Make plans now to join colleagues from across the state at the TBA’s 2026 Annual Convention, set for June 10-13, at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Knoxville. In addition to compelling CLE programs and leadership meetings, multiple social and networking events will provide opportunities to connect with colleagues. The convention gets underway Wednesday and will feature a welcome reception that evening. Thursday will begin with the Public Service Breakfast and University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Breakfast, continue with interactive Lunch & Learn sessions, and wrap up with a reception at the Knoxville Smokies minor league baseball stadium. Friday will feature a breakfast buffet and the annual Lawyers Luncheon, which will include a look back at TBA President Heidi Barcus’ year in office and the swearing in of new president Charlotte Knight Griffin. See the full schedule. All events are included with full convention registration.

President Donald Trump in mid-March released a national AI regulatory framework building on his December executive order, calling for children's online protections, reduced permitting barriers for data centers, anti-censorship provisions and expanded AI workforce training — while also aiming to preempt the growing patchwork of state-level AI laws, Bloomberg Law reports. Shortly after Trump's announcement, Tennessee hosted its inaugural AI Tennessee Summit in Nashville, uniting federal and state officials, industry executives and university leaders to address how national AI priorities translate to the state level, where AI is projected to affect roughly 500,000 jobs in the near future. The Nashville Post reports on the event and its goals as Tennessee positions itself as a proactive leader in AI innovation and workforce development. Meanwhile, Axios reports that U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, whose own draft proposal closely mirrors the White House framework, released an updated version of her TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, which incorporates a "duty of care" for AI developers, chatbot safety provisions and a full sunset of Section 230, all framed around protecting children, creators, conservatives and communities. Finally, the state legislature is considering a bill requiring a study on how AI is governed in other states and at the federal level, as well as the potential economic impact of regulation on businesses in Tennessee. WKRN reports on that measure.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) and the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association will host their annual Law Day Celebration on May 1 beginning at 11:30 a.m. CDT. The event will take place at St. Luke’s Church in Jackson and will feature Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig, authors of “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics.” The pair will talk about their book, with a focus on West Tennessee government scandals, specifically those involving Gov. Ray Blanton and Operation Tennessee Waltz. Tickets are $35 for members of the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association, $50 for attorneys who are not members of the association and $25 for non-attorneys. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets online.

A number of news outlets are providing profiles of judicial races in Davidson County. The Tennessean looks at the race between incumbent Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk Joseph Day and his challenger Howard Jones. The Nashville Banner has interviews with incumbent Davidson County 3rd Circuit Judge Bethany Glandorf, and challengers Audrey Anderson and Corletra Mance. The paper also features a Q&A with three candidates for Davidson County Criminal Court: incumbent Judge Jim Todd and challengers Dawn Deaner and Ronald Dowdy. The Banner also sent a questionnaire to the judicial candidates, including to General Sessions Court incumbent Judge Jodie Bell and her challenger Michael Robinson. Their responses are available here.

An inmate has died at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility after being found unresponsive on April 10. Fox 17 reports that the death is under investigation. The embattled CoreCivic facility announced in February that the fourth warden in just over a year would take over leadership. The facility has faced a number of criticisms in recent years. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into conditions at the prison.

The next installment of the TBA Intellectual Property Section's IP Webcast Series will debut April 29 with section chair Ryan Levy exploring the growing phenomenon of “zombie trademarks,” where abandoned or expired brands are revived by new owners seeking to capitalize on residual goodwill. The program will examine the legal framework governing abandonment under the Lanham Act, the role of consumer perception, and how courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board have treated attempts to resurrect legacy marks. The webcast also will cover risks of consumer deception, strategies for acquiring dormant brands and best practices for advising clients looking to either revive — or defend against — the undead. Register on the TBA website.

Knox News looks at three candidates running for General Sessions Court in Knox County. The profiles include answers from candidate questionnaires and candidates’ age, occupation and party affiliation. Candidates included are Ben Houston III, incumbent Andrea Kline and Rhonda Lee. Learn more about their goals for serving on the bench.

As people increasingly turn to artificial intelligence (AI) for advice, some lawyers are telling their clients not to treat AI chatbots like trusted confidants, while others are advising clients on how to decrease the chances that AI chats wind up in court. Two recent rulings show there is no judicial standard yet, Reuters reports. In one decision, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York ruled that a target of a criminal investigation had to provide his AI chats to prosecutors. By contrast, U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Patti in Michigan said a woman representing herself in a lawsuit brought against her former company did not have to hand over chats about her claims. Patti said those communications constituted "work-product" for the case, rather than conversations the employer could use for its defense.

The state House has passed legislation allowing the Tennessee attorney general (AG) to audit and possibly replace the Shelby County district attorney (DA). The News Herald reports that HB0483/SB0443 gives the AG authority to review how cases are handled, including pretrial release conditions, bail requirements and use of grant money. The AG also is authorized to ask the Tennessee Supreme Court to appoint a replacement if an audit finds the DA declined to prosecute criminal offenses. The state Senate passed the bill today with two amendments. First, it changed the audit to a study, but allowed the AG to request an audit by the state Comptroller's Office if needed. Second, it voted to limit the study to cases from the Memphis Safe Task Force. DA Steve Mulroy has criticized the proposal saying, “The bill targets Shelby County only for unprecedented, intrusive oversight of a locally elected DA by an unelected attorney general, without providing any basis for treating Shelby County differently … The provision allowing the attorney general to seek a temporary replacement of a DA largely repeats language already in Tennessee law and is therefore unnecessary; to the extent it goes further, it is likely unconstitutional.”

Tennessee will expand its universal voucher program to 35,000 students next school year after the Senate approved HB2532/SB2247 by a vote of 18-14. The bill now goes to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The Senate initially sought to expand the program to 40,000, but agreed to move forward with the House number. The legislation also includes a requirement that public schools collect student Social Security numbers to maintain their “hold harmless” funding over the next several years. The “hold harmless” language was included in the original voucher legislation to maintain public school funding if local districts lose students. In future years, the measure will require collection of more household income data on families and tracking how many new vouchers go to public school students. The Daily Memphian has a story from Chalkbeat.