Former Tennessee state representative Jeremy Durham has been sentenced after being found guilty on multiple charges according to NewsChannel 5. He received a one-year jail sentence with all but seven days suspended, one year of probation, a $350 fine and a one-year suspension of his driver’s license. Durham was convicted in May on five of six charges, including two counts of driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. The charges stemmed from a crash in downtown Nashville in which Durham sideswiped another vehicle. The victim testified he experienced whiplash from the incident and missed two weeks of work as a result. It was Durham’s second DUI offense in less than two years. He was expelled from the legislature in 2016 following an investigation that found he had sent inappropriate text messages to several women.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced the restoration of nearly $7 million in annual Title X health care funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding — previously revoked in 2023 due to the state’s abortion laws — will go to the Tennessee Department of Health to support prenatal care, health screenings, counseling and education services. Tennessee has administered Title X funds for five decades and was awarded a five-year grant in 2022 before the Biden administration halted funding. The attorney general’s office filed suit, arguing the administration’s abortion-related mandates exceeded Title X authority. In May, the HHS agreed to restore the funds and drop enforcement of those mandates. “Our Office is gratified that HHS has restored these grant funds, which will provide thousands of Tennesseans, especially expectant mothers, with important healthcare resources,” Skrmetti said in a press release.

Circuit Court Judge Kathryn “Katy” Olita recently was elected president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association (TTJA), becoming the first woman and the first judge from the 19th Judicial District to hold the position. “I’m excited about continuing to do the good work that our organization has done, especially over the last couple of years,” Olita said. “There’s been a lot of good cooperation between the [Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)] and the TTJA, and even the leadership of the appellate courts. We’ve kind of all found this uniform way of trying to make sure everybody is looked out for ... so I’m very encouraged by all of that and want to continue that work while I’m the president.” Olita also has appointed 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street as vice president, 12th Judicial District Chancellor Melissa Willis as secretary, and 29th Judicial District Chancellor Tony Childress as treasurer of the group. The TTJA is a non-partisan association of circuit, criminal and chancery court judges and is dedicated to maintaining a fair, independent and efficient judiciary. Read more in a press release.

Another inmate at the Shelby County Jail has died, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said in an emailed statement Tuesday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) also confirmed it has been asked to investigate the death, The Daily Memphian reports. TBI identified the man as Rockez McDaniel and said an autopsy is being performed to determine the cause and manner of death. McDaniel was found experiencing a medical emergency at the jail on Monday and was transported to Regional One Health, where he later was pronounced dead. He had been in the jail for more than a week on charges of escape and evading arrest. McDaniel is at least the sixth inmate to die at the jail this year and the 63rd since 2019. His death also is the second this year in which TBI has been asked to investigate.

The TBA Academy offers an exciting opportunity for a limited number of TBA members to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. The next admission ceremony will take place Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C. In addition to taking part in an admission ceremony before the U.S. Supreme Court, participants will gather for a special celebration dinner and a tour of the U.S. Capitol. Each attendee also will receive three hours of prepaid credits to use toward future TBA CLE programming. The group will stay at the Hay Adams Hotel. The cost to register is $1,250 for TBA members, which includes the application fee, one hotel night, dinner on Sunday, and breakfast, lunch and transportation to the court on Monday. Guests can be added to the trip for a cost of $500 each. Those interested in participating should complete the online interest form by Aug. 5. Applicants then will be contacted with instructions to complete the full application process. Participants will be selected on a first-come basis. Contact TBAAcademy@tnbar.org with any questions.

The Trump administration has announced that federal employees are allowed to discuss and promote their religious beliefs at work, citing constitutional protections and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Reuters reports that a memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) states that workers can attempt to persuade others of their faith and organize prayer groups outside work hours, as long as their actions are not harassing. Supervisors also may share their religious views with employees, provided the conduct is not coercive. While the memo is not legally binding, it reflects the administration’s broader push to expand religious expression in federal workplaces, following a February presidential action targeting perceived hostility to Christianity in government.

Rheubin Taylor, who retired from the position of Hamilton County attorney July 1 after more than 30 years of service, has opened a new practice in Chattanooga. The new office is at 1502 A & B, McCallie Ave., Chattanooga 37404, and can be reached at 423-595-6898. Taylor was the city's first Black attorney when he began practicing in 1973. He worked for many years at the Crutchfield firm, where the politically active culture influenced his own involvement in politics. He was on the first County Commission in 1978 after serving in the state Constitutional Convention. Read more about his career from Chattanoogan.com.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law advocacy teams finished the spring semester with national and regional victories in moot court, mock trial and transactional law. Virginia Pirkle, Taylor Roswall and Alyssa Ward — all 2025 law graduates — won the national championship at the 2025 L. Edward Bryant, Jr. National Health Law Transactional Competition at Loyola University School of Law. Competing against 20 schools from across the country, the team secured first place in what is widely regarded as the nation’s premier transactional health law competition. In addition, law students Jordyn Dickey, Elizabeth Landin, Jhed Manalo and Tyrese Perry earned second place honors in the 2025 Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition and 2025 graduate Kameron Johnson and current student Jaleigh Rogan finished second in the 2025 Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. Both competitions were hosted by the Southern Region of the Black Law Students Association. Finally Joshua Rojas, a 2025 graduate, was named champion of Baylor Law School’s The Closer, one of the nation’s most rigorous transactional law competitions. Read more and see photos in this press release from the law school.

On June 30, Judge Mike Spitzer retired from the 32nd Judicial District Circuit Court. Spitzer joined the bench in 2018, when the 21st Judicial District — which at the time included Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties — created a new judicial position to help with the caseload due to Williamson county's rapid growth. In 2022, for the first time in 45 years, a new district was created, and Hickman, Lewis and Perry counties became the 32nd Judicial District, which Spitzer was elected to serve. Spitzer says what he has enjoyed most about his judicial career is finding ways to help people. “There was a guy who came up and said, ‘Judge Spitzer’ and gave me a hug. He said, ‘I’m here because of you.’ He went through our drug court program. Things like that are very helpful in making you feel good about what you do.” Read more about Spitzer's career in this profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Lawyers now have more free resources to share with clients who are incarcerated in Middle Tennessee area prisons. The Family Reconciliation Center (FRC), a nonprofit hospitality house, provides overnight stays for friends and loved ones visiting incarcerated individuals from out of town. FRC also offers an online guide to help navigate the sometimes-complicated visitation system. Supported through the generosity of individuals, faith communities and foundations (including a recent grant from the Tennessee Bar Foundation), FRC ensures that visitors can stay in a comfortable and safe environment. Founded in 1984, FRC is the only organization in Tennessee providing free lodging of this type, and one of just a few similar facilities in the country.