The Tennessee Office for Refugees, a department of Catholic Charities, anticipated serving more than 2,000 newly-arriving refugees between September 2024 and September 2025. One of President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 executive orders froze all refugee resettlement and support, leaving the refugees and the nonprofits that work with them in limbo. Tennessee Lookout reports that a subsequent Jan. 24 “stop work” letter was sent to resettlement agencies across the country to halt “reception and placement” services, which impacts more than 140 refugees who already were in Tennessee. Rick Musacchio, executive director of the Tennessee Catholic Conference, told News Channel 5 that the organization is focusing on supporting the refugees they already have settled, but even those services may end without major financial support from the community.

East Tennessee residents along the I-75 corridor between Chattanooga and Knoxville last week reported finding flyers along roads instructing immigrants to "self-deport" and recruiting "white protestants" to the Ku Klux Klan, reports the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Chattanooga leaders and immigrants' rights groups released statements condemning the flyers and their message, with city council member Demetrus Coonrod saying, "These documents, steeped in racism and xenophobia, strike at the very heart of what we hold dear in our diverse communities." A Kentucky man identified himself as the leader of the group distributing the flyers, telling the news outlet that his group has been distributing similar materials in other states as part of a recruiting push.

February is Black History Month and Knoxville will celebrate with opportunities to learn about and highlight the accomplishments of African Americans through a variety of events, reports Knox News. Events throughout the month will include programs by community leaders, authors and artists of works dealing with Black history, with exhibits, forums, the spoken word and a chance to join a nationwide project to transcribe the works of 19th-century author, statesman and activist Frederick Douglass in honor of his birthday.

The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates (HOD) adopted more than two dozen policy matters, including resolutions addressing the judiciary and recent executive orders, when it met during the 2025 ABA Midyear Meeting. Additional resolutions focusing on lawyer well-being, antisemitism education, righting wrongful convictions and bar admission standards also were passed. The policymaking House is chaired by Nashville attorney Jonathan Cole of Baker Donelson and encompasses nearly 600 delegates from ABA entities and state, local and specialty bar associations. Read more in a release.

A temporary injunction against Tennessee's new THCA rule will remain in effect until June 5, when a legal challenge against the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is set for trial. The Tennessee Growers Coalition and the Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association filed a lawsuit in September arguing that the rule, which would prohibit sales of THCA products that could convert to 0.3% or more THC, represented agency overreach and would lead to a ban of products that have not been outlawed by the General Assembly. Nashville Chancellor I'Ashea Myles in December granted a temporary injunction that stopped enforcement of the rule. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the decision gives a six-month reprieve for Tennessee’s hemp industry, which has grown to an estimated $280-$560 million in annual sales since the products were legalized in 2019.

Metro Nashville Police say there have been 12 arrests of middle and high school students in Metro Nashville Schools since the shooting at Antioch High School on Jan. 22. Eleven of the arrests were related to making threats against schools while the 12th involved a student bringing a gun on school property, the Tennessean reports. In July of last year, a new law took effect making it a felony to make these kinds of threats. That followed a 2023 law requiring public schools to expel students for one year if they make a threat of mass violence. Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway tells WKRN News, “For me, the most concerning part is these youth just don’t understand the gravity and the severity of what they’re doing. They don’t understand how it emotionally affects everybody in our community."

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in several cases in Nashville on Feb. 12. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. CST at the Supreme Court building, the court will hear the case of Ashley Denson ex rel. Bobbie J. Denson v. Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge et al.  A second case, James B. Johnson v. Bd. of Prof. Resp. of the Sup. Ct. of Tenn., will be submitted to the court on brief. Then beginning at 1:30 p.m., the court will hear oral arguments in two cases — Brian Coblentz v. Tractor Supply Co. and State v. Shenessa Sokolosky — in the historic Supreme Court courtroom at the state Capitol. All proceedings will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. Read more about the cases in a release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Memphis attorney Julia "Judy" Stokes Sayle died Jan. 30 at age 84. After receiving her degree in elementary education in 1962, Sayle became a legal secretary, but later enrolled in night classes and graduated with a law degree in 1970 from the then-Memphis State University. She worked in private practice with Pope, Sayle & Douglas until she and her husband opened their solo practice, Sayle & Sayle Attorneys, where she served until retirement. Services will be Feb. 8 at Elmwood Cemetery Chapel, 824 S. Dudley St., Memphis 38104 with visitation at 1 p.m. and funeral services at 2 p.m. CST and burial following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Daughters of the Nile Endowment Fund benefiting Shriners Children's or a charity of the donor's choice.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Feb. 12 from 12-1 p.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed. Sign up to volunteer here.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) in partnership with the Memphis Bar Association, OUTMemphis and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will hold a wills clinic for the LGBTQ+ community on Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to  4 p.m. CST. The clinic will take place at the OUTMemphis Community Center, 892 Cooper St., Memphis 38104. Volunteers are needed to assist Tennessee residents who are members of the LGBTQ+ community and in need of legal assistance with estate planning, including wills, advanced directives and durable powers of attorney. Complete this form to volunteer. View a flyer for the event.