The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is currently accepting applications for two state court judicial positions: Circuit Court judge in the 16th Judicial District, which covers Rutherford and Cannon Counties, and Circuit Court judge in the 21st Judicial District, which covers Williamson County. A public hearing to consider applicants for Circuit Court judge in the 16th Judicial District will be held Aug. 30 in the Rutherford County Commission Meeting Room in the Historic Courthouse located at South Public Square, Murfreesboro 37130, at 9 a.m. CDT. A public hearing for applicants to the Circuit Court judge in the 21st District will held Aug. 31 in the Mayor and Aldermen Board Room in the Franklin City Hall located at 109 3rd Ave S., Franklin 37064, at 9 a.m. CDT. Click here for more information.

The Johnson County judge who resigned last month following accusations of inappropriate behavior says he will not seek reinstatement to the position, The Tomahawk reports. Former judge Perry Stout had initially said he hoped to return to the bench. Stout is accused of having sex with a county employee in the courthouse and socializing with people who had cases before him while failing to disclose those relationships. The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct (TBJC) reportedly sent a letter to the Johnson County Commission which revealed it is preparing to initiate formal charges against him. An executive assistant to the Johnson County Mayor said that after being provided a copy of the letter from the TBJC, Stout decided to withdraw his name from consideration. WJHL-TV has additional details on the story.

Zoe Jamail, a policy coordinator for Disability Rights Tennessee, said during a hearing Thursday that new rules proposed by the Department of Children's Services (DCS) to increase accountability could open the door to more privatized youth prisons in Tennessee, reports the Tennessean. In May, DCS proposed a new subcategory: hardware secure residential childcare agencies (HSRCCAs). The term refers to prison-like security conditions, the most restrictive setting the department can place a youth. Jamail said implementation of the rules could create the "potential for the unnecessary institutionalization of youth with disabilities in facilities that are effectively exempt from requirements that are vital to the safety of children."

A group of 25 state attorneys general, including Tennessee's Jonathan Skrmetti urged the Biden administration on Thursday to abandon a proposal to sharply cut vehicle tailpipe emissions, reports Reuters. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new standards for 2027-2032 vehicles that would cut emissions by 56%. The attorneys general, led by Daniel Cameron of Kentucky and Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, said the EPA proposal "would damage our economy, tax our electrical grids and the families and businesses who depend on them, and threaten our national security." Read the AG's press release.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Service (TALS) has announced a new grant partnership with the Tennessee Department of Human Services to provide more access to free, civil legal services for families and children throughout Tennessee, reports Channel 9 in Chattanooga. The new statewide network, Family Centered Legal Solutions (FCLS), will reach out to all 95 counties in Tennessee to help identify and address the core legal issues that often lead to poverty and family instability. Families with children can access the FCLS’s free legal services either by calling the helpline at 1-844-HELP4TN or by contacting the legal aid firm in their area.

The City of Memphis, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis and other defendants in a $550 million civil case filed in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols joined attorneys for Nichols' mother Wednesday in opposing recent motions filed by former Memphis police officers to pause the civil proceedings, reports the Commercial Appeal. In June, TBA Today reported that attorneys for four former officers are requesting that the civil lawsuit filed by Nichols’ family be halted until the criminal case is finished. In their motions, attorneys claimed that the civil case could be prejudicial to the criminal case.

The Justice Department filed notice of appeal Wednesday regarding a federal court ruling that would limit the Biden administration’s communication with social media companies, reports The Hill. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty of Louisiana directed the Biden administration to limit contact with social media companies. The appeal will go to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which based in New Orleans. A Justice Department official said the agency expects to request a stay of the district court’s decision. Read more about the ruling. 

Former state Sen. Roy Herron was injured on Saturday during a jet ski accident at Kentucky Lake, WBBJ-TV reports. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which responded to the incident, said it is investigating the crash of two personal watercraft. Herron apparently was riding with another person, who also was seriously injured. Both were airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to WSMV-TV, Herron’s family says he has broken bones, internal bleeding and a badly injured arm, but is improving. Herron, a Democrat, was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1986. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 and served through 2012. Since retiring from the legislature, he has been practicing law in Dresden.

Chancellor Jeff Atherton today upheld a contract between Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor and the County Commission that extended his term until 2025, the Chattanoogan reports. County Mayor Weston Wamp had earlier tried to fire Taylor and said he was "disappointed by the court’s ruling" and believes "this high-profile case should have been handled outside Hamilton County by a judge who does not personally know the parties."

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is offering free “Baby in the Back” hangtags to remind parents and caregivers that there is a baby in the back seat. The effort is designed to prevent heat-related child deaths by reminding drivers there is a child in the car before they leave the vehicle unattended. Sign up online to receive a hangtag. For questions about the program email communications.sos@tn.gov.