On Jan. 28, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals held oral arguments for its Knoxville docket at the University of Tennessee College of Law (UT Law). Sitting for the court were Judges Robert H. Montgomery, Tom Greenholtz and Kyle A. Hixson, all UT Law alumni. Rodd Barckhoff, interim director for the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and a retired Tennessee Supreme Court staff attorney, hosted the event, which was attended by more than 100 students. At the conclusion of the session, the students, panel members and attorneys for the parties participated in a question-and-answer session regarding appellate advocacy. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Justice Department (DOJ) has informed the U.S. Supreme Court that it is withdrawing its opposition to Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, reversing the Biden administration’s previous stance that such bans discriminate against transgender individuals, the Tennessean reports. The justices heard arguments in December on the DOJ’s challenge to Tennessee’s law but have not yet issued a ruling. Under the Biden administration, the department argued that the law was discriminatory because it allows a teenager assigned male at birth to receive testosterone for delayed puberty while banning the same treatment for transgender youth. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti previously defended the law in a response brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the state has the authority to regulate gender transition procedures for minors. A decision in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, is expected by summer.

Nashville residents gathered this week before the Metro Council to share their priorities for the city budget during the annual pre-budget comment period, WPLN News reports. The session allows the public to put requests on record before Mayor Freddie O’Connell submits his budget proposal. The council will consider these requests when crafting a potential alternative ahead of the official budget hearing in June. This year’s requests included funding for gun violence prevention, transit access, affordable housing, youth sports, the arts and court-appointed attorneys. The mayor is required to file his budget by the end of April.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports, AP News reports. The order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," directs federal agencies to enforce Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration’s interpretation, which defines “sex” as the gender assigned at birth. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Sen. Marsha Blackburn attended the signing ceremony, expressing support for the administration’s efforts to “protect women’s sports.” The event coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Last year, Tennessee joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging a federal court ruling that allowed individuals to compete in sports aligning with their gender identity after the Biden administration had sought to expand the law’s prohibition of sex discrimination in education programs to LGBTQ+ students. In January, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled that the U.S. Department of Education exceeded its constitutional authority when it modified Title IX protections under the Education Amendments of 1972. 

Students in 17 East Tennessee counties are invited to participate in the annual Civics Essay Contest, sponsored by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Chattanooga Division, and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Chattanoogan reports. This year’s prompt asks: When is a police officer’s use of deadly force reasonable? Students are encouraged to share their views on what factors a court should consider in determining whether an officer’s use of force was reasonable or excessive. The contest is open to public, private and homeschool students in grades 8-12 in Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Warren and Van Buren counties. Full essay prompt, requirements and additional materials are available on the court’s website. Contact Kelly L. Walsh at 423-386-3523 or via email to chattcivicsessay@gmail.com with questions.

The family of Matthew Vogel is suing over his death at the South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton. Vogel, who had been sent back to jail for violating parole on a drug charge, had one day left in his sentence, the Tennessean reports. The family alleges that Vogel was inappropriately placed in a cell with Travis Bess, who had been convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in 2022 and of killing another man behind bars in 2014. Vogel was classified as a minimum security risk while Bess was classified to "close" security, two steps above "minimum" and one below "maximum" security. The wrongful death suit alleges that facility operator CoreCivic lacked justification to reduce the score and did so to "expend fewer resources due to chronic understaffing."

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, accusing them of impeding new immigration enforcement policies. The suit is seeking a court order to set aside sanctuary laws, arguing such measures are unconstitutional because of the federal government’s supremacy. The Hill reports that soon after taking office as the new attorney general, Pam Bondi issued a memo stating that “sanctuary” jurisdictions should not receive funds from DOJ grant programs, and the department should take actions against jurisdictions that impede immigration enforcement.

New data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reveals a record level of representation for women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals in U.S. law firms — especially for women, who now constitute 55.4% of associates. But the study also found that the percentage of women summer associates in 2024 dropped 0.7% of a point from last year — the first decline since 2013, the National Jurist reports. The authors warn this drop may indicate more sluggish growth in coming years. In addition, Black individuals experienced a second consecutive year of declining representation in the summer associate ranks. Overall, diversity in summer associate programs was up due to increased representation from Asians and multi-racial individuals. Read more about the 2024-2025 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms in this news release from NALP.

East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (ETLAW) recently announced new leaders and board members for the year. Bianca White is president and law school liaison for the group. Jennifer Franklyn is president-elect, Katie Ogle is treasurer, Christina Magrans-Tillery is secretary, Stephanie Coleman is historian, Jennifer Egelston is Membership Committee chair, Bridget Pyman is Programming Committee chair, Kendal Walker is Communications Committee chair and Adriannette Williams is Community Outreach chair. Membership Committee members are Allison Starnes-Angela, Elizabeth Carroll and Geran Minor. Programming Committee members are Caitlin Torney and Emily Cala.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s (AG) Office announced this week that the Tennessee Public Utility Commission denied almost all of a $13.9 million annual rate increase requested by Tennessee-American Water Company, which would have affected utility customers in and around Chattanooga. The AG’s Consumer Advocate Division, joined by the city of Chattanooga, opposed the rate increase. Also this week, in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl, the AG’s office warned consumers of the risks of wagering with an unlicensed sportsbook. The office said that scammers use fake sites to steal both money and consumers’ identities. Tennesseans should ensure whatever company they use is licensed with the state.