Memphis is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events throughout February. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens will feature "Black Artists in America: From the Bicentennial to September 11" through March 29. The Hattiloo Theatre will present "Dreamgirls" through March 8. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will host a free "Super Saturday" on Feb. 7 highlighting artist Chakaia Booker. On Feb. 20, author Emily Yellin and John Lawson will discuss their new book "Nonviolent" at the National Civil Rights Museum. The Collage Dance Collective will perform "Rise" on Feb. 20-22. Dom Flemons will bring The Bronze Buckaroo Film & Songster Show to Crosstown on Feb. 23. Finally, Black Children’s Books and Authors will hold a free read-in "Our Stories Matter" on Feb. 28 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. The Commercial Appeal has more on these events.

Newly appointed Shelby County Interim Chief Public Defender Jerri Green has plans to improve morale, client experience and staffing, the Daily Memphian reports. Green was appointed by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris on Jan. 6 following the retirement of longtime chief Phyllis Aluko. In an interview with the paper, Green says she is focused on making the office more welcoming for clients while addressing long-standing resource gaps and increased caseloads tied to a recent surge in arrests. The office has faced staffing shortages and morale challenges, even as demand for its services remains high in a county where many defendants cannot afford private counsel. Green, a Memphis City Council member and Democratic candidate for governor, said her priority is quality representation over speed, emphasizing constitutional rights and opposing what she described as “assembly line justice.”

Gov. Bill Lee used his final State of the State address Monday to urge lawmakers to significantly expand Tennessee’s school voucher program, while unveiling a $57.9 billion budget proposal that would double the number of available vouchers, Axios reports. The Education Freedom Scholarship program currently serves 20,000 students, but Lee said 54,000 applications already have been submitted for the upcoming academic year, prompting his proposal to spend $155 million to add more slots. The budget also includes $339 million in new public school funding, including higher starting pay for teachers, and funding for road and bridge projects, the state park system and crime prevention efforts in Memphis. Lee also proposed permanently assigning 100 Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to Shelby County, rolling back health care regulations to unlock more than $1 billion in potential federal rural health grants, and investing in emerging technologies, including nuclear technology companies and the quantum computing industry. Read more in the press release from the governor's office.

Ahead of the address, Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari of Memphis released a video prebuttal criticizing the administration and arguing that the governor's priorities fail to address rising costs for working families. Akbari called for ending the grocery tax, expanding health coverage and increasing investment in public schools according to the Tennessee Tribune.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Friday it will deliver more than $11 million in combined emergency assistance to Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana to speed disaster responses following a severe winter storm, according to Tennessee Lookout. The funding includes $3.75 million to reimburse the state of Tennessee. The money may be used for generator deployment, temporary heating for facilities and vulnerable populations, emergency debris removal, shelter operations, activation of state and local emergency operations centers, emergency logistics, medical support and law enforcement and public safety operations. Last week, President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for 12 states, including Tennessee. Gov. Bill Lee also is seeking an expedited major disaster declaration for 23 counties in the state.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that states across the country have reached settlements totaling $17.85 million with two drug companies, Lannett and Bausch Health. According to a press release, the settlements are part of a nationwide effort to hold drug companies accountable for alleged price-fixing schemes, which reportedly increased the cost of everyday medications. Under the settlements, the companies will compensate consumers and change internal practices to promote fair competition. They also agreed to cooperate with ongoing lawsuits against other companies involved in the alleged schemes. Consumers who purchased generic prescription drugs made by Lannett or Bausch Health between May 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2019, may be eligible for compensation.

University of Tennessee (UT) quarterback Joey Aguilar has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Knox County Chancery Court seeking to extend his eligibility and play for the Volunteers in the 2026 season. According to Knox News, Aguilar is seeking a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, whose rules state that he has exhausted his eligibility. The complaint states that UT football has an available roster spot and name, image and likeness (NIL) money for him in the 2026 season. The filing comes after Aguilar separated from a federal lawsuit brought by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, which challenges the NCAA’s eligibility rules regarding former junior college players. Pavia’s lawsuit has 25 additional players remaining as plaintiffs.

Save the date for the TBA's 2026 Dispute Resolution Forum set for May 7. This year's program will be presented as a live virtual event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. Register now or watch for more details coming soon on the TBA website. Dispute Resolution Section members received discounted registration. Not a member yet? Get started here.

Next month's TBA Estate Planning & Probate Forum features a probate panel comprised of judges and clerk & masters from the state’s three grand divisions. This year's panelists include Chancellor Bill Cole, Judge Toby Gilley and Clerk & Master Jared Smith who will discuss best practices and answer general questions from attendees. Other topics at the forum include will and trust litigation, AI in estate planning, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, public receivership, a legislative update and ethics. Learn more and register here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently reinstated six lawyers who had been suspended for failing to pay the state professional privilege tax. They include two lawyers suspended in 2025, one suspended in 2020, one suspended in 2019, one suspended in 2018 and one suspended in 2010. View these lists and all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005 on the TBA website.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. pleaded guilty to five federal charges of tax evasion today. His trial was set to start in March. As part of the deal, Ford will resign his position on the commission and will never again run for elected office. Ford was charged last year with seven federal bribery and tax evasion charges related to an alleged scheme during which he awarded grant money to local nonprofits, which then, in turn, made purchases from his personal computer business. According to the Daily Memphian, Ford faces up to five years in prison on each charge. Sentencing will take place on June 12.