Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater received a warm welcome to the bench this week when family, friends, colleagues, elected officials and the judiciary joined him in Knoxville for his ceremonial investiture by Gov. Bill Lee. Tarwater was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice by the Tennessee legislature in March and his term began on Sept. 1. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sharon G. Lee. Tarwater joins Chief Justice Holly Kirby (Memphis), Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins (Franklin), Justice Roger A. Page (Mifflin) and Justice Sarah K. Campbell (Nashville) on the state’s highest court. “Dwight Tarwater has the integrity, the intellect, the work ethic, the compassion and the old-fashioned common sense needed to be an excellent justice on our state's high court. He also has perhaps the most important quality — humility,” Kirby said. “On most of the questions that we hear, the ruling of the Tennessee Supreme Court is the final word. There is no appeal, no higher authority. That's why humility is so important.” 

Petitioner, McArthur Bobo, appeals the summary dismissal of his pro se petition for postconviction relief. Discerning no error, we affirm.

Kroger has agreed to pay up to $1.4 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits which allege that the supermarket chain's pharmacies contributed to the opioid epidemic. Reuters reports that this settlement includes $1.2 billion for U.S. states, counties and municipalities; $36 million for Native American tribes; and $177 million for attorneys' fees and expenses. The agreement does not require Kroger to admit wrongdoing, and the settlement amount depends on the participation of eligible states, which includes Tennessee. Kroger faced over 2,000 lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, and this settlement is part of a broader effort to hold companies accountable for their role in the epidemic, which has claimed the lives of nearly 645,000 people in the United States from 1999 to 2021.

The defendant, Roger Jay Hollowell, appeals the Carroll County Circuit Court’s order revoking his community corrections sentence and ordering him to serve in confinement the balance of his sentence for his guilty-pleaded conviction of possession of .5 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Discerning no error, we affirm.

The University of Tennessee College of Law welcomed its most highly credentialed class for the second year in a row. The 143 students in the Class of 2026 boast a median GPA of 3.78 and a median LSAT of 162, the strongest numbers in school history. The class, which is the largest since 2013, was drawn from a record number of applications, over 1,500. The number was 16% higher than in the most recent application cycle. The College of Law also saw an increase in applications to its Master in Legal Studies Program — and welcomed 22 new students — bringing that program’s total enrollment to 35.

The petitioner, Rodney Earl Jones, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, arguing the post-conviction court erred in finding he received the effective assistance of counsel at trial. Following our review, we affirm the denial of the petition.

Americans for Prosperity hosted the Reignite the American Dream Dinner & Summit in Kingsport yesterday, where lawmakers discussed policies related to the American Dream. WJHL reports that topics included economic concerns such as rising inflation and government spending, with U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Kingsport, emphasizing the need to address inflation by reducing government spending, while state Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, highlighted measures such as eliminating the grocery tax and investing in infrastructure. Tennessee Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, mentioned efforts to outlaw a statewide property tax. 

Former employees of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) who were terminated due to the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate have filed a class action lawsuit in Chattanooga federal court. The employees allege that BCBST threatened their livelihoods by not providing reasonable accommodations or telecommuting options for those who requested religious exemptions, resulting in the termination of 41 employees out of 900 "customer-facing roles." The Chattanoogan has the story.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly says he will seek reelection for a second term in 2025. The Times-Free Press reports that Kelly highlighted various accomplishments during his tenure, including pay increases for city workers, road infrastructure investments and wastewater system improvements, and also emphasized his commitment to addressing issues such as affordable housing and homelessness.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says there is “no valid reason” for his recusal from an upcoming tax case. The Associated Press reports that Senate Democrats question Alito’s ability to judge the case fairly because he was interviewed for several hours by a Wall Street Journal opinion page editor and David Rivkin, one of the lawyers in the tax case. Rivkin also represents Leonard Leo, former leader of The Federalist Society, who helped arrange a private trip Alito took to Alaska in 2008. In the second of two articles from the interviews, Alito said Congress lacked the authority to impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court. Alito’s statement was issued a day after Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he is hopeful that the court will soon take “concrete steps” to address ethical concerns.