Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy says a new court ruling on coin-operated machines that resemble slot machines confirms that they are, in fact, slot machines and therefore illegal in Tennessee, the Daily Memphian reports. Appearing with leaders of the county’s five police departments and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Mulroy said Wednesday that “No Chance” brand machines are “games of chance” as defined by state law, making them illegal. The company that manufactures the machines sued Mulroy in 2024, claiming its devices did not qualify as games of chance or that the state law is unconstitutionally vague. The machines and the money inside them were seized during raids last summer at five locations across the county. Mulroy testified at the trial in May before the three-judge panel, which ruled unanimously this week that the machines are illegal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in State v. Shanessa L. Sokolosky that an appeal of a probation revocation is not moot even if the defendant completed the sentence. Sokolosky, who pleaded guilty in 2019 and received probation instead of jail time, was later alleged to have violated probation and ordered to serve the rest of her sentence in custody. She challenged the arrest warrant, arguing unethical practices by the probation company. By the time the appeal reached the Court of Criminal Appeals, Sokolosky's sentence had ended, and she had been released from all custody or supervision. The court dismissed the appeal as moot. According to a release, the Tennessee Supreme Court disagreed with the dismissal, saying the appeal was not moot because Sokolosky could still face consequences due to the probation violation. The court also clarified that its ruling was not an exception to the doctrine of mootness but one rendering the case not moot. It reversed the decision and sent the case back to the appeals court to be heard on the merits.

A group of 20 states filed suit Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters. According to Reuters, the suit claims the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacks authority to cancel the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program since it has been approved and funded by Congress. The program, created in 2018 as an upgrade of existing grant programs, covers up to 75% of the costs of infrastructure projects — or 90% in rural areas — meant to protect communities from natural disasters. The funding has been used for evacuation shelters, flood walls and improvements to roads and bridges, among other projects. When FEMA announced termination of the program in April, it said it had become wasteful and ineffective. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in May urged FEMA to restore the funds and work with Congress to make the program more efficient.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady for the third month in a row at 3.5%, more than half a percentage point below the national rate, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was the same as its April and May rates. In June 2024, the rate was 3.3%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in June, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. Over the past year, Tennessee employers added 22,900 nonfarm jobs, with the biggest increases in the government, leisure and hospitality, and education and health services sectors. Over the month, total nonfarm employment increased by 6,100 jobs. The largest gains were in the professional and business services sector, followed by the education and health services sector and the trade, transportation and utilities sector.

President Donald Trump on Thursday named Arthur Graham of Florida to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors as his fifth pick for the regulatory body, Local 3 News reports. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Graham would serve until May 2026, completing the term of Michelle Moore, whom Trump fired in March. Graham, the first Black nominee to the TVA board during Trump’s second term, has served on the Florida Public Service Commission since 2010. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed him to a third term on that commission in 2021.

Former American Bar Association (ABA) President William H. “Bill” Neukom, who led the organization from 2007 to 2008, has died. During his tenure, Neukom established the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, chaired the Fund for Justice and Education, and led an ABA task force focused on advancing the rule of law globally, according to a release. Neukom also was a co-founder and CEO of the World Justice Project, an organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law, and a retired partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm K&L Gates. He taught a seminar on the rule of law at Stanford Law School, where he earned his law degree.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is launching a yearlong campaign and a two-year traveling exhibit to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The campaign will include a variety of programming and events. The initiative also will feature a traveling exhibit called “250 Years of Independence: Fortifying America’s Commitment to Democracy for All,” to explore the evolving meaning of independence and the role of the rule of law. For information about the initiative contact Betsy Adeboyejo at Betsy.Adeboyejo@americanbar.org. To explore hosting an event contact Anna Snyder, director of the Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress, at anna.snyder@americanbar.org. Read more in a press release from the association.

Nashville lawyer Hugh C. Gracey Jr. died July 8 at the age of 79. Originally from Pennsylvania, he graduated from Auburn University in 1967 and earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham in 1971. He returned to Nashville following law school graduation and practiced with his father for 12 years at Gracey, Madden Cowan & Bird before starting his own law firm of Gracey, Howard, and Sowell in 1987. That firm later became Gracey, Ruth, Howard, Tate and Sowell. Gracey was a member of the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. He retired from the practice of law in 1999. A celebration of life will be held in the near future. Memorial donations may be made to “The BGA Fund” at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin.

Memphis lawyer Harry Eugene Sayle III died July 11 at the age of 82. A graduate of Memphis State University, he went on to earn his law degree in 1985. He spent much of his career as a civil servant and was working in the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office up until his passing. Visitation will be held on July 25, at noon CDT with a memorial service to follow at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38119. Memorial donations may be made to the ACLU or Real Good Dog Rescue.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee will hold a free Parenting Plan Advice Clinic on July 21 from 1-4 p.m. EDT at the Slater Community Center, 325 McDowell St., Bristol 37620. Attorney volunteers are still needed. For more information or to sign up contact Matthew Sharp at msharp@laet.org. Clients can register here. View a flyer for the event.