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.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has introduced legislation to bring accountability to name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and help college athletes invest the money they earn from these arrangements. According to Knox News, the bill would direct the U.S. Treasury to establish NIL regulations, require agents to register with their states before representing athletes, cap agent fees at 5% of the deal, and direct athletic associations to maintain public registries of agents. For athletes, the bill would create tax-advantaged investment accounts and allow up to $35,000 of unused NIL funds to be rolled over into an IRA or other retirement plan once the athlete has been out of college sports for at least a year. According to a press release from Blackburn's office, the proposal has the support of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and the University of Tennessee.

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps was sworn into office, roughly 36 hours after he won a special election for the District 7 seat according to the Nashville Banner. In a speech on the House floor, Van Epps reiterated his allegiance to President Donald Trump and his policies. Read more from the paper.

The confirmation vote for former Nashville auto executive Lee Beaman to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board has been delayed, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works planned to advance Beaman’s nomination but removed it from the agenda on Wednesday after questions arose about his Washington, D.C. properties and his ties to Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles. Beaman told senators he purchased two D.C.-area rowhouses through Crockett Ventures and leased them to the nonprofit Ambassador Services International for $1 per year. The nonprofit is run by Beaman's pastor, Steve Berger. Several lawmakers are believed to be living in the properties, and Democratic senators voiced concerns of a potential conflict of interest for Beaman. Beaman told the committee he has no control over the nonprofit or its subleases, and is not involved in the organization's operations. Beaman briefly served as Ogles’ campaign treasurer in 2022.

The judges of the Davidson County General Sessions Court announced that they have directed Justice A.A. Birch Courthouse security to heighten security measures following remarks by Congressman Andy Ogles that "appeared intended to incite violence against elected officials in Davidson County." In a joint statement, the judges said, "We stand united in condemning any language or actions that target judges — or any elected officials — with threats of violence as a means of expressing political disagreement. In light of the numerous acts of political violence witnessed in recent years, the statements made by Mr. Ogles are unacceptable." Read the full statement. The judges also sent a formal request to Gov. Bill Lee requesting that the state take "immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of the public in and around" the courthouse.