Just six weeks after the special election to fill a Middle Tennessee congressional district vacated by Mark Green, candidates already have begun picking up petitions to run when the term expires in November. State Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, who ran in the Democratic primary for the special election, is the latest candidate to pick up a petition. He joins Democrat Joshua Warren Sales and independent Teresa Christie. Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, who was the Democratic nominee in the special election has announced she would not run again. Rep. Matt Van Epps, who won the special election, has filed his signed petition to seek re-election. The Nashville Banner reports on the race.

A bill introduced last week would allow state prison staff to disable illegal drones that smuggle cell phones, drugs and other prohibited items into state prisons. Republican Sen. Tom Hatcher, a retired 10-year veteran sheriff’s deputy from Blount County, introduced SB1631, which also would make it a crime to fly an unmanned aircraft over a prison facility. Violators could face three to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, according to The Tennessean. The bill would cover state prisons, county jails and mental health institutions. Correction officials are seeking funding for department-operated drones to patrol prison perimeters, deter unauthorized drone flights and strengthen overall surveillance.

The next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits is set for noon to 1 p.m. CST on Feb. 19 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts, and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Space is limited so early registration is recommended. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a federal victim restitution law constitutes criminal punishment, reviving a challenge from a convicted bank robber to a statute enacted after his crime. In a 9-0 decision, the court sided with Holsey Ellingburg Jr., who is contesting the government’s efforts to collect restitution related to a 1995 bank robbery under the 1996 Mandatory Victims Restitution Act, Bloomberg Law reports. Writing for the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the law “is plainly criminal punishment for the purposes of the Ex Post Facto Clause,” which prohibits the government from imposing criminal penalties based on laws that were not in effect at the time of the offense. The ruling reversed a lower court decision that had rejected Ellingburg’s challenge on the grounds that the restitution statute was not criminal punishment. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a concurring opinion joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Sullivan County lawyer Ricky A. W. Curtis from the practice of law on Jan. 22. The court took the action after determining that Curtis failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning one complaint of misconduct. He is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by Feb. 21. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Rutherford County lawyer Dalen L. P. Farmer from the practice of law on Jan. 22. The court took the action after determining that Farmer failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning one complaint of misconduct. He is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by Feb. 21. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) held its 128th annual meeting Jan. 22 at The Westin Chattanooga, bringing together members of the legal community to recognize leadership, service and professional excellence, and to elect its 2026 board of directors. According to Chattanoogan.com, members elected Keith Grant as president, Katherine Higgason Lentz as president-elect, Everett L. “Bo” Hixson Jr. as secretary and Robin Miller as treasurer. Six additional board members also were elected. The association also presented a series of awards honoring outstanding contributions to the profession and the community, including the Jac Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to William G. “Bill” Colvin, the Ralph H. Kelley Humanitarian Award, which was presented to Steve Jacoway, and the Harry Weill Zealous Practice of Law Award, which was presented to John Harrison.

A court-appointed mediator signed off on the first phase of an improvement plan for Tennessee's version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WPLN reports. A lawsuit filed last year alleged that the state was wrongly denying or cancelling benefits. Last week, the mediator approved the first phase of a remediation plan aimed at addressing systemic problems in the program, which serves about 700,000 Tennesseans and is administered by the state Department of Human Services (DHS). Early steps include providing tracking information for replacement benefit cards and revising rejection notices to clearly explain why benefits are denied or terminated. DHS says making that change on the web portal is going to take several months of tech work.

Almost two years after a federal law effectively mandated a nationwide ban on TikTok, the company has announced the formation of a new U.S.-based entity to comply with the statute. TikTok has confirmed that a joint venture made up primarily of U.S.-based investors has been formed to take over the app’s operations for American users, CBS News reports. Three firms will serve as managing investors and collectively own 45% of the company, while eight additional investors will hold 35% and original owner ByteDance will retain a 19.9% stake, just below the 20% ownership cap allowed under the law. Both the United States and China approved the deal, under which U.S. operators will retrain, test and update the app's content recommendation algorithm using data from American users. The Trump administration delayed implementation of the law several times to give the parties more time to negotiate a resolution.

Gov. Bill Lee issued a state of emergency Thursday for all 95 Tennessee counties ahead of a major winter storm forecasted to bring snow, ice, freezing rain and freezing temperatures across the state beginning as early as this evening. The order allows state agencies to mobilize resources. A winter storm watch is in effect through Sunday and dangerously cold temperatures are expected into next week. State officials said the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is coordinating preparedness efforts, the Department of Transportation is pretreating roads, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol and National Guard are preparing to assist motorists, support emergency response and open warming centers. Residents are urged to limit travel, monitor official updates and prepare for potential power outages and hazardous conditions.