Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) volunteered at a Tennessee Free Legal Answers clinic in July in partnership with Memphis Area Legal Services. The pro bono clinic, held monthly, provides members of the Memphis community with the opportunity to meet one-on-one with volunteer attorneys to discuss a wide range of legal issues. Each month, different organizations and law firms participate by providing volunteer attorneys. During the July clinic, volunteers assisted more than 50 clients. TBA YLD Board members Chris Kelley and Faith Watson were among the 18 attorneys and six non-attorneys who assisted. See a photo from the event.

Jarod Richert was appointed interim Robertson County attorney after his father, Clyde, stepped down from the position effective July 1. County Mayor Billy Vogle told The Connection that a permanent county attorney will be appointed by the incoming county mayor, following the Aug. 6 general election. Jarod Richert earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and practices at the Springfield law firm of Richert & Dilliha. Clyde Richert will continue his private law practice.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined a coalition of 43 attorneys general in announcing a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe. The agreement resolves the states' claims stemming from the company's 2023 data breach that exposed the sensitive genetic and personal information of 6.9 million customers worldwide. States will recover $18 million in available funds, with Tennessee expecting to receive $348,687. The breach affected millions of consumers, including 116,395 Tennesseans, exposing sensitive information such as genetic ancestry data and other personal information. Read more in a press release from the states.

Attorneys for Darrell Hines, the next person scheduled to be executed in Tennessee, have filed a motion to compel the state to answer two questions: whether the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) plans to use Dr. Mark Fowler — the medical professional who reportedly struggled to establish a central IV line during Tony Carruthers’ failed execution — in Hines’ execution; and whether TDOC plans to use expired drugs in Hines’ execution. The motions are part of an ongoing legal challenge to the state’s lethal injection protocol. WJHL News Channel 11 and WPLN report on the filing. Hines is scheduled to be executed on Aug. 13.

Crime in Nashville continued to decline during the first half of 2026, reflecting a broader national trend, according to the Tennessean. Metro Nashville Police Department data show overall violent crime decreased 16.7% and property crime fell 19.9% compared with the same period last year. Homicides dropped 29.4%, robberies declined 25.6%, aggravated assaults fell 17.6%, auto thefts decreased 39.7% and burglaries were down 7.3%, while reported rape cases increased 7.4%. Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Police Chief John Drake credited the decline to precision policing, community engagement initiatives, partnerships such as the department's Partners in Care program and the opening of the city's Southeast Police Precinct.

Ongoing repair work from a water-main break last month has forced the temporary closure of select courtrooms at the Walter L. Bailey Criminal Justice Center into a second day Tuesday, the Daily Memphian reports. The courtroom closures are a direct result of the flooding that initially shut down the building June 29. For individuals who are not in custody or in jail, cases scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the affected divisions will not be heard. The ongoing construction traces back to late June when a ruptured water line left the complex without running water.

The offices of U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett and U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty have agreed to forward materials from the Knox County Sheriff's Office investigations into a teenager's death to the FBI, Knox News reports. Ruth Dolin, the mother of 15-year-old Conor Dolin, who died in a Knox County car crash in 2022, sent the elected officials investigative files, public records responses and internal affairs findings. Dolin's family filed a lawsuit in Knox County Circuit Court alleging the sheriff's office was negligent in its investigation of the accident. A hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for July 17. The family's attorney said the lawsuit and any potential FBI investigation are separate matters.

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Lawrence Scott Shults to the 1st Judicial District Criminal Court, filling a vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Stacy Street to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. The appointment takes effect immediately. Shults currently serves as an assistant district attorney for the 1st Judicial District. He earned a bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University and a law degree from the Appalachian School of Law. “I am proud to announce the appointment of Scott Shults, and value the significant experience he will bring to the bench,” Lee said in a press release. The 1st Judicial District serves Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.

A classroom in East Tennessee is the setting of a new true crime docuseries, "Murder 101" on Amazon Prime, and the students are the stars. According to Knox News, the series follows teacher Alex Campbell's Elizabethton High School sociology class as students try to solve the "Redhead Murders." The unsolved murders date back to the late 1970s. Many of the victims were women and girls and were found abandoned along major highways in the South. Several of the women's bodies were discovered in Tennessee and remained unidentified for decades. The series highlights the students' work identifying previously unnamed victims and collaborating with law enforcement while documenting their classroom's unique, student-led approach to learning. Campbell said the production was designed to focus on both the victims and the student experience.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) has released the results of its 2026 member survey evaluating appellate judges standing for retention in Tennessee's Aug. 6 general election. According to a press release, a majority of respondents recommended retention for each candidate. Conducted electronically from June 18 to July 2, the survey drew responses from 335 KBA members and included two Tennessee Supreme Court justices and three Eastern Section appellate judges. According to the results, Justice Kyle A. Hixson received 93.41% support for retention, Justice Mary L. Wagner received 91%, Court of Appeals Judge William E. Phillips II received 90.45%, and Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Stacy L. Street received 93.26% while Judge Steven W. Sword received 95.85%. Early voting begins July 17 and runs through Aug. 1. The KBA said the survey is intended to help inform voters about judicial retention candidates. It has additional election resources and candidate information on its website.