A temporary injunction against Tennessee's new THCA rule will remain in effect until June 5, when a legal challenge against the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is set for trial. The Tennessee Growers Coalition and the Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association filed a lawsuit in September arguing that the rule, which would prohibit sales of THCA products that could convert to 0.3% or more THC, represented agency overreach and would lead to a ban of products that have not been outlawed by the General Assembly. Nashville Chancellor I'Ashea Myles in December granted a temporary injunction that stopped enforcement of the rule. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the decision gives a six-month reprieve for Tennessee’s hemp industry, which has grown to an estimated $280-$560 million in annual sales since the products were legalized in 2019.

Metro Nashville Police say there have been 12 arrests of middle and high school students in Metro Nashville Schools since the shooting at Antioch High School on Jan. 22. Eleven of the arrests were related to making threats against schools while the 12th involved a student bringing a gun on school property, the Tennessean reports. In July of last year, a new law took effect making it a felony to make these kinds of threats. That followed a 2023 law requiring public schools to expel students for one year if they make a threat of mass violence. Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway tells WKRN News, “For me, the most concerning part is these youth just don’t understand the gravity and the severity of what they’re doing. They don’t understand how it emotionally affects everybody in our community."

A $2 million pledge recently was made by Chattanooga law firm Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers to support students at the University of Tennessee College of Law, the school has announced. The gift will support the Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers Scholarship Endowment, which benefits students pursuing careers in advocacy; the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship, which supports students preparing for leadership roles in the legal profession; and the John K. Morgan Trial Advocacy Endowment, which honors a prominent Chattanooga attorney who influenced Summers and was an important figure in his book "The Turtle and the Lawyer." Responding to the gift, law school Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said. "Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers’ sustained history of unparalleled generosity is indispensable to our ongoing success and so very deeply appreciated.”

Two Knoxville law firms — the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III and Garza Law — have merged according to Knox TN Today. Turner Howard will continue to work from his West Knoxville office, said Krista DeSocio, communications and marketing director for Garza Law. “It’s a good partnership because both men are kind and thoughtful. We were able to work it out,” DeSocio said. Garza Law has 18 attorneys and several investigators. The firm handles personal injury and criminal cases, along with Social Security and disability claims.

An inmate at the Shelby County Jail died Friday, bringing the total number of deaths at the facility since 2019 to at least 55. The Daily Memphian reports that the incident began last Thursday when jailers found an inmate unresponsive after a medical emergency. The inmate was taken to Methodist University Hospital and died Friday afternoon. Previous reporting from the news outlet showed at least 40 deaths at 201 Poplar between 2019 and mid-2023, with many deaths attributed to drugs, violence or inmate health conditions. In 2024, the facility saw at least seven inmate deaths.

Germantown resident Alexis Luttrell is facing a court date after being cited for violating a local ordinance regarding the length of time holiday decorations can be displayed. Luttrell, who used an 8-foot skeleton man and a skeleton dog for multiple holiday displays, received a citation for keeping the decorations up beyond the 30-day limit set by Germantown's property maintenance code. According to the Commercial Appeal, Luttrell, citing her First Amendment rights and plans to challenge the citation, arguing the ordinance infringes on free speech by regulating the content and timing of decorations. The Institute for Justice is supporting her claim, asserting that the city’s actions are unconstitutional and discriminatory, as they limit personal expression based on the nature of the display. The court will consider whether Germantown’s regulations unlawfully restrict Luttrell's right to choose her holiday decorations on Feb. 13 in Germantown Municipal Court.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that a bipartisan coalition of states led by Tennessee has reached a settlement in principle in its lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia and New York attorneys general, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2024, alleging that its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Recruiting Ban creates anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes. In February 2024, a federal judge in east Tennessee agreed and blocked the NCAA’s enforcement of the rule throughout the duration of the litigation.

The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) released its first immigration report today summarizing data from local law enforcement on individuals not lawfully present in the U.S. who were charged or convicted of a crime in the state during the previous year. According to a press release from the TNDAGC, the report covers the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024, with 73 of Tennessee’s 95 counties submitting monthly reports and 71 of those counties providing data for all three months. During that time, TNDAGC received about 2,719 reports of individuals charged or convicted of a crime, including 447 violent offenses. The report also notes that 11 homicides were reported statewide during the three-month period. The full report is available on the TNDAGC website.

The Rutherford County School Board passed a resolution Thursday urging state lawmakers to "expedite the closure of the nation’s borders," WKRN reports. Board members cited a surge in students needing English language learner courses, which they say is placing a financial strain on the district and has created a need for 25 additional positions. As a result, the board is seeking more federal funding to cover the cost of the language services it is required to provide for students for whom English is not their first language.

TBA members were sent an email today with a ballot for the two candidates running for TBA vice president. The email was sent this morning from Intelliscan Inc. If you did not receive the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you still did not receive it, contact elections@tnbar.org to request that it be resent. Electronic voting begins today and will close on Feb. 14.