The U.S. Senate last week confirmed President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general, the number two role at the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ). Blanche was confirmed on a party line vote of 52-46, Reuters reports. The Senate also approved Gail Slater to lead the department’s antitrust division. She was approved on a bipartisan vote according to Bloomberg Law. The Senate Judiciary Committee also recently advanced the nominations of three to key roles at the department. The panel approved D. John Sauer to be U.S. solicitor general, Harmeet Dhillon to lead the Civil Rights Division and Aaron Reitz to head the Office of Legal Policy. Bloomberg Law reports on those votes.

The U.S. federal judiciary last week renewed its push for Congress to add judges to understaffed courts nationwide. During a hearing before a House Judiciary subcommittee, U.S. Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich urged lawmakers to revive efforts to expand the federal judiciary, citing a severe shortfall of judges that has led to case backlogs and delays in civil litigation, Reuters reports. Tymkovich highlighted a 346% increase over two decades in civil cases pending for more than three years, warning that such delays erode public confidence in the legal system. Tymkovich called for the passage of legislation to create 66 new judgeships across 13 states, a proposal that previously had bipartisan support but was vetoed by former President Joe Biden. California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s panel on courts, pledged to reintroduce the bill this year.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced President Donald Trump’s picks to be second-in-command at the Justice Department and head of the antitrust division, setting them both up for expected confirmation by the full Senate, Bloomberg Law reports. The panel voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche to be deputy attorney general, and by a 20-2 vote to advance the nomination of Gail Slater to lead the antitrust division. Blanche is a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who was Trump’s criminal defense attorney. Slater formerly served as economic policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance when he was a senator. Her background also includes more than 10 years at the Federal Trade Commission, as well as stints as a policy adviser at Fox Corp. and Roku Inc.

U.S. Rep. John Rose, a Republican from Cookeville in his fourth term, announced his plans to run for governor an event in Williamson County, WSMV reports. According to sources, Rose said at a Republican women’s function, “I am convinced my best days are ahead and that the best opportunity I have to serve Tennessee is in a different role. So, I’m going to come home at the end of this period and I’m going to offer myself … as a candidate for governor.” Before being elected to Congress, Rose served as Tennessee’s agriculture commissioner. He is also a farmer, attorney and owner of an IT training enterprise.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and key Republican senators are deflecting calls to impeach judges who have temporarily sided with challenges to halt White House initiatives. “That will not happen now,” Bondi said at a Justice Department news conference on Wednesday. “We’re going to follow the law right now. We’re going to follow the process. These are federal judges with lifetime appointments.” Bloomberg Law also reports that key Senate Republicans defended the power of the courts to rule against the president. “We’ve got a system of checks and balances, and that’s what I see working. I learned in 8th grade civics about checks and balances and I expect the process to work its way out,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley told reporters. The response comes as some legislators and members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have called on Congress to impeach judges who rule against the president.

U.S. House of Representatives leaders are renewing efforts to pass legislation that would prohibit the display of any flag other than the U.S. flag on federal buildings. According to the Kingsport Reporter, Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Kingsport, is reintroducing the One Flag For All Act, which she initially sponsored in response to an incident during President Joe Biden's administration when the pride flag was flown at the White House. The proposed legislation reflects ongoing debates about which symbols should be displayed on government properties and how these choices reflect broader societal values.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators — including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina. and Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey — have introduced the American Music Fairness Act, a bill that would ensure artists and music creators are paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, the Tennessean reports. The legislation would require traditional radio stations to pay royalties to American musicians for on-air plays, though the exact payment amounts have not yet been established. Smaller stations, as well as college and non-commercial stations, would be exempt from full payments and instead pay a smaller annual fee for unlimited music use.

Federal prosecutors in Nashville have withdrawn from a criminal investigation into U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, NewsChannel 5 reports. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Rob McGuire filed notice last Thursday to withdraw Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Levine and J. Christopher Suedekum from an ongoing legal dispute over the FBI's access to evidence seized last year. McGuire's motion stated the case would now be handled entirely by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Ogles has been accused of lying about how much money he loaned to his 2022 campaign. Last month, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) recommended that the U.S. House Ethics Committee open a full-scale investigation into Ogles over discrepancies in his campaign finance disclosures. Ogles, a Republican from Maury County, has maintained that the case is politically motivated and that any discrepancies were based on an honest mistake.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, paving the way for the full Senate to vote on confirming the former Florida attorney general as soon as this week. The panel approved her nomination in a 12-10 vote, Reuters reports. Bondi, who has spent decades as a prosecutor, previously represented Trump during his first impeachment trial. During her confirmation hearing earlier this month, she vowed to maintain the Justice Department’s independence, telling lawmakers she would not inject politics into criminal or civil investigations.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn introduced two bills last week aimed at addressing illegal immigration, according to WBIR News. The "Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act" would make individuals who admit to or are convicted of sexual or domestic violence ineligible to enter the U.S. and calls for the deportation of undocumented people if they are convicted of a sex offense. A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. House last week and passed. The "Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly (CONTAINER) Act" authorizes border states adjacent to either the northern or southern borders to place a "movable, temporary structure" on federal land so long as the U.S. Interior Department is notified at least 45 days in advance. The structure could remain in place for up to a year unless an extension is approved. The CONTAINER Act was read twice in the Senate on Jan. 10, 2024, before being referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where it stalled.