Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from all 50 states in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist in their efforts to address illegal offshore gaming operations. According to the Tennessee Lookout, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the group called for stronger federal enforcement against foreign-based companies running online sports betting and gambling platforms that often operate without licenses, avoid taxes, ignore state laws and lack consumer protections. The attorneys general said that such operations expose users to fraud, addiction and serious crimes like money laundering and human trafficking. They also urged the DOJ to collaborate with payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard to disrupt access to the U.S. financial system.

Jason Dobbins, former director of operations for the Knox County Trustee’s Office, was charged Aug. 8 with two felony counts of official misconduct in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into whether some elected officials and their employees used their public positions for personal gain. The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury spent months investigating the misuse of taxpayer dollars in some Knox County offices. Dobbins is the second county employee charged in the probe. Trustee Justin Biggs fired Dobbins in April for “policy violations” after Knox News reached out with questions about the investigation. Prosecutor Ryan Desmond sought approval from a grand jury to prosecute Biggs as well, but the grand jury declined to indict him on Aug. 6. On Aug. 7, Property Assessor Phil Ballard was charged with one felony count of official misconduct related to his personal use of a county-owned SUV while also accepting reimbursement for using his personal vehicle for work travel. The newspaper reports on the developments.

The Tennessee Department of Treasury has returned $125 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners or their heirs so far this year. According to a press release, this total is double the $62.5 million paid out in 2024 and exceeds the previous record of $68.7 million by more than 80%. The funds come from unclaimed property turned over to the state by businesses and organizations, including uncashed paychecks, utility refunds, rental deposits, gift certificates and abandoned bank accounts. Tennesseans can search for unclaimed property at ClaimItTN.gov.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is mobilizing the National Guard to assist with the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan, WKRN reports. The governor’s office told News 2 the decision followed a request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “As Gov. Lee has said many times, Tennessee stands ready to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our nation’s borders and remove the most violent criminals from our streets,” said Elizabeth Johnson, the governor’s spokesperson. The governor’s office said the mission is still in the planning stages. The soldiers will remain under state command but will be paid by the federal government.

Following a report from Politico yesterday that the federal court filing system was the target of a cyberattack in early July, the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts released a statement that it is "strengthening cyber security measures." The reporting states that it is not immediately clear how the hackers got in, but the incident affected the judiciary’s federal core case management system, which contains two overlapping components: Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF), which legal professionals use to upload and manage case documents; and PACER, a system that gives the public limited access to records. In addition to information about witnesses and defendants cooperating with law enforcement, the filing system includes other sensitive information such as sealed indictments, arrest records and search warrants. Reuters has more on the story.

Vanderbilt Law School's Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic has filed a federal complaint on behalf of First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh. The complaint challenges the constitutionality of state's public records law, which restricts access to Tennesseans only. After being denied court records by the Williamson County Archives due to his California residency, Volokh sued, arguing that the restriction violates his rights. The clinic’s complaint agrees, stating that federal courts have consistently recognized a qualified First Amendment right of access to judicial records. The clinic's complaint also argues that any purported privacy interest in the records is undermined by the fact that Tennessee residents — including potentially the litigants’ neighbors — are permitted access. Read more in a press release from the law school.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) recently announced that it has entered into a new agreement with Kentucky State University (KSU) to strengthen academic collaboration and expand opportunities for KSU students to pursue a legal education. Under the agreement, LMU Law will reserve up to five seats each year in its incoming class for qualified KSU students who meet the admissions criteria outlined in the agreement. The partnership is designed to promote a clear and supportive pathway to law school and to encourage increased interest in the legal profession among KSU students. “This agreement reflects a shared commitment to access to opportunity and into preparing the next generation of legal professionals who will go out and serve their communities with purpose and integrity,” said LMU President Dr. Jason McConnell. Read more in a press release from the school.

Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, maker of the popular Uncle Nearest whiskey, is facing a $108 million lawsuit from lender Farm Credit Mid-America over alleged loan defaults. The lender claims the company failed to repay over $102 million in principal, misused funds to purchase a $2 million Martha’s Vineyard home and overstated whiskey inventory by $21 million. According to the Tennessean, Uncle Nearest attributes the financial issues to fraud by a now-terminated former chief financial officer and argues that appointing a receiver is an excessive response. Despite the lawsuit, the company, which has grown rapidly since launching in 2019 and is now valued at $1.1 billion, says it has continued making significant loan payments and is working to resolve the default. The Nashville Post also reports on the lawsuit.

Defense attorney Juni Ganguli on Tuesday argued before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals that the judge in Cleotha Abston's 2024 rape trial erred by allowing jurors to see a photo of a gun allegedly used in the crime, despite the victim’s vague description of it. According to the Daily Memphian, Ganguli claimed the gun’s admission and a witness’s reference to Abston’s later murder of Eliza Fletcher unfairly prejudiced the jury. Ganguli also criticized police for not preserving text messages between Abston and the rape victim, though judges pushed back noting Abston also had access to them. The state argued the evidence against Abston was overwhelming. Abston was sentenced to 80 years in prison for three charges related to the 2021 rape of Alicia Franklin.

Autopsy reports have confirmed that two Shelby County Jail inmates, who died earlier this year, suffered from medical complications. Darin Crawford, 57, died of pneumonia after being found unresponsive in his cell on Feb. 9, while Courtney Berry, 36, died of heart complications, including aortic dissection, on March 30 after complaining of chest pain. Both men had been in custody for less than a month. Their deaths are among at least seven at the jail in 2024 and 64 since 2019. The ongoing deaths and overcrowding have renewed calls for a new $1.3 billion criminal justice complex at the former Firestone plant in North Memphis. The Daily Memphian has the story.