More than 21 states have simplified how they collect taxes in hopes of recovering an estimated $20 billion in sales taxes that go uncollected by out-of-state online merchants every year. But the nation's governors say they still need help from Congress. Speaking on behalf of the National Governors Association, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that it is not fair to local businesses that online sellers are not always required to collect and distribute state sales taxes. Read more of his remarks in the Bristol Herald Courier

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today on her work with iCivics, civics education and judicial independence. She also called recent criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts’ vote to uphold the health care law as “unfortunate” and said presidential comments on pending cases are “not ideal.” Read more from Fox News or watch a video of the hearing

White House officials and House Republicans met yesterday but failed to resolve a document dispute that could lead to a precedent-setting contempt of Congress vote Thursday against Attorney General Eric Holder. A congressional official said the White House and Justice Department shared 30 documents related to the botched Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation and promised to provide hundreds of pages of documents if Republicans agreed to drop the contempt effort and end their investigation. That offer was rejected. The Bristol Herald Courier has this AP story.

Adding to the mounting tensions between Congress and the Executive Branch, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted today to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt after President Barack Obama invoked executive privilege to withhold documents the committee was seeking. The contempt resolution now goes to the full House, where if approved, it could lead to federal charges. USA Today has a wrap up of the day's developments.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis testified in front of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, raising concerns of monopolistic practices by Delta Airlines and Kroger and asking Holder to investigate. Cohen said in the House Judiciary Committee hearing that after Delta merged with Northwest, and after Kroger took over former Schnucks stores, Memphians have been stuck with higher prices and fewer choices. Holder said, “That’s inappropriate under our anti-trust laws, so that’s the kind of thing that would have impact on consumers, and we would aggressively pursue.” WREG reports

Congress has passed a bill authorizing a replacement judge in Jackson after U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge G. Harvey Boswell retires in July. Boswell handled cases in Jackson but reported to the court in Memphis. Until Congress passed the stalled bankruptcy judge bill, it appeared Boswell’s position would lapse. That would have meant more work and travel for the four judges in Memphis. Lack of congressional action on the bill also would have meant the loss of almost one-tenth of the nation’s 351 bankruptcy judges. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law. Learn more in the Memphis Daily News

Congress sent a bill to the White House on Thursday that would extend 30 temporary federal bankruptcy judgeships for another five years. The bill reauthorizes bankruptcy judgeships in 14 states and Puerto Rico that had already expired. Without the legislation, those districts would have lost a judgeship anytime a judge retired or left the bench for any reason, something that had already happened in two districts. The Blog of Legal Times has more

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment offered by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., yesterday that would prevent the Obama administration from using funding in the FY 2013 budget to challenge state immigration laws in court. Opponents of the amendment said it violates separation of powers because it dictates which positions the executive branch is allowed to argue in court. Two weeks ago, Arizona’s controversial immigration law made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Justice Department said that law conflicts with federal immigration policy. Five other states have passed similar laws, and the Justice Department has filed suit against three of them: Alabama, South Carolina and Utah. The Tennessean has more

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved $328 million in FY 2013 for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) after turning back two amendments that would have further cut or eliminated funding for the agency. One of those amendments, offered by Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., would have eliminated all funding. See how Tennessee lawmakers voted on the amendment

An environmental law that has Nashville-based Gibson Guitar mired in legal trouble was up for debate Tuesday in Washington. A House subcommittee heard arguments for and against the RELIEF Act, which would rewrite the century-old Lacey Act, which only recently began governing the importation of wood. Musical instruments are the concern of the bill’s sponsors, which include Rep. Jim Cooper. The Nashville Democrat says artists fear their guitars could be confiscated when they reenter the U.S. if they can’t document that all of the wood was legally harvested. Nashville Public Radio reports