The city of Knoxville and the family of Anthony Thompson Jr. will attend a Jan. 7 settlement conference in Chattanooga, with a settlement deadline scheduled for Jan. 14. The case centers on whether officers’ actions in the minutes after a 2021 shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School caused Thompson unnecessary pain and suffering, a claim revived by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals after it dismissed allegations of wrongful arrest and excessive force. In recent rulings and filings, judges have limited expert testimony, and both sides have asked to exclude evidence they argue would unfairly prejudice a jury, as the court prepares for a trial focused solely on the adequacy of medical care provided at the scene. Knox News has more on the developments.

Tennessee recorded 147 fewer traffic deaths in 2025 than in 2024, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Tennessee's Fatality Analysis Reporting System data through Dec. 30 shows 1,045 roadway deaths statewide, down from 1,194 the previous year, a decrease of about 14%, Action News 5 reports. State officials said much of the reduction was driven by improvements in Memphis and Shelby County. “This is meaningful progress, and it represents lives saved,” said Col. Matt Perry, commander of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. “Our troopers see the consequences of dangerous driving every day. Enforcement, education and visibility matter, and we will continue working to slow drivers down, curb impaired driving and reinforce seat belt use across the state.”

U.S Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday released his year-end report. According to The Hill, the report reflects on the Declaration of Independence as its 250th anniversary approaches this year. Roberts detailed how the country has gradually moved closer to its ideals in a historical review stretching from Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” to the civil rights era. “Those of us in the Third Branch must continue to decide the cases before us according to our oath, doing equal right to the poor and to the rich, and performing all of our duties faithfully and impartially under the Constitution and laws of the United States,” he wrote.

The TBA’s Young Lawyers Division will host the inaugural YLD Business College: Transactional Law Essentials on April 10 in Nashville, offering an in-person program designed as a practical refresher and foundation for new and young attorneys, as well as lawyers seeking to strengthen their transactional practice skills. The program will focus on core concepts, ethical considerations and emerging issues in business law, with sessions covering topics such as closing the deal, business ethics, business formation and hot topics, and will feature faculty including Laura Chastain of the Board of Professional Responsibility, Claire Tuley of Baker Donelson and John Wagster of Eden Firm PLLC. Registration opens at 9 a.m., with programming running from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. All times Central.

The TBA will host the 2026 Construction Law Forum on Jan. 23 at the Tennessee Bankers Association’s Bradley L. Barrett Training Center in Nashville. The full-day continuing legal education program, offering 6.5 hours of CLE credit, will offer two learning tracks. The first will offer introductory sessions in the morning covering lien rights, case law updates and common construction law mistakes. The afternoon sessions will focus on the Prompt Pay Act, delay claims, ethics and artificial intelligence in construction law. Participants may register for morning, afternoon or full-day sessions, with programming designed to benefit both new and seasoned construction law practitioners. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Diversity Committee will hold a networking mixer on Jan. 8 at Spencer Fane, 511 Union St., Ste. 1000, Nashville 37219. The free event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST and parking will be validated. Special thanks to Spencer Fane for sponsoring this event. All are welcome but an RSVP is required. See a flyer for more information.

State lawmakers are penciling in Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — as the date for Gov. Bill Lee’s final budget address to lawmakers, Tennessee Journal reports. Lee is term limited and cannot run for governor again. According to a schedule of opening proceedings proposed by Senate Speaker Randy McNally’s office, the cutoff date for members of the upper chamber to file bills for the second session of the 114th General Assembly would be Jan. 29. The Tennessee Journal has more on the proposed schedule.

Prosecutors agree that ex-Rep. Robin Smith should be resentenced for her role in the Phoenix Solutions public corruption case, the Tennessee Journal reports. Last month, the Hixson Republican filed a motion asking for a judge to re-sentence her to probation after President Donald Trump pardoned former House Speaker Glen Casada and his one-time aide Cade Cothren. Smith is asking for probation and removal of a $7,500 fine in light of the pardons for her two co-defendants. A motion filed with federal Judge Eli Richardson argues that Smith “should be resentenced to a term of probation and have the fine reduced to $0 in order to mitigate the manifest injustice that will result from Ms. Smith being the only one of the three conspirators to face criminal sanctions.”

The Tennessean looks at Alberto Gonzales’ tenure as dean of Belmont University’s College of Law. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel and U.S. attorney general in the George W. Bush administration before joining the school, will step down at the end of the academic year. He has spent 12 years at the school and nearly 10 years as dean. Gonzales says he plans to remain in Middle Tennessee and continue to find ways to serve following retirement. The piece explores how Gonzales found his way to Belmont and reflects on the things he thinks lead to success in life.

The Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has appointed a special advisory committee to assist in reviewing the standards for the approval of law schools. The committee will be guided by the council’s “Core Principles and Values” and will focus on “ensuring that the council’s standards enable law schools to innovate and provide a quality legal education without imposing needless burdens or costs.” It will gather information from key constituencies and provide counsel on what changes to the standards are appropriate. The committee is made up of state supreme court justices and law school deans and professors. Read more in a news release from the ABA.