Sr. and Senior U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer. U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker administered the oath of office and offered remarks. TBA President Tasha Blakney also offered comments and presented a gavel to Wyrick, who had served as a TBA president before going on the bench. Eight other former TBA presidents were also on hand to show their support — John Tarpley, Charles Swanson, Marcy Eason, Jackie Dixon, Jonathan Steen, Jason Long, Sarah Sheppeard and Michelle Greenway Sellers. See more photos from the event.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced a number of actions. First, on Tuesday, he led a coalition of 16 state attorneys general in urging the Biden administration to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls. On Wednesday, his office's Division of Consumer Affairs issued a warning regarding a widespread fraud scheme targeting medical professionals. Scammers impersonating agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are attempting to extort money or steal personal identifiable information. On these calls, scammers often claim the provider’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) has been compromised and is being used for illicit purposes. Today, Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 other attorneys general in urging congressional leadership to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act (H.R.1839/S.993), which would provide critical measures to combat the widespread illicit use and trafficking of xylazine and help prevent xylazine-related deaths. Skrmetti also today led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in urging various financial institutions to adhere to their fiduciary duties when voting their shares in the ongoing proxy season.

Marrell Graham, the son of Samuel Pettyjohn, a key FBI witness in Gov. Ray Blanton’s “cash-for-clemency” scandal in the late 1970s, is suing the FBI. Pettyjohn was killed in downtown Chattanooga in 1979. Graham’s federal lawsuit claims that the agency’s actions led to the deprivation of “the loss of income, services, protection, care, assistance ... counsel and advice of his father.” Pettyjohn agreed to cooperate with the FBI after he was subpoenaed to testify about corrupt officials selling prison pardons. The Associated Press has the full story.

The Tennessean has sued Metro Nashville government for the release of documents related to the March 27 Covenant School shooting. Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and Tennessean reporter Rachel Wegner also have signed on to the suit. According to the complaint, The Tennessean has filed multiple public records requests with the Metro Nashville Police Department to either view or obtain copies of documents in the case. The Tennessee Lookout reports that Michael Patrick Leahy of The Tennessee Star has also filed public records requests and 66 Republican members of the Tennessee General Assembly submitted a letter Monday requesting the documents’ release. Covenant School parents are opposed to making the shooter’s writings public.

Former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and current NSL Dean William Koch was honored by the Harry Phillips Chapter of the American Inns of Court this week. The organization voted May 16 to establish the Bill Koch-Harry Phillips American Inns of Court Scholarship. The award will be for a third-year law student in the top 20% of his or her class entering a fourth year of legal training at the Nashville School of Law. Author and former Tennessean reporter Keel Hunt penned this opinion piece on Koch’s contributions to the legal community.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed the remaining claims against Hamilton County Sherriff’s deputy Jacob Goforth in the “baptism case” against former deputy Daniel Wilkey. Wilkey arrested a woman during a traffic stop and then “baptized” her in Soddy Lake. Goforth allegedly arrived on the scene and a lawsuit against him says that he should have tried to stop the baptism. The Chattanoogan reports that attorney Jerry Tidwell said, "In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that deputy Goforth was entitled to qualified immunity as his actions violated no clearly established constitutional right of the late Shandle Riley.”

Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins ruled Thursday that two Memphis mayoral candidates can continue their campaigns, citing a 1996 ballot referendum that eliminated the five-year residency requirement. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and Memphis NAACP President Van Turner sued the Shelby County Election Commission over the requirement that candidates must have lived in Memphis for at least five years to be eligible. The Commercial Appeal quotes Jenkins’ ruling, saying, "The court finds and concludes it does not find any ambiguity at all … rather the reading is quite simple on its face, particularly when read in its proper context which retains the integrity of the ordinance without adding or taking away from it. That is to say, the mayoral qualification clause is dependent on the qualifications of the (city council members).”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit heard oral arguments Wednesday in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, which challenges the Food and Drug Administration's 2000 approval of mifepristone, a commonly used drug for abortions and miscarriages, reported Roll Call. The three judge panel expressed concern about telemedicine and the lack of oversight when prescribing and dispensing the drug by mail. The pharmaceutical industry has warned that a court ruling challenging the FDA’s authority to regulate drugs would be unprecedented and could undermine the development and approval of new medications.