If you are a Tennessee-licensed attorney running for office this year, please let TBA know so we can share your news. While higher profile races get news coverage that we cover, many races will not make it into press reports. TBA Today wants to highlight lawyers making a difference in their communities through public service. To get your race covered, send an announcement of your candidacy and a head shot to tbatoday@tnbar.org. And if you are a candidate this cycle, TBA has resources to help you run an ethical campaign. Check out sessions from The Ethical Campaign CLE now available on demand as a 1-Click package or as individual programs.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s (AG) Office is warning consumers about scam websites posing as legitimate classic car and heavy equipment dealerships. These scams often involve sophisticated websites advertising vehicles or heavy machinery at extremely low prices. Fraudsters may go to great lengths to appear legitimate — answering phone calls, sending videos and even providing fake business licenses. But consumers who send money will ultimately lose it because the vehicles or equipment do not exist. In a news release, AG Jonathan Skrmetti says consumers should be cautious when shopping online and recommends inspecting items in person and taking precautions to verify the seller’s legitimacy before purchasing anything.

A divided Rutherford County Library System Board voted to move 132 books to adult sections in an effort members said is meant to protect children from gender confusion and violence. The move comes after a review of nearly 3,000 titles. The board defended its decision saying parents still can allow their children to have access to the books. Prior to the meeting, the national Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in Philadelphia wrote to members opposing any book bans. "Neither state nor federal law requires such removal, and removing books based on disagreement with their message would violate the First Amendment," the letter from FIRE said. The Tennessean has more on the story.

President Donald Trump will be in Memphis on Monday to "highlight the incredible achievements of the Memphis Safe Task Force," according to a White House spokesperson. The Commercial Appeal reports that the visit comes about six months after the task force began working in Memphis. Last November, U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Gov. Bill Lee and U.S. Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn were in the city to tout the work of the task force, which is made up of Tennessee National Guard and a dozen federal agencies.

The Judicial Ethics Committee released an ethics opinion on March 6 in response to a request for guidance on whether a part-time judge or a pro tempore part-time judge may function as a legal analyst providing “gavel to gavel” coverage of pending cases for a local television news station. The committee found that such a role would not be allowed under the Rules of Judicial Conduct. In the opinion, the committee cites Rule 2.10, which allows a judge to make public statements in the course of official duties, such as explaining court procedures, but prohibits “any public statement that might reasonably be expected to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of a matter pending or impending in any court … .” The committee concludes that allowing a judge to comment on how a case should proceed, is handled or was resolved “allows both the public and the judiciary to question our judicial system and could reasonably affect the outcome or impair the fairness of a pending or impending matter.” Read the full opinion.

Estefany Rodríguez, a Nashville news reporter arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was granted a $10,000 bond Monday but remains detained in Louisiana after government lawyers reserved the right to appeal, the Tennessee Lookout reports. If ICE appeals, she will remain in the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center until the Board of Immigration Appeals reviews the case; if they do not, she can be released on bond, according to the Nashville Banner. Rodríguez’s attorneys asked in their latest filing for her immediate release and an injunction preventing re-detention. The filing also detailed some of what she has endured since her detention on March 4, including five days in isolation in Alabama before her transfer late last week.

Tennessee has joined 20 other states in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review and overturn a federal appellate decision that struck down a Pennsylvania law requiring voters to handwrite the date on mail-in ballots. According to a press release, the brief supports a petition filed by the Republican National Committee and argues that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit wrongly invalidated the rule in Eakin v. Adams County Board of Elections. The states contend the decision interferes with the authority of state legislatures to regulate elections and oversteps constitutional limits on the judicial role. In the filing, the states argue the ruling undermines federalism and the separation of powers by giving federal courts undue authority over election administration. The coalition also noted that the Supreme Court has never held that a neutral ballot-casting regulation imposes a severe burden on the right to vote when it applies equally to all voters and asked the court to grant review and ultimately reverse the Third Circuit’s decision.

Metro Councilmember Zulfat Suara's federal lawsuit against her former employer, Meharry Medical College, now has a tentative schedule. According to the Nashville Banner newsletter, on Friday, the court set a date of Sept. 21, 2027. Suara sued last year, alleging that her 2024 dismissal from a finance position at the historically Black medical college was discriminatory, as she contended that other similarly situated employees not of her national origin and religious beliefs were treated differently when they were dismissed. Meharry is seeking dismissal and has responded by claiming that Suara has put nothing on the record to substantiate the claim that Suara's treatment was due to her religious beliefs or national origin.

Entries for the TBA Administrative Law Section's Annual Writing Competition for law students currently enrolled in a Tennessee law school are due April 30. The section hosts the competition to promote an interest in and understanding of administrative law in the state, and to strengthen the relationship among administrative law professors, students and practitioners in Tennessee. The winning submission will be published in the Administrative Law Section newsletter and the winner will be awarded $1,000. View the competition rules for more information.

Lawyers representing Tennessee foster children have filed a motion in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, for an emergency preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), the Nashville Post reports. The legal team is urging the court to end alleged “inhumane conditions” in transitional housing. A Better Childhood, a New York-based nonprofit watchdog organization, filed the lawsuit last year. The nonprofit is being assisted by lawyers at Bass Berry & Sims, Willkie Farr & Gallagher and the Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center. The new motion outlines “inhumane and unconstitutional conditions,” including physical abuse, overcrowding, lack of showers and medical care based on a December 2025 state audit of DCS. The motion seeks to correct these conditions for youths living in transitional housing and seeks ongoing monitoring of the facilities.