The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met in Jonesborough to select nominees for a vacancy in the 1st Judicial District Criminal Court. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the commission selected three lawyers: Blountville attorney Tessa Nichole Lunceford, Erwin lawyer Robert Mitchell Manuel and Jonesborough lawyer Lawrence Scott Shults. The candidate selected will fill a vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Stacy Street to the appellate bench. The 1st Judicial District covers Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties. Learn more about the candidates. 

A lawsuit against freight railroad company CSX Transportation is set to go to trial in August. A jury could determine the company’s role in the deaths of Waverly flood victims in 2021, the Tennessean reports. The plaintiffs allege that a debris-filled culvert owned by CSX acted like a dam, creating a large pool of floodwater. When the bridge and culvert gave way, they say it formed a “deadly tidal wave” that hit the heart of the small town. CSX has denied liability for the deaths in legal filings. The company’s attorneys write that the flood was tragic, there is no evidence that CSX played any role in the disaster.

Robertson County Attorney Clyde Richert will retire from his position effective July 1 after serving for 36 years as county attorney and practicing law in Springfield for 49 years, according to Main Street Media TN. Richert informed county commissioners of his decision during the May 18 Robertson County Commission meeting, saying he plans to transition responsibilities while remaining available to assist with ongoing county matters. A Springfield native and senior partner at Richert & Dilliha, Richert has represented Robertson County's elected and appointed officials in legal matters for nearly four decades. Richert said his son, Jarod Richert — who also works at the firm — could serve as interim county attorney until the county commission appoints a permanent replacement. He plans to continue his private law practice.

A Davidson County Chancery Court judge has denied a request from death row inmate Tony Carruthers for an independent medical examination following Tennessee's failed attempt to execute him last month, WPLN reports. Carruthers' attorneys sought the examination after execution personnel were unable to establish an IV and a physician unsuccessfully attempted to gain access through other parts of his body before the execution was halted. They also have raised questions about the doctor who was on hand for the procedure. While denying the medical exam request, the court ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve all equipment, records, communications and other materials related to the execution attempt. Carruthers' legal team is arguing that the incident is relevant to ongoing litigation, which is challenging Tennessee's lethal injection protocol and alleging deficiencies in the training and oversight of execution personnel.

A detainee at the Shelby County Jail died early in the morning today, a spokesperson with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office confirmed. According to the Commercial Appeal, Coltral Pondexter, who was detained at the main jail at 201 Poplar, experienced a medical emergency. The Memphis Fire Department was called and transported the inmate to Regional One Health. Pondexter was pronounced dead at the hospital. The spokesperson said the sheriff's office was investigating Pondexter's death. Last year, 13 inmates reportedly died in custody at the jail.

A new study from Stanford Law School found that law professors preferred artificial intelligence-generated responses over answers written by fellow professors when evaluating common first-year law student questions. According to Reuters, professors from 14 law schools compared responses from faculty members and two AI platforms and selected the AI-generated answers as more beneficial to students 75% of the time. Researchers said the findings suggest AI is capable of sophisticated legal reasoning and could serve as an effective tutoring tool for law students. 

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a phone scam accusing them of shirking jury duty. A recent victim told the department that an unknown caller threatened them with arrest and used real personal information to pressure them into compliance. The sheriff’s office says real officers will never demand cash payment to avoid arrest, issue a “gag order” over the phone or threaten additional charges for hanging up. They urge residents who receive suspicious calls to hang up and reach out directly to the sheriff’s office. News Channel 5 has more on the scam.

Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County General Sessions Court has announced the hiring of its first court social worker, Laura Frazier, a move court leaders say will help connect individuals with critical services while navigating legal proceedings. Fox17 reports that Frazier's responsibilities include helping connect individuals with resources such as housing assistance, food programs, health care, mental health services, employment support and other community-based services. Presiding Judge Robin Kimbrough Hayes said in a statement, "Social workers bring vital human context to the adversarial court system. ... By bridging the gap between legal proceedings and human needs, they advocate for clients, provide holistic assessments, and guide vulnerable individuals through the complexities of the justice system." Frazier previously worked with Nashville's Shelter Court, where she helped people experiencing homelessness access services and community programs.

OpenAI has hired Ironclad co-founder and former CEO Jason Boehmig to lead a new legal vertical, marking the AI company's direct entry into the market for legal-specific tools. Boehmig, a former corporate attorney who co-founded contract management platform Ironclad in 2014 and recently transitioned to executive chairman there, said he sees the legal industry as more dynamic than ever as firms, in-house teams and law schools all grapple with generative AI. The move follows similar pushes into legal tech by Anthropic, which launched a suite of legal plug-ins for Claude earlier this year, and Microsoft, which released an AI legal agent within Word in April. Law.com has more on the story.

Senior Judge Don R. Ash has been assigned to oversee the cases of 11 current and former Knox County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) employees, including former Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones, indicted on charges of conspiring to illegally spend drug funds and misuse department staff time. According to WBIR, Ash was assigned because Knox County judicial personnel have personal connections to several defendants. Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen similarly recused herself, and Steven Crump, executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, has been appointed district attorney general pro tem. The indictments — stemming from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe built on a prior federal investigation — came shortly after a county Republican primary in which two of the defendants ran for sheriff. That race ultimately was won by a KCSO employee who was not among those charged. Knox News has more on the case.