State Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, on Monday announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, which now stretches from Memphis to Williamson County. He will face state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, who announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn district moments after the Tennessee General Assembly redistricted the seat. "I'm not a politician picked by insiders, consultants, and lobbyists,” Warner said in a release. "This district was built by family farms, blue-collar workers, small businesses, and proud Tennessee communities that have spent far too long being ignored by the people in power." The Williamson Scene has more on Warner's tenure in the state legislature.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 27 will hear oral arguments before an accomplished group of rising high school seniors at the Tennessee American Legion Boys State at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. The event is part of the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students (SCALES) program, which educates students about the Tennessee legal system and the judicial branch. “It is imperative that our young people have the opportunity to see the judicial system in action and up close,” said Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “We are excited to bring this special session to Tennessee Tech University, where students will be able to observe actual cases argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court.” Participants will observe oral arguments in State of Tennessee v. Brent Paul Moon and Shirley Buckley et al. v. Jackson Radiology Associates, P.A. et al. beginning at 9 a.m. CDT.

On May 28, at 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Nashville, the court will hear oral arguments in three cases: Jospheen Guirguis et al. v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davison County; Leslie K. Jones v. Tennessee State University; and Mark T. Young, Individually and d/b/a Mark T. Young & Associates v. Bonnie Young Davidson. Both days of oral arguments will be livestreamed on the TNCourts YouTube page.

Brentwood attorney David Gebhardt on May 8 pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns that failed to report millions of dollars in income from cryptocurrency sales and from his consulting business, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Court documents show that Gebhardt purchased cryptocurrency but used decentralized exchanges and nominees to conceal his income from those investments, did not report the income on his tax returns, falsely indicated that he did not engage in virtual currency transaction, and failed to report all the gross receipts earned by a consulting business he owned. In total, Gebhardt caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 by filing false tax returns for 2018 through 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in federal prison, as well as restitution and monetary penalties.

The TBA will host a one-hour CLE program, “Beyond the Hype: Practical Applications of AI,” on May 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT via webcast. The program will provide attorneys with a foundational understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works and offer practical ways to incorporate it into their practice. The session will be led by John Haines, an East Tennessee attorney who focuses on divorce and family law and has a strong interest in using technology to improve efficiency and accessibility in legal practice. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

Warren County is launching a Safe Baby Court program aimed at reducing dependency and neglect cases while helping safely reunite children with their families through a collaborative, community-based approach, the Herald Citizen reports. A public kickoff event is scheduled for May 12 at the Warren County Courthouse. Led by General Sessions Judge Ryan J. Moore in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and other local organizations, the specialty court will serve children ages five and younger and their siblings involved in dependency and neglect proceedings. The program emphasizes coordinated services, accountability and early intervention to improve long-term outcomes for children and families. Tennessee established its Safe Baby Court program in 2017. By June of this year, there will be 32 sites statewide.

Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle Hixson of Knoxville will be sworn in as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 7 at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville. Gov. Bill Lee will administer the oath of office. Hixson will become the newest and youngest member of the court and will join Justice Dwight Tarwater as the second member of the five-member court from Knox County, according to Knox News. The ceremony is open to the public. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court by Lee, Hixson served as a Knox County Criminal Court judge and as an appellate criminal court judge. The General Assembly confirmed his nomination in March.

A retired FBI analyst has sued the City of Knoxville and a local police officer after saying she was wrongfully arrested and charged with driving under the influence following a minor crash last year. According to Knox News, the federal lawsuit was filed April 27 by the Nashville law firm of Brazil Clark PLLC on behalf of Allison Tsiumis. The suit alleges that a Knox Police Department (KPD) officer incorrectly administered field sobriety tests and fabricated evidence in the affidavit filed about the incident. Tsiumis is suing both the city and the KPD officer for unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution, asserting that her constitutionally guaranteed 14th Amendment rights were violated. KPD has opened an internal investigation into the allegations according to the paper.

The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers (CWCL) recently inducted Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board Presiding Judge Timothy Conner and Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims Judge Pamela B. Johnson as fellows of the group on April 18 in Tucson, Arizona. Conner and Johnson were appointed to the bench in 2014 as some of the first judges to serve on their respective newly created courts. Both are active in the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary and in the Knoxville community. They join Chief Judge Kenneth Switzer and Judge Brian Addington as CWCL fellows from Tennessee courts.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to intervene in the federal civil lawsuit filed by RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, after the court ordered Wells’ attorneys to disclose communications with the DOJ related to the lawsuit and the department’s pattern-and-practice investigation into the Memphis Police Department. According to the Commercial Appeal, the DOJ’s motion proposes submitting the communications in question to a judge for private review to determine whether they fall within the scope of the court’s order before releasing to the City of Memphis. Attorneys for the city opposed the motion, arguing the communications are subject to discovery obligations. Meanwhile, Wells’ attorneys have requested a status conference to discuss reopening discovery, a new scheduling order, the stay involving the former Memphis police officers charged in the case and multiple sealed filings.

Tennessee lawyers will gather in June for the 2026 TBA Annual Convention, This year's CLE lineup will offer 8.5 hours of credit. Among the sessions to be offered is “12 Time Management Things Attorneys Should Do, But Don’t” presented by attorney and productivity consultant Paul Unger of the Affinity Consulting Group. The program will focus on practical strategies attorneys can use to improve workflow, reduce stress and increase efficiency through better time management and productivity tools. Affinity is a member benefit parter with the TBA. Check out all of the resources they offer at TBA's Law Firm in a Box. More information about the 2026 Convention and the registration form are online.