Middle Tennessee school districts are rolling out new cellphone policies to comply with a state law that went into effect on July 1. In March, Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation banning the use of cellphones and other wireless devices during classroom instruction time. According to WPLN, the law includes exceptions for students with disabilities or medical needs, as well as those who use wireless devices for educational purposes. The law allows school districts to set their own levels of cellphone restriction. In recent weeks, school boards have been updating their policies accordingly. Under the final version of the law, students may use their phones during emergencies. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, said school districts are responsible for finalizing the details, but she expects boards to adopt policies that include notifying parents directly in emergency situations. The Tennessee Board of Education will review each policy to ensure compliance.

Following a public hearing, the Trial Court Vacancy Commission announced the selection of three candidates to send to Gov. Bill Lee to replace Judge Cheryl Blackburn, who retired at the end of May. The three candidates are James Harwell Todd, Dominic J. Leonardo and Ronald Dowdy. Todd is currently the Division VI Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge. Dowdy has been working as an assistant district attorney in District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office, where he is the team leader of the Crimes Against Children Division, since 2017. Leonardo was selected by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve as a Davidson County General Sessions Court special judge in 2018 and serves as a legal analyst for NewsChannel 5. The Nashville Banner newsletter reports on the three candidates.

State supreme courts should “encourage innovation and reform” in the bar admissions process and encourage real-world practice readiness for new attorneys, according to report from a national group of judges and court administrators. The recommendations come from the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform, an 18-month collaboration between the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators. The group says that state supreme courts should take a more active role in legal education and attorney admissions, including establishing new ways to license attorneys and encouraging innovation by law schools. According to Reuters, the group says the bar exam “has not covered many practical realities of the profession” and new lawyers do not always have the necessary skills to talk to clients or conduct negotiations. They recommend encouraging hands-on learning opportunities, reforming the bar admissions process, streamlining character and fitness reviews, supporting public service attorneys and encouraging attorneys to practice in rural areas.

Ray Whitley, the state’s longest-serving district attorney, will retire on Sept. 1 after 45 years as Sumner County’s top prosecutor, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference has announced. Whitley began his legal career in 1971 as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville. He later moved to Sumner County and joined the district attorney’s office. He was appointed to lead the office in 1980, and has been re-elected five times. He also has served two terms as president of the conference and has been instrumental in guiding statewide policies, training and legislative engagement on public safety. Read about his reflections on his career in a news release from the conference. Gov. Bill Lee’s office is accepting applications through Aug. 4 to fill the position.

Kentucky-based Stites & Harbison has opened its first office in Alabama. The Huntsville location will be led by Nashville attorney Josh Chesser, according to a press release from the firm. Chesser, who joined the firm in 2024, will split his time between the Nashville and Huntsville offices. Joseph V. Ronderos Jr. also will work in both locations. Alabama patent attorney Kimberly Vines will work in the Huntsville office. “We’re excited to expand our full-service legal practice in Alabama and enhance the support we provide to clients across the state and beyond,” said firm chair Marjorie Farris. Stites & Harbison also operates in Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Offices in Tennessee are located in Franklin, Memphis and Nashville.

Belmont University and the University of Tennessee (UT) have launched investigations into the status of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs after reports that employees have said DEI practices remain unchanged, WZTV reports. Last week, Vanderbilt University announced it had hired a law firm to investigate similar claims. Belmont reports it has hired an outside consultant to "initiate an independent compliance review." In an email to staff, UT said it has initiated a systemwide independent review of all access and engagement activities and mandated compliance training for employees. The inquiries come on the heels of new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education about the legality of DEI programs. Inside Higher Ed reports on the latest direction from the department.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that a defibrillator implanted in Byron Black’s chest does not have to be deactivated before the state executes him next week. The Nashville Banner reports that the decision reverses an opinion from Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins that directed the state to disable the device. Perkins issued that order after hearing from medical professionals that the device could put Black at risk of a prolonged and torturous death. The state appealed that ruling to the high court, arguing it could not deactivate Black’s defibrillator on the day of the execution, and asking whether it could be done the day before. The justices said that because Black would not agree to that timeframe, the lower court order was operating “effectively and practically” as a stay of its execution order, which a trial court does not have the authority to “stay, modify or condition.” The court did note at the end of the opinion though that nothing in its decision prevents the parties from reaching an agreement on deactivation of the device. The decision comes after news that Nashville General Hospital had not agreed to perform the procedure, according to The Tennessean. Black’s lawyers continue to pursue other remedies, calling on Gov. Bill Lee to halt the execution and asking the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on July 18 approved new appointments to the Tennessee State Advisory Committee. The commission maintains advisory committees in each state, which are tasked with conducting civil rights studies specific to that area and making recommendations to the commission. Brandon Smith has been named chair of the Tennessee committee. Other members include: Nicholas Barry, Gale Jones Carson, Larry Crain, Luke Cymbal, Chicoya Smith Gallman, Kathleen Harms, William Terry Ladd III, William Morgan Denise Smith-Martinez, Kyontha Nelson, Muriel Malone Nolen, Kymberly Whitaker and Stelle Marie Yarbrough. Read more in a release from the commission.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is preparing to shut down seven major investigations into alleged housing discrimination and segregation across the South and Midwest, including some in which the agency had already found civil rights violations, The Commercial Appeal reports. In Memphis, the investigation being shuttered centered on claims that the city and Memphis Light, Gas and Water coerced residents of a poor Black neighborhood to sell their homes to make way for a new utility facility. Read the complaint filed by a city resident. HUD says the moves come in response to a  presidential executive order eliminating federal enforcement of “disparate-impact liability." According to a memo from the department, HUD no longer will "interpret environmental impacts as violations of fair housing law absent a showing of intentional discrimination.”

An undisclosed number of Knoxville firefighters are under investigation after crews pronounced a woman dead, but a medical examiner later found signs of life and revived her. The Knoxville Fire Department is conducting an internal investigation and firefighters involved have been placed on administrative duty, Knox News reports. The incident occurred last week after the Knoxville Police Department responded to a call about an unresponsive woman. Firefighters pronounced the woman dead shortly after she was found. When examiners from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center arrived, a death investigator observed signs of life, administered Narcan and performed CPR. The woman was then transported to a hospital. Her family has since contacted the investigator to report she is improving. Firefighters involved will remain on paid administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.