Following a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia imposing remedies for Google’s unlawful monopolization in search and search advertising, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said his office would “work to ensure that consumers enjoy the benefit of meaningful competition in search markets.” The court decision prohibits Google from entering or maintaining exclusive contracts relating to the distribution of Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant and the Gemini app; directs Google to make certain search index and user-interaction data available to rivals and potential rivals; and orders Google to offer search and search text ads syndication services to enable rivals and potential rivals to compete. Skrmetti praised the ruling for bringing “transparency to advertisers so that consumers have real choices.” Tennessee joined a coalition to sue Google. The company previously was found to illegally dominate two markets for online advertising technology. Read more about the remedies from the DOJ. Read Skrmetti’s full statement.

Following the news that three of the five former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the 2023 death of Tyré Nichols are getting a new federal trial, one of those men now wants to be released from federal custody. Demetrius Haley, who has been in custody since his conviction, now says he should be released. In a request to the court, his lawyer argues that Haley was “fully compliant” with his bond conditions prior to his conviction and is “neither a flight risk nor a danger to others.” In related news, attorneys for others charged in connection with Nichols’ death are arguing the former officers should not be retried on charges they previously were acquitted on. The Daily Memphian has more on both stories.

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Andy Holt to the position of commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. He currently is the deputy commissioner, a role he was appointed to late last year. Holt previously spent 10 years as a state representative for House District 76 in West Tennessee. He will assume the role on Oct 1, replacing Charlie Hatcher, who is retiring after nearly seven years leading the department and more than 21 years working with the state. In making the announcement, Lee said, “Andy is a committed public servant who brings a personal understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Tennessee farmers. I’m grateful for his leadership and am confident he will serve Tennesseans with integrity by strengthening rural communities and supporting our agriculture industry.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti are appealing a recent court decision that abolished two laws imposing gun restrictions in Tennessee. Skrmetti said in a statement that the ruling will cause "unnecessary confusion and risk," according to the Associated Press. The lower court decision, made by a three-judge panel in late August, invalidated two Tennessee laws: one making it illegal to carry a gun in a park or a similar area without a permit to carry a handgun and one outlawing the offense of carrying a firearm "with the intent to go armed." According to The Tennessean, Skrmetti argued in a statement that the laws are constitutional in many situations. "For example, it’s obviously constitutional to prohibit a ten-year-old from bringing a semiautomatic rifle to a rec league basketball game or a drunk with a shotgun from staggering down Broadway or through Market Square or across Shelby Farms. But the Court’s ruling appears to legalize this in Tennessee. We look forward to the appellate courts providing clarity for citizens and law enforcement.”

Nashville’s Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC (GSRM Law) has named Billy Blackstone as its new managing partner. He replaces Phil Welty, who has served in the role for eight years. "It has been an honor to serve as GSRM Law’s managing member for the past eight years," Welty said. "I am confident that Billy’s leadership will position the firm for continued growth and new opportunities in the years ahead.” Blackstone has worked for the firm since 2023, and focuses his practice on tax, estate and business succession planning. The firm has offices in downtown Nashville and in Franklin. The Nashville Post reported the news.

Federal immigration officials are making arrests from within Tennessee jails at a much higher rate than other states, WPLN reports. A new study from the Prison Policy Initiative ranks Tennessee second only to Texas in the number of people ICE picks up from jail. The data suggests more ICE agents in the state are relying on local police to carry out mass deportations. These arrests have been especially high in Knox County, where the number of people held for ICE jumped from six in January to nearly 50 in April.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently adopted a new set of principles and values defending its role in accrediting law schools. The group reports in a press release that the move is designed to respond to news that the federal government and several states are reviewing reliance on its accreditation system. The document states that the purpose of the accreditation process is to ensure students graduate as “effective, ethical and responsible” lawyers, protect students from “economic exploitation” and legal clients from incompetent practitioners, and support legal innovation while also promoting the rule of law. The document also states that law school standards are not intended to force uniformity among law schools, but set a minimum to ensure quality education. Read the full statement.

The number of U.S. law school applicants rose 18% last year, the highest year-over-year increase since 2002, according to data released by the Law School Admission Council. Last year saw 76,599 applicants, an increase of 12,000 from 2023 when applicants were up 5%. American Bar Association-accredited law schools enrolled nearly 40,000 students in 2024. Reuters reports that most admissions experts and legal educators agree that a combination of a poor entry-level job market for recent college graduates and political events drove the surge. Additionally, experts said that strong employment rates among new law school graduates over the past half decade, as well as changes to the LSAT, also contributed to the increase.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee last week announced that Penelope R. Convertino, age 22, of Murfreesboro, has been charged with making a threat to murder a federal official with the intent to impede, intimidate and interfere with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties. “Our public officials should be able to do their jobs without receiving vile death threats,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Threatening public officials with deadly violence cannot and will not be tolerated. We will not hesitate to hold those who make these kinds of violent threats accountable for their crimes.” Read more in a press release from the office.

Ginny Blake, District 9 representative for the TBA Young Lawyers Division, last week organized a Tennessee Free Legal Answers Clinic which was held at Belmont University College of Law. Twelve Belmont law students were partnered with five volunteer attorneys to research and answer questions submitted by Tennesseans across the state. See photos from the event.