The Tennessee Attorney General announced a settlement this week with Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc. The settlement follows an investigation that found Family Dollar stores in Tennessee were selling consumer goods that had been knowingly stored in a rodent-infested distribution center in Arkansas. In 2022, Family Dollar announced a voluntary recall of FDA-regulated products stored at its West Memphis Distribution Center. In 2024, the company pleaded guilty to causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions. As part of the settlement, Family Dollar has agreed to pay the state $1.125 million. “No matter the family budget, whether at a discount shop or not, every Tennessean deserves confidence in the food they buy. This settlement holds Family Dollar accountable and protects Tennessee families from being sold harmful or mislabeled food,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a press release.

President Donald Trump has named a number of acting leaders at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) while his nominees await confirmation. According to Bloomberg Law, James McHenry, a longtime DOJ immigration official, will serve as acting attorney general; Emil Bove, Trump’s personal lawyer, will serve as acting deputy attorney general; and veteran federal prosecutor Antoinette “Toni” Bacon will serve as acting leader of the criminal division. Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Bloomberg reports on the hearing, which can be watched in full on the committee’s website (watch Day 1 or Day 2). The committee is set to vote on the nomination on Jan. 29 according to Politico.

Gov. Bill Lee on Friday appointed Jeremy Ball as circuit court judge in the 4th Judicial District, which covers Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. Ball served as assistant district attorney for the 4th Judicial District. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Carson-Newman College and law degree at Vanderbilt University Law School. Ball was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge Duane Slone. The appointment is effective immediately. Read an announcement from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Memphis City Council has voted unanimously to reappoint Memphis Police Department (MPD) Chief C.J. Davis, The Daily Memphian reports. Davis has been serving in an interim capacity for the past year, after Memphis Mayor Paul Young delayed the vote on Davis’ reappointment last January. The delay followed a test vote in a council committee session and comments from some council members that they wanted to see a drop in crime and a more visible effort by the Memphis Police Department before voting on Davis.  The Department of Justice in December released a report finding that the MPD and the city of Memphis engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, which some council members referenced during Davis' confirmation vote. Davis took the helm of MPD in 2021 as an appointee of former Mayor Jim Strickland and the department’s first female chief.

In a new episode of "The Hope People" podcast from Belmont University's President Dr. Greg Jones, Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles shares her journey of studying vocal performance at Belmont to becoming the first Black female civil trial court judge in Davidson County. The episode covers the power of authenticity and representation as a model for future leaders who may not see immediate representation in their chosen fields, the importance of maintaining relationships with mentors as a catalyst for growth, and the resilience and perseverance needed in the face of challenges. Myles says, “I hope that I inspire grit and tenacity to say ‘you can do it’ even when you've not seen someone do it before.” Listen to the episode here.

Several Tennessee lawmakers were subpoenaed last week to testify in the upcoming corruption trial of former House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who face federal charges of bribery and kickbacks involving a vendor, Phoenix Solutions. Cothren allegedly ran the vendor under a false identity, “Matthew Phoenix,” to secure state-funded contracts for mailers and caucus work, earning tens of thousands of dollars. Casada, prosecutors allege, recruited his fellow lawmakers for business and then accepted kickbacks, reports the Tennessean. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the subpoenas came at the request of Cothren’s defense team, while former Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson, who pleaded guilty in the case, is cooperating with prosecutors. Casada resigned in 2019 amid multiple scandals. The trial is set to begin on April 22.

Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille McMullen last week overturned the second-degree murder conviction of William Britton. The Tennessean reports that McMullen overturned Britton's conviction and remanded the case back to a Davidson County courtroom for a new trial after she found evidence — rap lyrics and screen shots of music videos — presented during the trial were highly prejudicial. Britton performed as a rapper under the name Lil Will. Prosecutors in the 2022 case used Britton's rap lyrics as proof of his state of mind, arguing that the 2020 killing of Kendall Ostine was premeditated. The appeal was part of oral arguments during the TBA's Court of Criminal Appeals Boot Camp in October.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The office will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

President Joe Biden has asserted that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which prohibits discrimination based on sex, is part of the Constitution, arguing it has met the criteria to be added as the 28th Amendment, The Hill reports. "The American Bar Association (ABA) has recognized that the ERA has cleared all necessary hurdles to be formally added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment. I agree with the ABA and with leading legal constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution,” Biden said. He also affirmed that the 28th Amendment guarantees all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of sex. Biden said the ERA “is the law of the land” because it was passed by a two-thirds majority in Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states. However, he has not directed the archivist to formally add the amendment to the Constitution, which could invite legal challenges, the news outlet reports.

A Texas judge ruled Thursday that three states can move forward with another attempt to roll back federal rules and limit access to the abortion drug mifepristone. Action News 5 reports that Idaho, Kansas and Missouri requested last year to pursue the case in federal court in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a narrow ruling finding that abortion opponents who initially filed the case lacked legal standing to sue. The states seek to have the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibit telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone, limit its use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy instead of the current 10 weeks and require three in-person doctor visits to obtain the drug instead of none. Nationwide, 13 states ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, while four more prohibit the procedure after the first six weeks.