Less than 24 hours after announcing it would drop its appeals of rulings in favor of four major law firms that previously won rulings blocking President Donald Trump’s executive orders against them, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reversed course. Bloomberg Law reports that the DOJ notified the four law firms today that it would file motions to withdraw its previously filed dismissal of appeals in the cases against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey and Jenner & Block.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Chattanooga Division, and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association have announced the topic for their annual civics essay contest. This year, students will respond to the question, "Does the Fourth Amendment protect a cell phone user’s location data?" The contest is open to public, private and home school students in 6th to 12th grade in Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Warren and Van Buren counties in Tennessee; and Dade, Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia. Entries for the contest should be emailed to chattcivicsessay@gmail.com or mailed to Civics Essay Contest, Attn: Kelly L. Walsh, U.S. Courthouse, 900 Georgia Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37402 by March 27. Visit the court's website for more information.

Elder Law Basics 2026, a virtual CLE program designed for attorneys new to elder law or seeking a refresher, will take place on April 10 from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CDT. The program will cover key aspects of elder law, with experienced practitioners providing insights on recent developments and best practices. Registrants will receive connection details and course materials the week of the event. For information and to register visit the TBA website.

At its winter meeting last month, the TBA Board of Governors announced a vacancy in two board positions: West Tennessee Grand Division Governor (a one-year term) and 7th District Governor (a three-year term). The 7th District includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Tipton and Weakley. To be considered for either of these positions, email a statement of interest and resume to TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright at barED@tnbar.org by March 3. The board will consider nominees at its March meeting. Read more about the 2026-2027 election on the TBA website.

The March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online! The cover story by mentor and mentee pair Buck Lewis and Brock Willis offers a proactive, strategic approach that emphasizes regular engagement and long-term growth rather than reactive crisis management. In her President's Perspective column, Heidi Barcus also encourages lawyers to mentor others, not only because it strengthens the profession, but also because it strengthens the community. A feature story by Daniel Horwitz on waiver rules in Tennessee appellate procedures and columns on TLAP's 2025 annual report, competency to stand trial and Elvis' autopsy cases offer a wide variety of reading on topics of interest to Tennessee lawyers. Also get an update from the Drowota Trust and news from the TBA, including new leadership coming in 2028 and an update on construction at the new TBA office.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is planning to step away from court battles with four major law firms that previously won rulings blocking President Donald Trump’s executive orders against them, Bloomberg Law reports. The decision to drop appeals of the rulings would end litigation over the orders, which four federal judges struck down as unconstitutional in separate decisions last year. The decision is a win for the four firms challenging the orders: WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey. Trump’s orders had, among other impacts, revoked lawyers’ security clearances and barred them from entering federal buildings. At the time the executive orders were imposed, the president said he was fighting back against law firms that had “weaponized” the justice system.

Former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is using a new book to make a closing argument for the value of public service. According to WBIR, in “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump,” Alexander will reflect on more than 50 years in politics and encourages Americans who want change to seek elected office themselves. Alexander spoke on the campus of Maryville College and said those who want to create meaningful change should seek elected office or work for an elected official. Alexander, a former Tennessee governor, U.S. education secretary and three-term U.S. senator, reportedly will recount encounters with presidents from John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump and offer candid assessments of their leadership. The book is scheduled for release in May.

U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn,  and state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, have released a letter on social media asking Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy for more information about a recent report from a local court-watch group. According to The Daily Memphian, Memphis Crime Beat alleged that three out of four felony cases prosecuted by the District Attorney General’s Office in December ended without prison time. The group analyzed 514 felony cases resolved in Shelby County Criminal Court that month, reporting that 144 were dismissed and 370 resulted in some type of sentence. In their letter, Blackburn and Taylor asked how many cases involved arrests by the Memphis Safe Task Force and why relatively few defendants received prison time. They asked Mulroy to respond by March 6. Mulroy said many of the cases involved nonviolent offenses or defendants without significant criminal histories and noted that some sentencing decisions were made by judges without his office’s agreement.

Nearly 120 years after a mob lynched Ed Johnson, he and other lynching victims have been memorialized with a historic marker in front of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. In 1906, Johnson, a Black man, was lynched on the Walnut Street Bridge before a crowd of about 100 people after being falsely accused of rape and sentenced to death despite testimony supporting his innocence. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a stay of execution, but Johnson was killed before it could be enforced. His conviction was posthumously overturned in 2000, and a memorial was installed on the bridge property in 2021. The new marker recounts Johnson’s story and the broader history of lynching in America, noting at least five documented lynching victims in Hamilton County and more than 375 in Tennessee between 1865 and 1950.

The Shelby County Election Commission approved a list of candidates for the May 5 Democratic and Republican county primary elections during its meeting last week with several key court clerk races drawing multiple contenders. Jamita E. Swearengen, the current circuit court clerk, is running unopposed for reelection. Juvenile Court Clerk Janeen Gordon, a Democrat, faces two challengers in the primary, with no Republican candidate qualifying. Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn is not eligible for reelection due to term limits and instead is seeking the county mayor’s office, leaving a field of five Democrats — Rheunte E. Benson, Lawrence Denton Jr., Wanda Halbert, Carla Stotts and Joe Towns Jr. — and one Republican, Edquardo Jamison, to compete for her seat. Probate Court Clerk Eddie Jones, also a Democrat, is up for reelection and faces challenger William Chism Jr. No Republican entered that race. Read more about the candidates in the Commercial Appeal.