President Joe Biden last week signed into law a bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, that is designed to expand reporting about the sexual exploitation of children online. Under the bill, website and social media companies must report incidents of sex trafficking, grooming or enticement of children for sexual acts to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Companies previously were required to report only on child sexual abuse. The new law also toughens penalties for companies that fail to report crimes, and requires evidence to be preserved for one year, instead of the current 90 days, giving law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute crimes. The Tennessean has more.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved the nomination of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz of the Western District of Tennessee to serve on the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit. The committee voted 11-10 along party lines, Reuters reports. Tennessee’s senior Republican senator, Marsha Blackburn, who serves on the committee, accused the White House of rushing the nomination through without meaningfully consulting her. She and other Republicans also had questioned Ritz during his confirmation hearing about an ethics complaint they said was filed against him. Ritz denied doing anything wrong and said he was unaware that a complaint had been filed.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday that seeks to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses, The Hill reports. The chamber approved the legislation in a bipartisan vote of 320-91. The bill would require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism when enforcing antidiscrimination laws. That group defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” and that “rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism” can be directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has held a hearing on the nomination of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz for a position on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ritz, who serves the Western District of Tennessee, answered questions about past cases he has prosecuted as well as the crime rate in Memphis. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, expressed her displeasure with the Biden administration’s choice of Ritz for the post, accusing him of ethics violations and mistreating public defenders and indigent defendants. Bloomberg Law reports on those allegations. Ritz, who was nominated in March, received a unanimous “well qualified” rating from the American Bar Association. Watch the hearing here. Coverage of Ritz begins at 34:18.

Tennessee Bar Association leaders recently met with the members of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington. D.C., as part of the American Bar Association's (ABA) annual Day on the Hill. TBA President Jim Barry, President-elect Ed Lanquist, YLD President-elect Sean Aiello, ABA Resource Committee Chair Jonathan Cole and Executive Director Sheree Wright participated in the visits and other activities planned as part of the Day on the Hill event. Members of the group met with representatives from all nine congressional offices and both senators. The focus of this year’s ABA Day on the Hill was promoting support and funding for the Legal Services Corporation, as well as increased funding for federal public defenders, support for attorney-client confidentiality over prison email systems, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and reforms to student lending. See photos from the event.

U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-Cookeville, has confirmed that he is looking at a potential 2026 race for governor, The Tennessee Journal reports. “Well, it’s something I’m thinking about,” the three-term congressman and former state agriculture commissioner said after hosting a discussion with Republican state lawmakers in Nashville. Rose, who represents Tennessee's Sixth Congressional District, held the event to discuss federal and state issues. Gov. Bill Lee will be term-limited from running again when his current term expires in 2026.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young kicked off the first part of crime summit with U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty this week. The event comes as residents and businesses are concerned about the ongoing crime problem and just days after Young announced his Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime initiative, Local Memphis reports. Young said initial conversations focused on “things that we know we would have some bipartisan agreement on,” while Hagerty said he was optimistic that the group could “make some real progress.” The second part of the summit is taking place today as Young meets with 21 mayors from across the country to finalize his response. The Commercial Appeal has the list of participants.

Denton Loudermill, a Kansas City-area resident, on Monday sued U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett in federal court. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that after a fatal shooting at a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration on Feb. 14, Burchett tweeted a photo of Loudermill, falsely saying he was one of the shooters and was an illegal resident. Neither is true. Loudermill's suit alleges that the false tweet from the congressman caused him distress and he is seeking $75,000 due to the "highly offensive" nature of the accusations. Loudermill was arrested because he was suspected of being drunk in public; he was released and police never suspected he was connected to the shooting.

Tennessee’s population growth puts it on track for an additional U.S. House seat in 2032, Tennessee Lookout reports. According to the latest U.S. Census data, Tennessee’s population grew to 7.1 million people in 2023, which, if maintained, would mean it would gain another seat during the next redistricting cycle eight years from now. The paper reports that the state has not had more than nine House seats in some 80 years. After the Civil War, Tennessee had 10 congressional districts before losing one during the 1930 redistricting process, regaining it in 1940 and losing it again in 1950.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced a bill today that would require TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the app or face a U.S. ban, The Hill reports. The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” advanced out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support just two days after it was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok has pushed back on allegations that it poses national security risks based on its ownership by a Chinese company.