Chattanooga city and Hamilton County officials are pushing the federal government to consider the TVA downtown office complex for the site of a new federal courthouse. Arguments for that location include urban revitalization and expanded economic growth for the downtown area, according to Here Chattanooga. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, however, federal planners have identified a four-acre block on Vine Street as the most advantageous location for the new courthouse. Read more in a news release from the General Services Administration. A $218 million budget has been approved for acquisition, design and construction of a new federal courthouse to replace the nearly 100-year old Joel W. Solomon Federal Building.

Make plans now to join colleagues from across the state at the TBA’s 2025 Annual Convention, set for June 11-14, in the Nashville suburb of Franklin. Annual favorites such as the Bench/Bar program and luncheon, Lawyers Luncheon and the swearing in of TBA’s new president will return, as will the Wednesday night welcome reception and an expanded Thursday evening reception. This year’s convention also will include a tech showcase component, allowing attendees to get a more hands-on experience with exhibitors. The four-day event will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, located 20 minutes from downtown Nashville with easy access to I-65 and free parking. Stay tuned for more information!

A Knoxville man died after being held by Knox County Sheriff’s Office jailers at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility for less than a day, Knox News reports. David Batts was admitted to a local hospital on Jan. 7 with several cuts and an extremely bruised and swollen face. He died the following day. Lance Baker, a lawyer representing Batts’ family, released a statement to Knox News alleging that Batts was “tased and struck multiple times by Knox County officers” at the jail. The paper has filed multiple public records requests for video footage of Batts from both the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. “KPD officers did not use any force to detain Batts at the bus terminal. He was completely alert and appeared fine physically when he left in the ambulance,” a KPD spokesperson told Knox News in an email. A spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the agency has not been asked to investigate the death.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for a circuit court judge in the 11th Judicial District, which covers Hamilton County. The vacancy was created as a result of the appointment of Judge Michael J. Dumitru to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Applicants must complete an application and submit it to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) by noon CST on Feb. 5. The application and instructions are available on the AOC's Judicial Resources page. The commission will hold a public hearing to interview candidates on March 11 at 9 a.m. EDT in the 11th Judicial District. Qualified applicants must be licensed attorneys who are at least 30 years old, have been residents of the state for five years and live in the 11th Judicial District. For more information contact Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) is facing a legal battle over its handling of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A class-action lawsuit accuses DHS of delays in processing initial and recertification applications, issuing timely and accurate notices and providing prompt appeal decisions, according to Fox 13 Memphis. The lawsuit alleges that, as a result, applicants and SNAP beneficiaries have experienced hunger, malnutrition and financial hardship. The complaint seeks court acknowledgment of DHS’s failures and injunctions requiring the agency to correct its mistakes.

For the first time in several years, fewer guns were stolen from cars in Nashville in 2024 compared to 2023. Nashville Public Radio reports the thefts had been one of the city’s most persistent problems since 2013, when the state legislature passed a law allowing guns to be carried in cars. The Metro Nashville Police Department reported that 928 guns were stolen from cars in 2024, more than 281 fewer firearms than in 2023. It is the lowest number the city has recorded since 2019. Data from the FBI shows that Memphis, Chattanooga and Nashville are among the top 20 cities in the country for guns stolen from cars.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced a special legislative session to convene on Jan. 27. The session will focus on advancing his school voucher bill, as well as disaster relief funding and immigration issues, The Tennessean reports. This will be Lee’s seventh special legislative session since taking office in 2019, more than any other governor in state history according to the paper. Lee’s voucher proposal failed last year. A special session, which allows lawmakers to focus solely on topics designated by the governor, could clear the way for the bill’s passage. Regarding immigration issues, the governor’s office said he is asking the General Assembly to consider “public safety” measures to ensure the state is prepared for federal policy implementation. Read the governor's full statement.

Pornhub blocked website visitors in Tennessee on Tuesday after an appellate court allowed a new state age-verification law to go into effect. A message on the site encouraged users to contact their elected representatives. The Protect Tennessee Minors Act requires websites with content deemed harmful to minors to proactively verify that users are 18 or older. After the ruling, an adult industry group leading the legal challenge against the state advised adult businesses that the state could begin enforcing the law immediately, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The company has said that laws like these are an ineffective, haphazard and dangerous approach to protecting minors, arguing they will force users to more dangerous sites. In related news, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a similar Texas law today. SCOTUSblog looks at those arguments.

KPMG is one step closer to becoming the first of the Big Four accounting firm to open a law firm in the United States, leveraging loosened law firm ownership rules in Arizona and accelerating the accounting industry's push into U.S. legal services, Reuters reports. A new subsidiary, KPMG Law US, persuaded a court committee on Tuesday to recommend approval by the Arizona Supreme Court to practice law in the state. The new unit could give corporate legal departments more options to outsource work and could also serve clients outside of Arizona. The full court will weigh KPMG’s bid on Jan. 28.

Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen on Monday announced that two Knoxville police officers were justified in the shooting of Christopher Arons in late 2024 after Arons charged at them holding an axe. According to KnoxNews, Allen wrote that she had reviewed evidence collected by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the "force utilized in this incident amounted to a necessary response to thwart the threat involved." Arons survived the shooting and is charged with aggravated assault, domestic assault and vandalism.