This on-demand webcast from the TBA covers changes to Tennessee’s foreclosure law, including a reduction in the number of required newspaper notices for foreclosure sales and a new requirement to post all sales and continuances online. Hosted by David Anthony of Exo Legal PLLC and Amy Heaslet of the Tennessee Bankers Association, the webcast includes a discussion on how to comply with the new regulations taking effect July 1. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. 

Kilmar Abrego Garcia will stay in jail for now over concerns from his lawyers that he could be deported if he is released to await trial on human smuggling charges, the Associated Press reports. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys had asked Nashville-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes on Friday to delay his release because of what they described as “contradictory statements” by the administration over what would happen to him if released. The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday it intends to try Abrego Garcia on the smuggling charges before moving to deport him. Earlier that day though a DOJ lawyer told a federal judge in Maryland that the U.S. government planned to deport him to a “third country.” Holmes, who ruled on June 22 that Abrego Garcia has a right to be released while awaiting trial on smuggling charges, approved the defense team’s request to delay that order.

Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. announced criminal charges today against three defendants in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund (FECA). The charges, filed in federal court, are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The case involves a West Tennessee pharmacy that allegedly billed FECA for medications that were not based on valid prescriptions and were not dispensed to injured claimants. The charges are part of a nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, according to a news release. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted with the care of the elderly and disabled. In connection with the takedown, the government seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles and other assets. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Gulf Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

Metro Nashville Arts will host an official dedication ceremony for a new mural, “They Fought With Words: Leaders, Lawyers and Educators," at the Looby Community Center on July 16. The artwork, created by Creative Girls Rock with lead artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik, celebrates the life and legacy of Nashville lawyer and civil rights icon Z. Alexander Looby. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. CDT. The program will begin at 1 p.m. in the Looby Theater. Those interested in attending can register here.

Registration is now open for the TBA's Journey to Morocco CLE program scheduled for February 2026. Join the TBA delegation to learn more about Morocco's diverse food, music, customs and architecture, as well as its social fabric and political systems. Morocco's location at the crossroads of Europe and Africa has endowed the country with a richness of culture and heritage preserved and perpetuated to this day. Today, Morocco is a thriving society embracing modernity. The core program, scheduled for Feb. 9-15, 2026, is a six-night experience that includes one night in Casablanca, two nights in the political capital Rabat, and three nights in the country's cultural capital Fes. Trip extensions also are available: explore Marrakech Feb. 6-9 before the core program starts and/or participate in the post-trip Saharan adventure to the Merzouga Desert Feb. 15-18. View a brochure for the trip or learn more online. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! The early bird registration rate expires Aug. 1.

Fatal drug overdoses are steadily declining in Nashville this year, but local officials say the city’s opioid epidemic continues to impact its youngest residents. Davidson County’s Safe Babies Court program reports that about 90% of its cases involve children exposed to drugs or parents struggling with substance use, according to program coordinator Jill Overton. Magistrate Olen Winningham, who oversees the court, said the program provides vital support services for families, including sobriety monitoring, housing, therapy and early childhood screenings. With uncertainty about federal grant funding, the program is relying more on community support, WKRN reports. The Nashville Metro Council recently approved a grant to help keep it running. Currently, more than 20 counties across the state operate a Safe Babies Court according to the news station.

Tennessee is prepared to provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture with personal data on low-income recipients of federal food stamp aid according to a spokesperson with the state Department of Human Services. Tennessee Lookout reports that the Trump administration made the 50-state data request in May, seeking the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and total dollar value of benefits received for each individual enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the past five years. As of April, 687,000 Tennesseans received the benefit, which provides a monthly cash allotment loaded onto a debit card to be used for food purchases only. The federal request, along with work by the Department of Government Efficiency to cut spending, stems from a presidential executive order. Advocacy groups filed a lawsuit May 22 challenging the administration’s authority to demand the data. Some states have refused to comply, while others have signaled they will provide the information.

Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw has named Keith Harding Grant as the new administrator of the court. Grant is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and earned his law degree from Louisiana State University. He is admitted to practice in all Tennessee state courts, has practiced law for 24 years and is a partner at the law firm Robinson, Smith & Wells PLLC, according to Chattanoogan.com. “I am extremely excited to join the Juvenile Court team,” Grant said. “I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that await. I have always thought that Judge Philyaw doesn’t have a job as Juvenile Court judge; he has a calling. I look forward to joining him in that calling, working with the outstanding men and women who already serve Hamilton County’s citizens so well.” Read more about Grant from his firm's website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order amending Supreme Court Rule 11, section VI a(1) and a(2) to remove Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) from the list of organizations eligible to receive funding from the state’s Civil Legal Representation of Indigents Fund. It also adjusted the percentage of funding the remaining three organizations will receive from the fund. The court says it took the action since MALS is no longer an organization within the Legal Services Corporation. Read the order or see a red line version of the changes.

U.S. District Court Judge Loren AliKhan ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Susman Godfrey violates the U.S. Constitution and must be permanently enjoined. AliKhan found that the order “constitutes unlawful retaliation against Susman for activities that are protected by the First Amendment, including its representation of certain clients, its donations to certain causes, and its expression of its beliefs regarding diversity.” It was the fourth ruling finding in favor of law firms targeted by executive order, Bloomberg Law reports. The firm sued over the order in April. In related news, the U.S. Justice Department said this week it will appeal another judge’s decision to strike down an executive order targeting Perkins Coie. In early May, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that order violated the constitution. Both AliKhan and Howell serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.