U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection in the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District or any other Tennessee congressional district, the Daily Memphian reports. Cohen made the announcement in Washington, D.C., two hours before the noon filing deadline for the new districts. He will leave the U.S. House in January after serving 10 terms over 20 years. Cohen was first elected to Congress in 2006 after an unsuccessful bid for the seat in 1996. Before joining Congress, he served 24 years in the Tennessee Senate following his election in 1982. Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, announced Tuesday that he will continue his campaign in the 9th District alongside Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar of Memphis and activist DeVante Hill of Bartlett. The Commercial Appeal also reports on the developments.

Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella recently announced that Candi Henry has been named managing partner of the firm, effective July 1. Henry will succeed Tyler Chance Yarbro, who was selected by Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell to serve as the next director of the Metro Department of Law. Henry, who rejoined the firm in January, most recently served as chief legal counsel for the Greater Nashville Regional Council, advising the 13-county governmental entity and its affiliated organizations on a range of public services. She previously spent more than a decade with the firm and began her legal career clerking for Judge William C. Koch Jr. on the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court. “Candi typifies the judgment and deep commitment to the community that have defined this firm from its beginning more than 40 years ago,” founding partner Margaret L. Behm said in a press release. As managing partner, Henry will oversee the firm’s day-to-day administration while continuing her litigation and transactional practice.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% in March, even as 93 of the state’s 95 counties reported lower unemployment rates than the previous month, according to data released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Williamson County recorded the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%. Cheatham, Dickson, Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson counties also ranked among the 10 lowest rates statewide. Davidson County posted a 2.8% unemployment rate, improving from 3.2% in February and narrowly missing the top 10. Tennessee added 12,100 nonfarm jobs in March, with the largest gains in health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services. The state’s unemployment rate remained below the national average of 4.3%.

The window will soon close for Tennesseans to apply for FEMA aid in the wake of the January ice storm. According to WPLN, the federal agency has distributed nearly $24 million among more than 10,000 applicants so far. The money reimburses people for disaster-related expenses, including temporary lodging and home repairs. It can also go toward medical bills and transportation related to storm injuries. This level of assistance was approved by the president in April and is open to people in 29 counties. The deadline is June 10. Learn more by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov.

Tennessee lawyers attending the TBA’s 2026 Convention in June will have the opportunity to earn dual CLE credit through “Better Right Now: Wellness & Tech Session,” a two-part program focused on attorney well-being in today’s technology-driven legal environment. The sessions, “How and Why the Current State of Legal Practice Intersects with Evolution and Brain Chemistry to Promote Stress” and “Real-Life Strategies for Well-Being in the Current Legal Environment,” will explore the impact of modern legal practice on mental health while offering practical strategies for focus, resilience and client engagement. Presenters include Lindsey O’Connell of Lindsey O’Connell Counseling and Consulting, Melanie Reid of Lincoln Memorial University, and Dr. Jeff Vomund and Fr. Ragan Schriver of the University of Tennessee. Check out the full CLE programming.

To honor National Treatment Court Month, the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will host “Drug Court 101: What Every Non Drug Court Lawyer Needs to Know About Tennessee’s Recovery Courts” as a webcast CLE on June 3 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will provide an overview of Tennessee’s recovery courts, including best practices, the state’s Drug Court Treatment Act, addiction and brain science, and strategies for effectively representing clients with substance use disorders. Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge and TBA YLD President Alex McVeagh, who formerly presided over the misdemeanor track of Hamilton County Recovery Court, will moderate the program alongside Shannon Morgan, director of Hamilton County Accountability Courts and a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of experience in substance use treatment and recovery courts. More information is available on the TBA website.

The office of 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Waters Ogle has relocated to the new Sevier County Justice Center, Rex Henry Ogle Courts Building, 127 Commerce St., Ste. 2208, Sevierville, TN 37862. Judge Ogle's office phone and fax number remain the same. Additionally, the Hamblen County Circuit and General Sessions and Juvenile Courts have a new address. They now are located at 440 N. Jackson St., Morristown, TN 37814.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will hold a retirement reception honoring Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly M. Kirby on June 4 from 5-7 p.m. CDT. The event will take place in the law school’s Gordon Ball Reading Room. It is being cosponsored by the Memphis Bar Association and the law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson. Members of the legal community are invited to attend and celebrate Kirby’s many years of service. RSVP here or contact Maria Fuhrmann at maria.fuhrmann@memphis.edu with questions. Kirby, who earned her law degree from the school in 1982, is retiring from the court at the end of June. Download a flyer for the event.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee has been named to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). Dunavant joins 17 other federal prosecutors on the committee, which advises the attorney general on matters of policy, procedure and management impacting U.S. attorneys’ offices. The AGAC also may establish subcommittees and working groups in program and subject matter areas that reflect priorities set by the president. Dunavant served on the AGAC during his prior service as U.S. attorney from 2017-2021. Responding to news of his reappointment, Dunavant said he is honored and excited to serve on the committee to advance the department’s efforts to “achieve justice for victims, consequences for criminals, support for law enforcement, respect for the rule of law, protection of the U.S. Treasury, and better public safety outcomes for all citizens.” Read more in a press release.

The TBA encountered an email glitch on April 29 that prevented some members from receiving TBA Today. Those with Gmail, iCloud and Outlook email accounts may have been affected. The problem has been corrected, and all impacted members once again should be receiving TBA Today. To read any issues of TBA Today you may have missed, visit the TBA's archive page. Be sure to be logged into your TBA account to access the page. For help with any future delivery issues please email tbatoday@tnbar.org.