Democratic candidates for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District pitched their platforms to voters at a Fairview forum on Sept. 7. The four candidates — state Reps. Bo Mitchell, Vincent Dixie and Aftyn Behn, and political strategist Darden Copeland — spoke to about 70 people inside the Fairview Recreation Complex gymnasium. They commented on the Trump administration’s proposals to deploy the National Guard in Democratic-led cities and expressed support for comprehensive immigration reform and immigrant communities. All also pledged to hold regular town halls if elected. The Nashville Post has the story.

The City of Memphis has contracted with a private company to install 30 new traffic cameras to target speeders, primarily in 15 school zones. According to the Daily Memphian, beginning Sept. 30, the cameras will be used to issue warnings to drivers who are speeding in those 15 areas, officials said. On Oct. 30, the grace period will end, and citations will begin with violators being mailed a ticket for $50. The cameras will be installed at 15 different locations. A 2015 state law classifies citations from unmanned cameras as nonmoving violations, meaning they carry no license points, insurance consequences or credit impact. City officials say the goal is to encourage safer driving, particularly in school zones and S curves, despite the limited penalties.

The American Bar Association (ABA) and American University Washington College of Law will host a virtual program, “On the Docket: Looking Ahead at the New Supreme Court Term,” on Sept. 25 from noon to 1:20 p.m. EDT. Panelists will preview major issues before the court when it reconvenes in October, including state bans on transgender athletes in sports, voting rights, campaign finance laws, the death penalty, state regulatory authority, challenges to conversion therapy and redistricting in Louisiana. The event will feature Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law; Gregory G. Garre, partner at Latham & Watkins; William W. Berry III, professor at the University of Mississippi Law School; and Boston Globe columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Stephen Wermiel, a professor at American University Washington College of Law, will moderate. Register here.

A Chattanooga man on Wednesday was sentenced to 24 months in prison for transmitting interstate threats. In 2024, Garry Lebron Hayes, 45, left voicemails that included death threats and violent language directed at two members of Congress. Hayes pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier in Chattanooga, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Collier also ordered Hayes to serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence allowed under the guidelines, stressing the need to protect public officials from threats of violence.

Georgia lawyer Sarah Medley Smith was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 4. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Smith has been on inactive status since Dec. 17, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Smith’s petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.

Davidson County Lawyer Anne-Marie Moyes was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 5. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Moyes has been on inactive status since May 27, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Moyes petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.

The TBA will host its Local Government Forum on Oct. 14 as a live virtual event from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. CDT. The program will cover key issues in government law, including budgetary matters and ongoing PFAS litigation, with additional details to be announced. A discount is available for Local Government Practice Section members. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

Judge Emily Abbott was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to serve on the 6th Judicial District Criminal Court on Aug. 15 and was sworn in just three days later. “I wanted to go ahead and get sworn in immediately to be able to start hearing cases because Knox County had been without a judge since March,” Abbott said. She fills a vacancy created by Judge Steven Sword’s appointment to the appellate bench. Reflecting on her first days, Abbott said, “It was overwhelming, the welcome I received. Judge Sword swore me in. Judge Sanchez robed me. Justice Sharon Lee brought me her robe to wear on the bench until I can get mine ordered. She was at my swearing in, and it was amazing.” Abbott is just the second woman to serve in the Knox County Criminal Court. She previously was district attorney for the 7th Judicial District. Read more in a profile by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

One of the former Memphis police officers convicted federally in connection with the 2023 death of Tyré Nichols will be released from custody pending a retrial on those charges, the Daily Memphian reports. Demetrius Haley, who has been in federal custody since his conviction in October 2024, will now be free until the new trial is completed, as long as he continues to comply with his bond conditions. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman granted the new trial last month for Haley and his co-defendants, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith. Lipman’s decision came after U.S. District Judge Mark Norris recused himself for making comments about the Memphis Police Department.

U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson this week threw out three charges against former House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren and postponed sentencing on their remaining fraud and kickback convictions to Sept. 16. But the pair’s request for a new trial was denied. Tennessee Lookout reports that Richardson found that the inadvertent playing of an unredacted interview with Casada by FBI agents was not enough to merit a new trial. Defense attorneys had argued the tape incriminated Cothren and prejudiced the jury. With regard to the charges thrown out, Richardson said prosecutors failed to prove the men operated as agents of the government. He did not make a decision on whether to hear from an alternate juror who wrote a letter saying she would have voted to acquit the pair.