The Vanderbilt Law Admissions Team has launched a podcast to help prospective law students better navigate the application process. "Behind the Decision," featuring Dean of Admissions Cristina Gapasin Tortal and Associate Director Erin Preston, offers an insider perspective on how applications are evaluated and what prospective candidates should and should not do to stand out. Each episode tackles specific admissions-related questions that the team regularly addresses each application cycle. The first episode, "Should You Go to Law School?," explores what admissions personnel look for when evaluating an applicant’s readiness for law school. Read more in a press release from the school.

U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Collier of the Eastern District of Tennessee and his law clerks Carrie Brown Stefaniak, Meghan Melkote and Alex Tritell recently published a column in Chattanoogan.com on judicial discretion and federal sentencing. The article looks at congressional guidance in imposing criminal sentencing, which encourages consideration of (1) the nature and circumstances of the crime, (2) the history and characteristics of the defendant, and (3) the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the crime, promote respect for the law, provide just punishment for the offense, deter criminal conduct, protect the public, and provide the defendant with appropriate treatment.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law recently held its 2026 Orr Symposium. This year’s theme, “Closing the Rural Justice Gap: Innovation and Regulatory Reform,” examined the causes of legal deserts and explored practical solutions. According to Knox TN Today, speakers focused on how the legal profession can rethink legal service delivery to ensure that people in underserved communities are not left behind. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary Wagner spoke about the court’s recent call for public comment on regulatory reforms, saying it was designed to “have a conversation” about unmet legal need across Tennessee. Other panels explored alternative licensing, the role of non-lawyer legal professionals and what other states are doing to help fill the justice gap. Learn more about the symposium or watch a recording of the program.

The law school also unveiled the Legal Desert Incubator Program, which will provide graduates who commit to spending five years in a legal desert with training, mentoring, business support and financial incentives. And it announced that Briana Rosenbaum, associate dean for access and community engagement and associate professor of law, has been appointed to the Law School Admission Council’s new Rural Access to Justice Workgroup. That group will investigate innovative approaches to expanding the pipeline of future rural attorneys.

Want to learn more about these issues? Join the TBA on July 29 for a discussion with lawyers and judges. Learn more and register here.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has named Matthew McClanahan as general counsel, the Nashville Post reports. McClanahan will assume the role on Aug. 3 and provide legal counsel to the department and oversee other legal matters. He previously worked as a managing partner at his law firm McClanahan & Winston in Crossville, where he focused on government relations, civil litigation, agricultural and environmental issues and business matters. He also formerly served as executive director of the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts. "Matthew's legal experience and understanding of Tennessee agriculture make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team," Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt said in a press release. McClanahan earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee and his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Tennessee Tech University.

President Donald Trump quickly reversed a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision to pause most U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle stops after expressing frustration with the policy, Axios reports. The temporary suspension, which lasted just a few hours, followed two fatal ICE shootings within a week and was intended to allow additional training for agents conducting vehicle stops. Trump publicly ended the pause, saying ICE officers should have all enforcement tools available, prompting DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to resume the practice. According to the Associated Press, the shootings renewed scrutiny of ICE's enforcement tactics, prompting protests, calls for investigations and questions about the agency's use of force.

The mother of an Ole Miss football player who was shot and killed at a party in Cordova last year has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, marking the second such lawsuit filed in recent days. According to the Daily Memphian, Chantrel Bernhart filed the suit Thursday in Shelby County Circuit Court, two days after the player’s father filed a similar claim. Corey Adams was attending a for-profit pool party in Memphis in 2025 when as many as 40 gunshots were fired. Five people, including Adams, were wounded in the shooting, which remains unsolved. Details of Bernhart’s lawsuit were not immediately available, but the suit names Calvin Wooten, the former owner of the Fern Glade Cove home, as a defendant. In a separate lawsuit, Adams' father is seeking at least $1 million in damages, plus punitive damages. That one names Wooten, along with his wife and son — who organized the party — as defendants.

The Tennessee Attorney General's (AG) Office is facing Meta in court as its challenge to the social media company's Instagram platform begins in Nashville. The Tennessean reports that the state sued Meta in October 2023, alleging Instagram is "unfairly and deceptively addictive and harmful, particularly to young people," and that the company violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act by engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices. The trial is expected to last six to seven weeks and include testimony from dozens of witnesses. Meta has denied allegations linking Instagram's design to poor teen mental health, pointing instead to safety features and arguing that any harms stem from user-generated content. The AG's office contends Instagram's design features and notification systems foster compulsive use among young people and that Meta failed to adequately warn users about the risks of exposure to sexual or self-harm-related content and potential mental health impacts. Tennessee is one of 42 states that filed lawsuits against Meta on the same day.

Four weeks after a judge overseeing the legal battle involving Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and its creditors allowed a receiver to sell a Martha’s Vineyard property, company founder, co-owner and Chief Executive Officer Fawn Weaver has been dismissed. Relatedly, the receiver in the case terminated Fawn’s husband and co-owner of the company Keith Weaver. According to the receiver’s most recent report, the firings were effective June 1 and the couples’ access to the facilities has been restricted since that date. The report also notes the company is under some form of government investigation, which the receiver is cooperating with, according to the Nashville Post.

Davidson County officials are asking a judge to order the Tennessee Department of Correction to take custody of more than 150 convicted inmates they say have been in county jail for months after being sentenced to state prison. The state’s delay is costing taxpayers $6 million a year, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall tells WKRN. According to Hall, the average length of stay for a person after conviction is over 200 days. “They should be moving in 14 to 20 days,” Hall says. Metro Law Director Wally Dietz said the city is asking the court to require the state to meet what it believes is its legal obligation. The Tennessee Department of Correction declined to respond to the allegations, telling the news station it does not comment on pending litigation.

The newly appointed Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority Board held its first meeting this week to implement Tennessee's new airport governance law. The board also voted to withdraw from a lawsuit challenging the new state law that had been filed by the previous board. According to Local News 3, the City of Chattanooga remains a plaintiff in the suit. Mayor Tim Kelly's office says the former board also is still part of the lawsuit.