Blount County District Attorney Ryan Desmond’s office has begun reviewing evidence in an ongoing investigation into the Knox County Trustee’s Office after Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen formally recused her office from any future prosecutions, Knox News reports. Desmond confirmed his office is coordinating with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and does not need to wait for that agency's investigation to conclude to begin legal review. The probe centers on Trustee Justin Biggs and staff members, who are accused of misusing taxpayer funds on luxury hotel stays and personal use of county-leased vehicles. The investigation also recently expanded to include other county officials and possible misuse of public resources, according to the paper.

Tennessee has renewed its contract with private prison operator CoreCivic to run the South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County. The State Building Commission approved the three-year, $168 million contract during a meeting last Thursday. The contract will take effect July 1 and run through June 30, 2028, according to the Nashville Post. The South Central facility is one of four prisons in Tennessee operated by CoreCivic that have faced scrutiny in recent years over poor conditions and inmate deaths. The new contract comes as the state legislature recently passed HB1144/SB1115 as amended, increasing oversight of private prisons by requiring a facility’s inmate population to be reduced by 10% if its death rate is twice that of a comparable state-run prison. The legislation, signed by Gov. Lee on May 9, also requires population reductions to continue until the issues are resolved.

Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether she was protected by the First Amendment when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples nearly a decade ago, her attorney says. The News-Enterprise reports that the move follows the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to deny a request to rehear her case, stating that the panel of judges who ruled against Davis in March had already fully considered it. Davis is challenging a federal jury’s decision that she must pay $100,000 to a couple she denied a marriage license in 2015. Davis, then the Rowan County clerk, made national headlines for refusing to issue marriage licenses to several same-sex couples, citing her religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge David Bunning jailed Davis for five days for contempt after she failed to comply with a court order. In 2024, Bunning ordered Davis to pay $260,104 in legal fees and expenses to attorneys who represented one of the couples.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a federal law banning nonviolent felons from owning firearms, ruling the ban does not violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. In an en banc decision, the court said its ruling aligns with four other federal circuit courts that have reached similar conclusions, Bloomberg News reports. It is the latest federal appeals court decision to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s constitutional test, which requires courts to examine whether a gun restriction has a historical analogue dating back to the nation’s founding. The ruling upholds the criminal conviction of Steven Duarte, who was caught with a pistol in Los Angeles while knowing he had previously been convicted of five nonviolent felonies. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit had found the law unconstitutional in 2024, but the court voted to rehear the case after the Supreme Court clarified the test in the U.S. v. Rahimi.

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Jennifer Peck as the new 11th Judicial District Circuit Court judge effective immediately, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Her appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Michael Dumitru, who recently took office as a new federal magistrate judge in East Tennessee. Peck has been serving as chief of staff and chief operating officer at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. She previously owned and managed Peck Legal Group. She earned her law degree from Regent University School of Law. “Jennifer has faithfully served Tennesseans during her tenure at the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and I am confident she will continue to serve with integrity,” Lee said in a news release.

Starting with the class of 2028, Tennessee high school students must take at least one computer science course to graduate. A new policy, unanimously approved by state lawmakers in 2022, is designed to prepare students for a growing number of jobs that require a deeper understanding of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Tennessee is one of 12 states that already have a computer science mandate in place. According to Axios Nashville, more than 200 CEOs signed a letter this month urging state leaders nationwide to follow Tennessee’s lead by requiring AI and computer science courses for high school graduation. “To be a full participant in the economy and the world, you have to be able to understand the technology that’s driving the world,” state Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, told Axios. Yarbro helped lead efforts to draft Tennessee’s plan for computer science education.

Don’t miss Friday’s Criminal Justice Section murder mystery forum. A CLE experience like no other, the event will give an update on recently passed Tennessee criminal laws in a fun and relaxed environment. Law student volunteers will play characters, providing an immersive and interactive experience. Attendees will be tasked with solving the murder of J.W. Hanks, a fictional 1920s record company magnate, using clues and materials based on the recent criminal law focused legislation. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Learn more and register here to join a team of sleuths to solve the mystery.

Nashville lawyer Margaret Behm will be honored next month with the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court. Behm, an attorney with Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella, is being recognized for her selfless contributions to the legal profession, which include a number of “firsts,” including serving as the first chair of the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission and the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. In announcing this year's recipient, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said, “Margaret Behm has spent her career in service to the legal profession advancing the best things about our practice. While she has promoted the role of all lawyers, she has specifically promoted the role of women by serving as a mentor and an inspiration to many, including many serving on the bench today. She embodies the qualities envisioned in the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award. A lawyer’s lawyer, we are grateful for her many contributions to the profession.”

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. The award will be presented at the 2025 Bench/Bar Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention in Franklin. Read more in the TBA’s press release.

The 2025 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition Champions, Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA), traveled to Phoenix this past weekend and captured their first national championship. Senior Kavneer Majhail was named an outstanding attorney at the National Championship. In attendance were 47 additional state champions who competed for the top prize.

The national championship round was held in the historic Maricopa County Old Courthouse, which is most well known for hosting the first trial of Ernesto Miranda, which ultimately led to Miranda v. Arizona and the present-day Miranda rights. The courtroom in which the competition was held was the one served by the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. 

The MBA competing team members were William Guo, Russell Howard, George Ma, Kavneer Majhail, Nikhil Misra, Jasmaih Oberoi, Jack Rogers, Kenneth Royer and Sammy Thompson. They were supported by non-competing team members Henry Bone, Witt Combs and Alex Kaegi. These talented students are coached by the dedicated team of Wade Cowan, Tracy Hancock and Marisa Combs Smith. See photos from the event.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has extended its suspension of a rule requiring law schools to pursue diversity, equity and inclusion efforts through August 2026. The move reflects ongoing legal and political challenges  to race- and gender-conscious policies, including threats of federal funding cuts and lawsuits targeting DEI initiatives in legal education. TBA YLD Diversity Chair Jennifer Safstrom recommends reading this article from Bloomberg News to learn more.