Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady for the third month in a row at 3.5%, more than half a percentage point below the national rate, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was the same as its April and May rates. In June 2024, the rate was 3.3%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in June, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. Over the past year, Tennessee employers added 22,900 nonfarm jobs, with the biggest increases in the government, leisure and hospitality, and education and health services sectors. Over the month, total nonfarm employment increased by 6,100 jobs. The largest gains were in the professional and business services sector, followed by the education and health services sector and the trade, transportation and utilities sector.

President Donald Trump on Thursday named Arthur Graham of Florida to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors as his fifth pick for the regulatory body, Local 3 News reports. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Graham would serve until May 2026, completing the term of Michelle Moore, whom Trump fired in March. Graham, the first Black nominee to the TVA board during Trump’s second term, has served on the Florida Public Service Commission since 2010. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed him to a third term on that commission in 2021.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is launching a yearlong campaign and a two-year traveling exhibit to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The campaign will include a variety of programming and events. The initiative also will feature a traveling exhibit called “250 Years of Independence: Fortifying America’s Commitment to Democracy for All,” to explore the evolving meaning of independence and the role of the rule of law. For information about the initiative contact Betsy Adeboyejo at Betsy.Adeboyejo@americanbar.org. To explore hosting an event contact Anna Snyder, director of the Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress, at anna.snyder@americanbar.org. Read more in a press release from the association.

Three more states have announced they will adopt the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). Law.come reports that Alabama, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have joined the growing number of states agreeing to utilize the new exam. This brings to 43 the total number of jurisdictions adopting the NextGen UBE, which aims to assess practical legal skills and ethical decision-making, preparing new lawyers for the realities of modern legal practice. Also recently, one state rejected the new exam. Nevada has announced that its bar exam will include three components: a multiple-choice section, a performance examination and a supervised practice component.

Testimony continued into a second day on what impact death row inmate Byron Black’s cardioverter-defibrillator will have once pentobarbital is administered to him during his Aug. 5 execution. On Wednesday, the state made its case. Two expert witnesses testified that the device will not cause additional pain. Both were in direct opposition to Monday’s testimony from witness who asserted the pentobarbital will cause the device to repeatedly shock Black. Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins has said a ruling can be expected by Friday. The Nashville Banner reports on the proceeding in its latest newsletter.

Metro Nashville Police have charged Phaitoon Sean Viryasiri for sending threatening letters to four judges, the Nashville Banner reports. Viryasiri, an inmate in the Davidson County Jail, was charged with a Class E felony for threatening Criminal Court Judge Khadija Babb with retaliation for decisions made when he was a defendant in her court. He also was charged with Class A misdemeanor for harassing threats in 17 letters sent to Babb, Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton, Criminal Court Judge Cynthia Chappell and General Sessions Court Judge Ana Escobar. Viryasiri has been in jail since last October for probation violations related to felony assault and burglary convictions. The police department previously announced it was investigating the threats.

Environmental groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the NAACP, have filed an appeal challenging the Shelby County Health Department’s decision to grant Elon Musk’s company xAI an air emissions permit for 15 natural gas turbines in Southwest Memphis. According to the Daily Memphian, the groups argue the permit, granted July 2, violates federal law and fails to account for 35 unpermitted temporary turbines previously installed at xAI’s Colossus data center. The appeal, filed with the Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board, also contests the department’s interpretation of the federal Clean Air Act and raises concerns over the adequacy of air modeling, existing local smog conditions, and the precedent the permit sets for future turbine installations — including potential developments at xAI’s second Memphis site, Colossus 2.

Chancellor Doug Jenkins of the 3rd Judicial District — which includes Greene, Hamblen, Hancock and Hawkins counties — recently was elected president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. He will serve a one-year term as president, ending in the summer of 2027. One of the main duties of the conference is organizing judicial meetings throughout the year, including the annual summer conference. Other responsibilities include committee work and legislative activity. Jenkins, a 1995 graduate of the Nashville School of Law, was appointed to the chancery court in 2013 by then-Gov. Bill Haslam. Prior to his appointment, Jenkins operated his own law practice in Rogersville and worked with the Law Offices of Terry, Terry & Stapleton in Morristown.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is investigating threats against four female judges allegedly made by a man currently in custody at the Davidson County jail. The threats were included in letters that arrived at the Justice A.A. Birch Building last month, mixed in with other mail sent to the criminal courthouse. According to the Nashville Banner, the letters began arriving June 24, and by June 26, the Davidson County Criminal Court was informed that they included threats against Criminal Court Judges Khadija Babb, Cynthia Chappell and Angelita Blackshear Dalton, as well as General Sessions Judge Ana Escobar. MNPD says that its Security Threat Section, part of the Specialized Investigations Division, is pursuing the case. The correspondence also reportedly included threats against President Donald Trump, which were forwarded to the U.S. Secret Service.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission recently met in Memphis to consider candidates for a circuit court and criminal court vacancy in the 30th Judicial District. After conducting public interviews and a hearing, the commission selected three nominees for the circuit court to forward to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. They are William Christopher Frulla, C. Scott Jones and Mitzi H. Pollard. Learn more about the candidates by reviewing their applications on the Administrative Office of the Court's website. For the criminal court vacancy, the commission reports that though four candidates originally applied for the position, one applicant withdrew before the hearing. After a public hearing, the commission did not vote to send all three applicants to the governor, thus in accordance with state law, the governor may fill the vacancy with any qualified individual.