The TBA is offering a webcast replay of the popular “Essential Presentation Skills for Attorneys” on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Led by Mimi Bliss of Bliss Communications, the session provides practical techniques attorneys can immediately apply in trials, meetings, networking events and speaking engagements, both virtual and in person. Topics include sharpening messages, using storytelling with data, engaging audiences, and improving delivery through voice, gestures and eye contact. For more information and to register visit the TBA website. Can't make Thursday's broadcast? The course also is available on demand.

Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, has joined the growing list of candidates seeking to replace former 7th Congressional District Rep. Mark Green. Bulso announced his candidacy at a Republican forum held this weekend at the Humphreys County Fairgrounds in Waverly, the Nashville Post reports. He is the second state representative from Williamson County to enter the race, following Rep. Lee Reeves, R-Franklin, who announced earlier this month. “If I’m elected to this office, I will serve no more than three terms, or however long it’s necessary to get this federal government back to what our founders intended — to get to a balanced budget,” Bulso said Saturday. Green resigned from Congress July 20. The primary election will take place Oct. 7, with the general election set for Dec. 2.

Gov. Bill Lee's office is accepting applications to fill the office of district attorney general for the 18th Judicial District following the retirement of Ray Whitley. The appointment will last until the next biennial election in August 2026. Applicants must have been residents of Tennessee for five years and of the judicial district for at least one year. The 18th Judicial District serves Sumner County. Interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter to Erin Merrick, chief counsel to the governor, by emailing her assistant at Katelin.Brown@tn.gov no later than 5 p.m. CDT on Aug. 4. Learn more in the official announcement from the governor's office.

Knoxville attorney John Thomas Greene died Jan. 30 at age 83. Greene earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began his legal career with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., working at its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and later as a company lawyer in New York City. He eventually returned to Knoxville, where he represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases with the Law Offices of J.D. Lee. Funeral services were held Feb. 22 in Knoxville. Memorial donations may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association, P.O. Box 61420, Staten Island, NY 10306.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts today issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration's attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporary immigrants, marking the third such ruling since a recent Supreme Court decision limited nationwide injunctions. Reuters reports that the judge ruled the executive order unconstitutional and rejected arguments for a narrower injunction, citing the burden it would place on states and the lack of clarity from the administration. The issue is expected to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, but for now, the order remains blocked nationwide.

The Nashville Bar Association (NBA) on Wednesday released the results of a member poll for applicants being considered to fill the 20th Judicial District, Davidson County, Criminal Court Vacancy that was created by the retirement of Judge Cheryl A. Blackburn. Members were given the names of applicants who are being considered for the position as of July 14, through an online survey ballot, and 289 responses were received by the deadline of July 22. All attorney bar members are polled, and the results are reported as raw ballot results with no attempt to extrapolate results. Download the poll results here.

The TBA hosted its 2025 Elder Law Forum at the Belmont University College of Law’s Randall & Sadie Baskin Center in Nashville. The annual event, designed for attorneys practicing in senior-focused areas of law, featured sessions on topics such as undue influence, Medicaid/TennCare, annuities, VA benefits, ethics, and law firm management. Attendees had the opportunity to earn CLE credit, connect with colleagues, and hear from a range of speakers including Drew Clements, Barbara McGinnis, Amy Bryant, Joshua Bey and others. Thank you to lunch sponsor Krause Financial, break sponsor Vista Points Special Needs Trust, event partners McKinney-Green Insurance and Southeastern Trust Company, and event supporter Cumberland Trust. See photos from the day. 

A special election will be held in Tennessee in December to fill the vacancy left by Republican U.S. Representative Mark Green’s retirement. State officials announced Thursday that the primary election will take place Oct. 7, with the general election set for Dec. 2 in the 7th Congressional District, The Associated Press reports. Green, who served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, resigned July 20. The race already includes contested primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties.

More than 350 detainees are being held in the intake room of the Shelby County Jail, far exceeding the space and seating available, the Commercial Appeal reports. The number was cited in a spreadsheet shared within the Shelby County criminal justice system and provided to the newspaper by the bail reform nonprofit Just City. As of July 23, the spreadsheet listed a total of 2,908 inmates at the jail, including those in the intake area but excluding those held outside 201 Poplar, such as at the Shelby County Division of Corrections and the Youth Justice and Education Center. The jail’s certified capacity is 2,400 inmates, Chief Deputy Sheriff Anthony Buckner previously told the news outlet. However, he said the facility can accommodate an additional 400 inmates using “uncertified beds.” For months, according to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) jail report card, the inmate population has fluctuated between 2,500 and 2,800. SCSO added that the Memphis Police Department is “booking more people into the jail and many are charged with violent felonies.” The office also pointed to the closing of a criminal court division as a reason for slower case resolution.

The Daily Memphian filed a motion in federal court Wednesday to unseal records that have remained hidden since U.S. District Judge Mark Norris, who presided over the Tyre Nichols case from its inception, recused himself from multiple related cases. His order did not state the reason for his recusal, and he has not publicly addressed the matter or responded to inquiries about it, the news outlet reports. Since the recusal, nearly all new filings in the case have been submitted under seal. The paper is seeking to access to those documents “solely for the purpose of protecting the public’s common law and First Amendment right of access to criminal proceedings,” the motion states. The outlet’s initial attempt to intervene in the case was rejected by the court. On Wednesday afternoon, the clerk’s office opened a new case with the outlet’s filing. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman discussed the motion Thursday, saying it is one of three issues she expects to rule on by mid-September. The judge also set sentencing hearings for the week of Dec. 15 for the five former Memphis police officers charged in Nichols' death, according to the Associated Press. The men originally were set to be sentenced in June, but the date was postponed after Norris' recusal.