August 18, 2025 - August 22, 2025.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the 20th Judicial District Circuit Court in anticipation of the retirement of Judge Phillip R. Robinson on Oct. 17. The district serves Davidson County. The Third Circuit Court primarily handles domestic relations cases. Applicants must be licensed attorneys in Tennessee, at least 30 years old and state residents for five years, and reside in the judicial district. A public hearing for the position will be held Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Dr., Nashville 37204. The application and instructions are available here. Applications must be received by the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon Sept. 12. For more information, contact Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson at john.jefferson@tncourts.gov or 615-241-2687.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will host its “Exploration CLE: Does It Please the Court?” on Oct. 10 at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park in Millington from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT. The outdoor program offers three hours of CLE credit and features sessions including “Does It Please the Court?” with Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Holly Kirby and Mary Wagner; “The Ethics of Saying No” with Constance Brown, Nicole Grida, Will Perry and Faith Watson; and “Outside-of-the-Box Advocacy” with Jessica Van Dyke of the Tennessee Innocence Project. Memphis lawyers and YLD leaders Jennifer Sneed and Quinton Thompson will serve as moderators. Attendees also will enjoy a complimentary lunch and a ranger-led nature hike. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. 

Tennessee schools can now more quickly remove some students with disabilities from their classrooms. According to The Commercial Appeal, the state Board of Education has approved an amended rule allowing schools to temporarily remove students before a formal behavioral assessment is completed or started. Under the policy, a student may be temporarily moved to a special education setting or alternative school, but the decision must be made by the student’s Individualized Education Program team rather than a single educator. Board members said the change clarifies a 2022 rule that some districts had interpreted to mean students could not be removed until an assessment was finished, a process that can take months.

The Legal Aid Society of the Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host an evening celebration and fundraiser on Sept. 20 from 6 to 10 p.m. CDT. According to organizers, the evening will celebrate "justice, dignity and the power of coming together." Guests will enjoy delicious local fare, curated cocktails and inspiring stories that highlight the life-changing work made possible through donor support. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit Legal Aid Society’s mission to provide free civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable Tennesseans across 48 counties. The event will take place at Clementine Hall, 4710 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, 37209. View the invitation and register online.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at an immigration appointment in Baltimore, Bloomberg Law reports. The arrest came less than 72 hours after a Tennessee federal judge overseeing his criminal case released him so he could return to his family in Maryland while awaiting trial. According to reports, Garcia’s legal team was not told where he is being sent, though the Trump administration has indicated it intends to deport him to Uganda. Today, a federal judge issued an order stating the administration is “absolutely forbidden” from removing him from the United States, The Hill reports. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis blocked deportation until she can hold a hearing to determine whether the administration will allow Abrego Garcia contest his removal to a third country. According to Bloomberg, Abrego Garcia's attorney Sean Hecker said his client is willing to be removed to Costa Rica, which has agreed to accept him as a refugee.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has closed disaster assistance applications for residents affected by severe storms and flooding in April, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Between June 19 and Aug. 19, FEMA approved about $7.2 million in aid to 975 individuals, including $4.3 million for housing assistance and $2.9 million for other needs. Residents of Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson counties were eligible to apply for help covering uninsured losses. While the initial application period has ended, FEMA will accept late applications for up to 60 days with an explanation for the delay. Individuals can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, through FEMA’s mobile app or by calling 800-621-3362.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is being sued by Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner over the FY2026 budget. According to court records obtained by The Commercial Appeal, Bonner is seeking to restore $67 million to his office's budget, which he says was not included in the mayor's budget request or approved by the Shelby County Commission. Harris, in his response to the suit, denied that he did not include Bonner's $67 million in budgetary requests, stating the allegations are "inconsistent with the plain language" within the adopted budget.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday seeking to limit cashless bail and threatened to revoke federal funding for jurisdictions that use it, Reuters reports. He also signed a separate order directing police in the District of Columbia to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them in federal custody to avoid cashless bail. Cashless bail allows defendants to be released from jail while awaiting trial based on their promise to appear in court rather than paying a set cash amount. Opposers of the policy argue cashless bail reduces the incentive for defendants to appear in court and puts public safety at risk, while supporters say the system prevents low-income people from being jailed simply because they cannot afford bond. The District of Columbia was one of the first U.S. cities to largely eliminate cash bail in the 1990s, with judges deciding pretrial release based on a defendant’s risk of not showing up for trial. Among states, Illinois has eliminated cash bail, while New York, California and New Jersey have scaled it back.

Lawrenceburg attorney Randy Hillhouse died Aug. 23 at age 71. Hillhouse earned his law degree from the University of Knoxville in 1977. He was the owner of Randy Hillhouse, Attorney at Law and a member of the Tennessee Bar Association. Funeral services will be conducted at Neal Funeral Home, 231 N. Military Ave., Lawrenceburg 38464, at 3 p.m. CDT tomorrow. Interment will follow at Fall River Cemetery in Leoma. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bo's Blessings.