The federal judiciary is urging Congress to shift courthouse management away from the executive branch, citing mounting risks and longstanding neglect, according to Reuters. The judiciary argues urgent action is needed to address critical system failures, underfunded repairs, security concerns and worsening costs. Judicial leaders say courthouses are in “crisis,” pointing to an $8.3 billion repair backlog and decades of inadequate oversight by the General Services Administration (GSA). Lawmakers reportedly are working on legislation to gradually transfer control of courthouse facilities from the GSA to the judiciary, starting with up to 10 districts.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to request additional assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) specifically for Shelby County, the Commercial Appeal reports. Cohen said the funding is “essential” to help the county recover from a winter storm that swept through the region last month and caused “extensive damages.” In January, President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee and FEMA released $3.75 million to reimburse the state. Earlier this month, the president also approved an expedited major disaster declaration for 23 counties in the state. Cohen is seeking an additional request for public assistance funding for Shelby County, citing updated damage estimates of nearly $7 million.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general in urging congressional leadership to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. In a letter sent to House and Senate leaders ahead of potential consideration of the House version of the bill, the attorneys general warned that the proposal could undermine existing and future state laws aimed at protecting children online and limit states’ ability to address emerging digital harms. The coalition expressed support for the Senate version of the legislation, which includes a duty-of-care requirement and preserves states’ authority to enforce and strengthen protections for minors. “Congress should not tie the hands of state lawmakers and law enforcement who are actively working to protect children from addictive and harmful online design features,” Skrmetti said in a news release.

Legislation to increase bankruptcy fees and extend the terms of temporary bankruptcy judges has been signed into law, Bloomberg Law reports. The Bankruptcy Administration Improvement Act of 2025 was signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 6. It increases compensation for Chapter 7 trustees in no-asset bankruptcies for the first time since 1994. The rate will raise from $60 to $120 per case. The law also extends the terms for some temporary bankruptcy judges from five years to 10 years. The bill, S. 3424, cleared the U.S. House in a voice vote last month and passed the U.S. Senate in December.

The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination of Brian Charles Lea as the newest district court judge for the Western District of Tennessee. The vote was 50-46 according to Reuters. Lea, a deputy associate attorney general with the Department of Justice and a former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was nominated by President Donald Trump in November 2025. The Senate also today approved Justin Olson as a judge in the Southern District of Indiana. The votes bring to 33 the number of judicial nominees the Senate has confirmed during Trump's second term.

A recent hearing before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — chaired by Sen. Marsha Blackburn — explored the secondary ticket market. Members heard from singer Kid Rock who criticized the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster and said the companies have not kept their promise to keep ticket prices affordable. He also called on Congress to open a formal investigation into the deals between artists, promoters, venues, ticketing companies, agencies and vendors, alleging such an inquiry would reveal "mountains of fraud and abuse." Blackburn has introduced the "Main Event Ticketing Act," which would and require Live Nation to report successful bot attacks to the Federal Trade Commission according to Axios Nashville. Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation requiring total ticketing fees to be disclosed upfront. The Trump administration also has made eliminating price gouging in ticket sales a top priority. Chattanooga CW has more on the hearing.

President Donald Trump has renominated Nashville businessman Lee Beaman for a seat on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) board after his first nomination stalled in the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in December. Following a hearing in which Senate Democrats “grilled” Beaman over his personal, political and professional ties, the committee postponed a vote on his nomination and the year ended without further action. Beaman, if confirmed, would bring the TVA Board to eight members, leaving just one vacancy. The Senate did approve four other nominations to the board last month, giving the body its first quorum since April 2025. Knox News has more on the story.

The latest congressional effort to place disclosure requirements on outside investors' financial stakes in U.S. litigation appears to have faltered after Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed opposition to the bill, Reuters reports. On Tuesday, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee ended debate on the legislation without a vote. The new bill from Darrell Issa, R-California, would require all parties in a lawsuit to disclose to the judge everyone with a "legal right to receive any payment or thing of value" in a settlement or jury verdict, and disclose the details of financial agreements to all parties in the litigation. An earlier bill from Issa was pulled from consideration last fall amid opposition from Democratic lawmakers on the committee and conservative groups.

A bipartisan funding deal would provide $9.2 billion for the federal judiciary in Fiscal Year 2026, boosting spending on court security and federal public defenders despite falling short of the judiciary’s overall request. Reuters reports that the bill fully funds requested increases for security, including $892 million for courthouse protection — a 19% increase — as judges face rising threats nationwide. It also provides $1.766 billion for defender services, a 22% increase aimed at easing a funding crisis that previously left thousands of court-appointed attorneys unpaid. Lawmakers say the funding is essential to address security risks, staffing shortages and constitutional obligations to provide legal counsel. The federal judiciary has been working to increase security for its personnel. In March 2025, it launched the Judicial Security and Independence Task Force and continues to operate the Vulnerability Management Program to protect judges’ personal information, among other measures.

The U.S. Senate confirmed four Trump nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board last week. Senators voted 53-47 to confirm Knoxville attorney Jeff Hagood, Memphis hospital CEO Mitch Graves, Florida chemical engineer Arthur Graham and Alabama insurance agency owner Randall Jones, according to Knox News. The moves gives the board a quorum for the first time since April. President Donald Trump also had nominated Nashville businessman Lee Beaman to serve on the board, but that nomination stalled in committee.