President Donald Trump announced today that he plans to name acting U.S. Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche as the “permanent attorney general.” According to Bloomberg Law, a video posted by White House adviser Dan Scavino showed Trump making the announcement during a Rose Garden event. Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, has served as acting attorney general since the president dismissed former AG Pam Bondi in early April. Before that, Blanche had been Bondi’s chief deputy.

Next week’s TBA Convention will include a new element for lunch on Thursday. After grabbing a boxed lunch, attendees will be able to choose one of three Lunch & Learn opportunities. In the Summit Ballroom, Josh McIntyre, an attorney and senior manager of bar partnerships at Clio, will present “Increasing Law Firm Productivity with AI.” The session will focus on productivity, highlighting how AI streamlines workflows and scales operations without compromising the essential human touch or quality of work. In Salon C, Melanie Watson, a judicial education coordinator with Our Family Wizard, will present “Co-Parenting in the Digital Age: Improving Outcomes & Reducing Litigation with Our Family Wizard.” Watson will discuss the all-in-one co-parenting app that allows families to share a schedule, track expenses and stay connected. Finally, in Salon B, the TBA Attorney Engagement & Opportunity Committee will hold a session to hear from lawyers and answer questions about its work. Make plans now to join one of these informative breakouts next week!

Since the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, programs intended to help minority students, job seekers, workers and business owners have been challenged, upended and sometimes declared illegal. This one-hour webcast from the TBA will explore the outlook for race-conscious employment policies and what the implications are for Tennessee lawyers. Join Casey Duhart with Acadia Healthcare Inc., Mohamed Faizer with the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, and John Winemiller with Merchant & Gould for this informative session. Learn more and register on the TBA website.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met in Jonesborough to select nominees for a vacancy in the 1st Judicial District Criminal Court. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the commission selected three lawyers: Blountville attorney Tessa Nichole Lunceford, Erwin lawyer Robert Mitchell Manuel and Jonesborough lawyer Lawrence Scott Shults. The candidate selected will fill a vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Stacy Street to the appellate bench. The 1st Judicial District covers Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties. Learn more about the candidates. 

A lawsuit against freight railroad company CSX Transportation is set to go to trial in August. A jury could determine the company’s role in the deaths of Waverly flood victims in 2021, the Tennessean reports. The plaintiffs allege that a debris-filled culvert owned by CSX acted like a dam, creating a large pool of floodwater. When the bridge and culvert gave way, they say it formed a “deadly tidal wave” that hit the heart of the small town. CSX has denied liability for the deaths in legal filings. The company’s attorneys write that the flood was tragic, there is no evidence that CSX played any role in the disaster.

Robertson County Attorney Clyde Richert will retire from his position effective July 1 after serving for 36 years as county attorney and practicing law in Springfield for 49 years, according to Main Street Media TN. Richert informed county commissioners of his decision during the May 18 Robertson County Commission meeting, saying he plans to transition responsibilities while remaining available to assist with ongoing county matters. A Springfield native and senior partner at Richert & Dilliha, Richert has represented Robertson County's elected and appointed officials in legal matters for nearly four decades. Richert said his son, Jarod Richert — who also works at the firm — could serve as interim county attorney until the county commission appoints a permanent replacement. He plans to continue his private law practice.

A Davidson County Chancery Court judge has denied a request from death row inmate Tony Carruthers for an independent medical examination following Tennessee's failed attempt to execute him last month, WPLN reports. Carruthers' attorneys sought the examination after execution personnel were unable to establish an IV and a physician unsuccessfully attempted to gain access through other parts of his body before the execution was halted. They also have raised questions about the doctor who was on hand for the procedure. While denying the medical exam request, the court ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve all equipment, records, communications and other materials related to the execution attempt. Carruthers' legal team is arguing that the incident is relevant to ongoing litigation, which is challenging Tennessee's lethal injection protocol and alleging deficiencies in the training and oversight of execution personnel.

A detainee at the Shelby County Jail died early in the morning today, a spokesperson with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office confirmed. According to the Commercial Appeal, Coltral Pondexter, who was detained at the main jail at 201 Poplar, experienced a medical emergency. The Memphis Fire Department was called and transported the inmate to Regional One Health. Pondexter was pronounced dead at the hospital. The spokesperson said the sheriff's office was investigating Pondexter's death. Last year, 13 inmates reportedly died in custody at the jail.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan with the Eastern District of Tennessee will be honored with the 2026 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court. The award will be presented at the TBA’s Lawyers Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the group’s Annual Convention in Knoxville.

Varlan will be honored for his long tenure on the bench, including handling many of East Tennessee’s most publicized and significant trials, and exhibiting the highest level of integrity and professionalism in his work. Presentation of the award this year is timely given that Varlan has announced he will take senior status this fall. In a letter supporting Varlan for the award, the other judges of the district court praised his judicial temperament and selflessness exhibited while serving as chief judge of the district. In particular, they point to his decision to end his term as chief judge six months early so his colleague, the late Judge Pamela Reeves, could become the first female chief judge in the history of the district. Had Varlan served his full term, Reeves would not have been age-eligible to succeed him.

In announcing this year’s recipient, TBA President Heidi Barcus said: “Throughout his judicial service, Judge Varlan has exhibited the ideals embodied in this award, demonstrating character and integrity as well as dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the legal profession. The fact that he served with Judge Reeves and sacrificed his own interests to see her rise to the position of chief judge makes presentation of an award named in her honor all the more poignant.” The professionalism award honors a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the legal profession in Tennessee. It is named in honor of the late Judge Pamela L. Reeves, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the first recipient of the award. Reeves was an active leader in both the American Inns of Court and the TBA, where she was elected the first female president in 1988. Read more about Varlan's selection in a press release from the TBA.

A new study from Stanford Law School found that law professors preferred artificial intelligence-generated responses over answers written by fellow professors when evaluating common first-year law student questions. According to Reuters, professors from 14 law schools compared responses from faculty members and two AI platforms and selected the AI-generated answers as more beneficial to students 75% of the time. Researchers said the findings suggest AI is capable of sophisticated legal reasoning and could serve as an effective tutoring tool for law students.