Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin heard arguments this week in a legal challenge to the $3.1 billion transit referendum approved by Nashville voters in November. The Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax claims that the inclusion of sidewalks and traffic signals in the plan exceeds the scope allowed under the state’s Improve Act and argues that voters were misled about the project's costs. Metro attorneys countered that the plaintiffs should have raised their concerns before the election, emphasizing that there have been no allegations of illegal voting or widespread confusion. Martin said a decision would be forthcoming, according to the Nashville Post.

Gov. Bill Lee told reporters yesterday that he is considering calling for a special legislative session to consider a statewide private school voucher program and storm relief for areas hard hit by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Nashville Public Radio reports that Lee said he had not determined if or when the special session would take place, but indicated it would be sooner than later if held. Democratic lawmakers responded, criticizing the idea of combining disaster relief with the voucher program, the Nashville Banner reports. Also, during the press conference, Lee reiterated his commitment to help President-elect Donald Trump with planned deportations, including deploying the Tennessee National Guard if requested. Lee joined other governors in signing a letter to the effect in December, according to Axios Nashville. Tennessee’s 114th General Assembly is scheduled to convene next Tuesday.

A consumer lawsuit accusing Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster of charging artificially high ticket prices will proceed alongside a parallel antitrust case filed by the U.S. government and 39 states, including Tennessee. A federal judge on Monday rejected Live Nation's request to pause the class action during the government's suit, which seeks to break up the two companies, Reuters reports. Live Nation argued that allowing both lawsuits to move forward at the same time could waste resources and lead to conflicting rulings. Both cases claim Live Nation limits competition for live event ticketing through exclusive deal arrangements and other barriers. The consumer case was brought on behalf of a potential class of millions of ticket purchasers. The court also rejected Live Nation's argument that the government case, which is scheduled for trial in 2026, was significantly more advanced than the consumer lawsuit.

After Gov. Bill Lee announced last month that the state has new guidelines for executing death row inmates, top prison officials say they will not release the protocols manual to the public. According to the Associated Press, a public records request filed to obtain a copy of the manual has been denied by the Tennessee Department of Correction. In denying the request, the department said it must keep the document secret to protect the identities of the executioner and others involved. In an email Monday, a department spokesperson told AP that the “protocol is not a public record” and cited state law that protects the identities of those carrying out executions. AP argues that the cited statute anticipates the existence of confidential information and provides for redactions rather than denials of access.

Susan Logan, a veteran criminal defense attorney with the Office of the Public Defender for Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan Equal Justice Award, the Williamson County Source reports. The award recognizes Logan’s dedication to the relentless pursuit of justice. The award honors Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan, a retired public defender whose career spanned more than 30 years in the judicial system, starting as a magistrate and later serving as public defender for a four-county district that included Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties.

In 2024, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) changed its policy regarding who is allowed to mail books to incarcerated individuals, removing a number of books-to-prisons nonprofits from its list of approved book vendors, according to WPLN News. Now, prisoners who want a specific book must buy it, or have someone else buy it for them, from a more limited number of authorized booksellers and publishers. A TDOC spokesperson said the change was made “to mitigate the introduction of contraband through mail.” The director of the Prison Book Program said the policy will significantly reduce the number of prisoners who can access books. “You need a loved one on the outside with both the connectivity and the disposable income to order books directly from one of those sources. And that’s almost nobody in prison,” she says.

Attorneys general from 21 states say the American Bar Association's (ABA) law school diversity rules are unlawful. According to Reuters, the coalition sent a letter opposing both the current diversity standard and a proposed revision under consideration. A letter, led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, argues that both versions of the rule "impermissibly impose race-based admissions and hiring requirements as a condition of accreditation." The ABA on Monday closed its public comment period on the revised rule. As of Tuesday morning, publicly available comments were mixed, with several legal groups joining the state attorneys general in opposition, while the Law School Admission Council and other ABA entities defended the proposed standard as legal. The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar could vote on the revision when it meets Feb. 21.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Since 2010, each president has dedicated the month to raising awareness about human trafficking and educating the public on how to identify and prevent this crime. President Joe Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act as a U.S. senator, signed this year's White House proclamation on Dec. 30, 2024. The U.S. Department of State also works to raise awareness of human trafficking internationally through U.S. embassies and consulates. It supports the designation of Jan. 11 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day or #WearBlueDay. The Blue Campaign encourages people to wear blue — the international color of human trafficking awareness — and post photos of themselves on social media using the hashtag #WearBlueDay.

Chancellor Daniel Forrester was elected to the 7th Judicial District Chancery Court in August 2024 after winning both the primary and general election. “I’d been practicing for about 18 years, and it seemed like the perfect time if I was going to attempt to do it to do so,” he says about his run for office. Forrester was sworn in on Aug. 30 by Circuit Court Judge Ryan Spitzer. After just a few months on the bench, one duty in particular stands out. “I love doing the adoptions,” Forrester says. “It’s always been a favorite in private practice and when we get to do them, they’re always happy. You have a courtroom full of families and people, and they’re always wonderful. It’s one of the few things we get to do as judges and attorneys where everyone’s smiling and happy to be there.” Read more about Forrester's career from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

"Valley So Low: One Lawyer's Fight for Justice in the Wake of America's Great Coal Catastrophe," published last year and written by Franklin author Jared Sullivan, was named one of 2024's "Best Books" by The New Yorker. The book follows Roane County attorney Jim Scott's representation of dozens of workers who were sickened after working on the cleanup site of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash spill in December 2002. The lawsuit was eventually settled in 2023. Williamson Source reports on the book and the honor.