The Tennessee Republican Party has postponed Oak Ridge Rep. John Ragan’s request to challenge his August primary loss to former Clinton police chief Rick Scarbrough, reports the Tennessee Lookout. A special-called meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 7 and may take place virtually, pending approval from the Tennessee comptroller and secretary of state and despite Ragan's opposition to the "validity" of decisions made during virtual meetings. Ragan lost his Aug. 1 primary race to Scarbrough by 258 votes and days later alleged that Democrats cast "crossover" votes in the Republican primary with the purpose of defeating him.

Warren & Griffin, one of Chattanooga's largest personal injury law firms, has relocated its offices from the Dome Building downtown to the former Brewer Media headquarters at 1305 Carter St., Chattanooga 37402. Partner C. Mark Warren told the Times Free Press, "We've just outgrown our space in the Dome Building, so when we heard about this space, we jumped on it ... this is a great location and gives us room to continue to grow in our hometown."

One day after Tennessee legislators threatened to withhold sales tax revenue funds from Memphis and Secretary of State Tre Hargett said his office would not approve a ballot that included a city referendum on gun control, the Shelby County Election Commission announced it would not add those questions to the Nov. 5 ballot. The Commercial Appeal reports that county Election Commissioner Mark Luttrell said State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins instructed the commission to not allow the ballot referendums on the ballot. The Memphis City Council previously had approved three ballot questions on gun control that, if approved, would amend the city's charter. Luttrell said that litigation is anticipated, and election commissioners would not be allowed to answer questions related to the matter.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw on Monday ruled that Tennessee's Medicaid program "TennCare" unlawfully terminated health care coverage for thousands of Tennesseans, concluding a four-year-long class-action lawsuit, reports the Tennessean. The court ruled that the state violated the Constitution, federal Medicaid law and federal protections for people with disabilities, stating that "poor, disabled and otherwise disadvantaged Tennesseans should not require luck, perseverance or zealous lawyering to receive health care benefits they are entitled to under the law." Michele Johnson, the Tennessee Justice Center’s executive director, said in a release, “We are proud to have stood with the courageous families that brought the case in order to protect the health coverage of many thousands of their neighbors across the state. We will continue to fight as this case moves forward.”

At its fall meeting on Sept. 28, the TBA Board of Governors will vote on proposed amendments to the association’s bylaws. The changes, recommended by the board’s Operations Committee, would update the office address of the TBA (Section 1), update the method of delivering notices of meetings (Sections 8 and 20), clarify what constitutes a quorum for Board of Governors meetings (Section 12), and modify the process for the election of officers and governors (Sections 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 46). Download a redline version that shows the proposed changes. Comments on the changes should be submitted prior to the fall meeting via email to barED@tnbar.org.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that an alert from a trained drug-sniffing dog can be considered an element of probable cause for a search even though the dog cannot tell the difference between illegal marijuana and legal hemp. The decision stems from a February 2020 traffic stop during which an officer smelled a strong odor in the car and a drug dog "alerted" on the presence of drugs. A passenger's backpack was confiscated and found to contain one ounce of marijuana, a loaded firearm, Ziploc bags and a working scale. The passenger was charged with, among other things, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of a firearm with intent to go armed during a dangerous felony. The defendant attempted to have the backpack's contents excluded from evidence, arguing that the dog could not tell the difference between illegal marijuana and hemp. The trial court agreed and suppressed the evidence. The state appealed and the Court of Criminal Appeals reversed, finding the dog's alert provided sufficient cause for the search. The Supreme Court agreed that there was sufficient cause for the search but clarified that the dog's alert did not on its own justify law enforcement's actions. Rather, it found that the totality of the circumstances, including the dog's alert and other suspicious elements, gave the officers probable cause.

Nashville attorney Peggy Mathes died Aug. 4 at age 74. She received her law degree from Nashville School of Law and practiced family and probate law for more than 40 years. She served as Davidson County's first public administrator until her retirement in 2023. Services will be held at St. George's Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Pk., Nashville 37205 on Aug. 31 at 11:30 a.m. CDT, with visitation prior to the service at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to the charity of the donor's choice.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter honored seven lawyers for their careers and contributions to the legal profession and community during its annual Pillars of Excellence Awards ceremony last month. One of the recipients, state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, who represents District 12 in East Tennessee, received an award for his outstanding public service. The other honorees included Dorothy J. Pounders, Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., Leland McNabb, Mark R. Allen, Richard Murrell Carter, David Pickler and Barbara Kritchevsky. The event is the chapter's largest fundraiser and will provide scholarships to law students. The Daily Memphian has the story.

Tennessee along with Texas and 14 other states filed a complaint Friday in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against the Biden administration’s "parole in place" program, which offers temporary removal protections and work authorization to immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. According to Bloomberg Law, the states argue that the program, which aims to help about 500,000 immigrants and their stepchildren, exceeds the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) authority and violates constitutional provisions. They seek to block the program, claiming it imposes significant financial burdens and extends DHS’s parole authority beyond legal limits. The department defends the program as lawful and consistent with American values.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter honored seven lawyers for their careers and contributions to the legal profession and community during its annual Pillars of Excellence Awards ceremony this past Saturday. One of the recipients, state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, who represents District 12 in East Tennessee, received an award for his outstanding public service. The other honorees included Dorothy J. Pounders, Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., Leland McNabb, Mark R. Allen, Richard Murrell Carter, David Pickler and Barbara Kritchevsky. The event is the chapter's largest fundraiser and will provide scholarships to law students. The Daily Memphian has the story.