A federal judge in California on Wednesday ruled that Apple violated a U.S. court order requiring the company to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its App Store and will be referred to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said in an 80-page ruling that Apple failed to comply with her prior injunction, which was issued in an antitrust lawsuit filed by video game maker Epic Games, Reuters reports. In her ruling, Rogers said Apple is immediately barred from impeding developers' ability to communicate with users and must stop levying its new commission on off-app purchases. Apple has denied any wrongdoing.

The Trump administration has restored federal family planning funding to Tennessee and Oklahoma. The Biden administration cut off the funding in 2023, citing violations of federal rules requiring providers to offer abortion counseling. The Department of Health and Human Services reinstated the funds while simultaneously withholding nearly $66 million from other clinics in the Title X program, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. For more than 50 years, Title X has provided sexual and reproductive health services nationwide.

The General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office will host an expungement clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT on May 24 at the Levi Branch of the Memphis Public Libraries, 3676 S 3rd St., Memphis 38109. The event aims to help eligible individuals navigate the process of having certain criminal records sealed or erased from public view. Expunged records are generally inaccessible to the public, including employers, landlords and educational institutions, FOX13 reports. Participants will receive assistance determining eligibility, completing paperwork, understanding the legal process and connecting with legal resources.  

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) to launch a program to use free legal assistance from law firms to help police officers accused of wrongdoing. According to the order, the program will “provide legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law.” Bloomberg Law notes that major law firms have committed $940 million in legal services in a series of deals with Trump, seeking to avoid punitive executive orders. The firms pledged to take up a range of issues, including supporting military veterans and law enforcement officers, as well as “ensuring fairness” in the justice system. Bloomberg has more on the order.

President Donald Trump has nominated Whitney Hermandorfer, director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The vacancy was created when Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch announced she would take senior status following confirmation of a successor. It is Trump’s first judicial nomination since returning to the Oval Office and is expected to be one of more than 100 federal court appointments he could make over the next four years, according to Reuters. Trump praised Hermandorfer’s background, noting that she has clerked for three current members of the U.S. Supreme Court: Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called Hermandorfer “an outstanding nominee,” adding in a statement, “Whitney Hermandorfer's unwavering commitment to the rule of law, her exacting analytical rigor and her unshakeable optimism will serve our country well.”

Belmont University School of Law's Board of Advocates ranked in several national competitions throughout the 2024-2025 advocacy competition season. Three types of teams compete throughout the year: moot court, mock trial and transactional. Under the leadership of Amy Moore, professor of law and director of advocacy, the Board of Advocates provides students with opportunities to hone their legal advocacy skills through competitive experiences before entering the profession. These activities further supporting Belmont Law’s commitment to developing practice-ready lawyers, according to the school. Read this profile of Moore and the advocacy teams.

The National Center for Juvenile Justice last month released data that shows that Black and American Indian children are significantly more likely to be incarcerated than white children, despite similar rates of criminal behavior across races. Observers contend that the disparity stems from over-policing in communities of color and unequal treatment at every stage of the justice process. Additionally, although overall youth incarceration has dropped, those who remain — mostly children of color — tend to stay in detention longer, which increases their risk of long-term negative outcomes according to the study. NPR has the story.

Knoxville attorney Thomas Carl Cravens III died April 20 at age 75. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he earned his bachelor's degree and Master of Business Administration before going on to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law. Cravens was a partner at the law firm of Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley. He also co-founded World's Fair Beer, worked for real estate developer Walter Wise, and ran a travel agency with his wife. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902, the Billy Graham Association or a charity of the donor's choice. Services will be held on May 2 at 1 p.m. EDT at St. John's Cathedral. The family will receive friends following the service. Interment will be 3 p.m. at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) leaders recently met with the members of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. TBA participants included President-elect Heidi Barcus, YLD President Sean Aiello, ABA House of Delegates Chair Jonathan Cole and Executive Director Sheree Wright. Nashville attorney John Weber also joined in for some meetings. The group met with Sen. Marsha Blackburn and staff from Sen. Bill Hagerty's office. On the House side, the group met with 3rd District Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, 4th District Rep. Scott DesJarlais, 5th District Rep. Andy Ogles and 8th District Rep. David Kustoff, a TBA member. The group also met with the staff of several other members. TBA members traveled to D.C. to participate in the American Bar Association's (ABA) annual Day on the Hill, which brings together state and local bar leaders from across the country to advocate for issues important to the legal profession. See photos from the event.

Metro Nashville has joined five other cities and 11 nonprofits in a federal lawsuit attempting to halt the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze on various community programs — which, for Nashville, puts $14 million in transit and infrastructure projects at risk, according to WPLN News. Two projects are specified as being at risk: the Electrify Music City project, which would expand public electric vehicle charging stations across the city, and the East Nashville Spokes project, which is spearheading the design and construction of new bikeways across East Nashville. In April, the city also joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over recent public health funding cuts, arguing the cuts are unconstitutional.