Federal prosecutors in Nashville have withdrawn from a criminal investigation into U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, NewsChannel 5 reports. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Rob McGuire filed notice last Thursday to withdraw Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Levine and J. Christopher Suedekum from an ongoing legal dispute over the FBI's access to evidence seized last year. McGuire's motion stated the case would now be handled entirely by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Ogles has been accused of lying about how much money he loaned to his 2022 campaign. Last month, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) recommended that the U.S. House Ethics Committee open a full-scale investigation into Ogles over discrepancies in his campaign finance disclosures. Ogles, a Republican from Maury County, has maintained that the case is politically motivated and that any discrepancies were based on an honest mistake.

A $2 million pledge recently was made by Chattanooga law firm Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers to support students at the University of Tennessee College of Law, the school has announced. The gift will support the Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers Scholarship Endowment, which benefits students pursuing careers in advocacy; the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship, which supports students preparing for leadership roles in the legal profession; and the John K. Morgan Trial Advocacy Endowment, which honors a prominent Chattanooga attorney who influenced Summers and was an important figure in his book "The Turtle and the Lawyer." Responding to the gift, law school Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said. "Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers’ sustained history of unparalleled generosity is indispensable to our ongoing success and so very deeply appreciated.”

Two Knoxville law firms — the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III and Garza Law — have merged according to Knox TN Today. Turner Howard will continue to work from his West Knoxville office, said Krista DeSocio, communications and marketing director for Garza Law. “It’s a good partnership because both men are kind and thoughtful. We were able to work it out,” DeSocio said. Garza Law has 18 attorneys and several investigators. The firm handles personal injury and criminal cases, along with Social Security and disability claims.

Brentwood attorney Gary Rubenstein, known as "Rube," died Saturday evening. Rubenstein earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. He began his legal career clerking at Schulman, LeRoy & Bennett in Nashville while in law school, eventually becoming a partner with the firm. He worked there until his retirement in 2023. Rubenstein's practice focused primarily on insurance defense, surety bond issues and landlord-tenant matters, serving management companies in the Middle Tennessee area. He also lectured on landlord-tenant issues and real estate law and taught business law at John Gupton College of Mortuary Science for more than 30 years. Visitation will be tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST at Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin. Services will follow at 1 p.m., with a graveside service immediately followng. Memorials may be made to The Jimmy Fund.

An inmate at the Shelby County Jail died Friday, bringing the total number of deaths at the facility since 2019 to at least 55. The Daily Memphian reports that the incident began last Thursday when jailers found an inmate unresponsive after a medical emergency. The inmate was taken to Methodist University Hospital and died Friday afternoon. Previous reporting from the news outlet showed at least 40 deaths at 201 Poplar between 2019 and mid-2023, with many deaths attributed to drugs, violence or inmate health conditions. In 2024, the facility saw at least seven inmate deaths.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will host its Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic this week on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Attorneys are always needed to give legal advice and basic guidance on a range of issues, from divorce to employment law. To sponsor a future clinic, contact Mary Ann Upchurch at maupchurch@memphisbar.org. Questions about the clinic should be directed to Memphis Area Legal Services Pro Bono Managing Attorney Heather Staggs at hstaggs@malsi.org.

The TBA Intellectual Property Section launches its 2025 webcast series on Feb. 5 with a focus on subject matter eligibility updates for AI-related inventions. On July 17, 2024, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued an update on patent subject matter eligibility to assist eligibility evaluations in patent applications and patents involving inventions related to AI technology. The webcast, beginning at noon CST, will provide an overview of the guidance update, including examples issued in conjunction with the update and community comments submitted. Make plans to join Knoxville lawyer Lauren Sherwood with Bookoff McAndrews for this one-hour webcast to learn more. Watch for more details coming soon about the next two programs in the series: Best Practices in Trademark Law on Feb. 19 and Protecting Your Copyright Registration on March 5.

Germantown resident Alexis Luttrell is facing a court date after being cited for violating a local ordinance regarding the length of time holiday decorations can be displayed. Luttrell, who used an 8-foot skeleton man and a skeleton dog for multiple holiday displays, received a citation for keeping the decorations up beyond the 30-day limit set by Germantown's property maintenance code. According to the Commercial Appeal, Luttrell, citing her First Amendment rights and plans to challenge the citation, arguing the ordinance infringes on free speech by regulating the content and timing of decorations. The Institute for Justice is supporting her claim, asserting that the city’s actions are unconstitutional and discriminatory, as they limit personal expression based on the nature of the display. The court will consider whether Germantown’s regulations unlawfully restrict Luttrell's right to choose her holiday decorations on Feb. 13 in Germantown Municipal Court.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that a bipartisan coalition of states led by Tennessee has reached a settlement in principle in its lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia and New York attorneys general, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2024, alleging that its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Recruiting Ban creates anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes. In February 2024, a federal judge in east Tennessee agreed and blocked the NCAA’s enforcement of the rule throughout the duration of the litigation.

The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) released its first immigration report today summarizing data from local law enforcement on individuals not lawfully present in the U.S. who were charged or convicted of a crime in the state during the previous year. According to a press release from the TNDAGC, the report covers the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024, with 73 of Tennessee’s 95 counties submitting monthly reports and 71 of those counties providing data for all three months. During that time, TNDAGC received about 2,719 reports of individuals charged or convicted of a crime, including 447 violent offenses. The report also notes that 11 homicides were reported statewide during the three-month period. The full report is available on the TNDAGC website.