Gov. Bill Lee announced today that Stuart McWhorter, the longtime entrepreneur and venture capital investor who once ran the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, will replace Bob Rolfe as Tennessee's economic development commissioner. Currently, McWhorter is chairman of Nashville-based FirstBank. The move marks McWhorter's return to the Lee administration. He previously served as Lee's first commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration, before leaving that role in 2020. Bob Rolfe is leaving the administration on July 10. The Nashville Business Journal looks at the role Rolfe played in securing two of Nashville's largest jobs announcements: Oracle and Amazon.

A California resident has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly telling officials he wanted to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, The Hill reports. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old California resident Nicholas John Roske, called 911 from near the justice’s home, allegedly saying he was having suicidal thoughts and intended to kill Kavanaugh. He also allegedly told a detective that he was upset about the leak of a recent draft court opinion on abortion and the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Roske appeared in a Maryland federal court today. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) raised more than $127,000 during its Breakfast of Champions fundraiser on April 6. The money raised will help LAS ensure Middle Tennesseans have access to the justice system, overcome unfair circumstances and receive equal justice under the law. Jennifer Kraus, weekend news anchor for Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, hosted the event, which featured powerful personal statements from several LAS clients and a keynote address from former Tennessee Titans football player Eddie George, who spoke on leadership, adversity and what it means to be a champion. Read more about the event from LAS.

The Rutherford County Commission is launching an oversight board for its Juvenile Detention Center following a report last year that exposed the county’s troubled history of illegally jailing children, the Daily News Journal reports. The commission hopes to appoint five members to the board by August. The board will have oversight of the juvenile detention center, the director, policies, procedures and budget plans submitted to the commission for approval. Those interested in applying for the board can obtain applications from the mayor’s office. Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport, who was at the center of the investigation into the county’s arresting and jailing of more than 1,000 juveniles, announced she would retire in August. Republican Travis Lampley and Independent Andrae Crismon are competing for Davenport’s seat on the bench in the August election.

Merchant & Gould PC, a national intellectual property law firm with a Knoxville office, has announced the launch of the M&G Integrator Program – a business consulting group that will offer product and service companies a new way to protect their brands in the fast-paced online marketplace. The group will serve clients in every industry, balance timely business strategies with a critical legal lens and complement its Internet Cybersecurity & E-Commerce (ICE) Practice. Read the full release.

Former state Rep. Michael Curcio has announced he’ll be joining Nashville-based Talbert Government Relations LLC as an equity member and partner. Founded by Jill Talbert in 2012, the firm is one of the state’s few female-founded, female-owned government relations firms. Curcio for six years represented state House District 69, which covers Hickman and parts of Maury and Dickson counties. He was appointed chair of the House Judiciary Committee his first year in office and was chair of the Criminal Justice Committee when he announced he would not seek re-election. “Chairman Curcio’s experience in state government, his ability to navigate complex regulatory issues and his breadth of knowledge of Tennessee’s Capitol Hill will make this a great partnership,” Talbert said. Read the full release here.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is now accepting nominations for its annual access to justice awards. The Janice M. Holder Award, the B. Riney Green Award and the New Advocate of the Year award recognize those who have contributed to Tennessee’s equal justice community and will be awarded during the annual Equal Justice University (EJU) conference on Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Nominations and supporting documents are due by July 8. Visit TALS’ award nomination page for nomination instructions, the awards nomination form, and specific eligibility and criteria for each of the three awards.

Tennessee lawmakers last year created a rare chance for defendants on death row to have their sentences reviewed under new intellectual disability standards. Attorneys for Byron Black — who was sentenced to death for three 1998 murders — now have filed an appeal with the state Court of Criminal Appeals after Senior Judge Walter Kurtz declined to review it earlier this year, the Tennessean reports. Kurtz ruled that because Black previously challenged his sentence under the old law and lost, he is not eligible to bring a challenge under the new law. Black’s attorneys have long argued Black’s intellectual disabilities should bar him from execution. Nashville’s district attorney also supported the motion considered by Kurtz, which would have allowed Black's sentence to be reset to life in prison without parole.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue has started issuing notices related to 2022 legislation affecting the agency. Notices issued last week include one related to a change in county motor vehicle title fees and six related to application of the state sales tax, including for computer software, gun safes and safety devices, broadband investment, coins/currency/bullion, vendor’s compensation, and food tax holiday. To receive alerts as new notices are issued, sign up for the department’s email list.

Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order today directing the state to evaluate school security and training for Tennessee law enforcement News Channel 5 reports. Executive Order 97 is also meant to promote engagement with parents and schools to enhance safety, Lee said. Under the plan, the state is tasked with updating its school safety plan, conducting an independent safety assessment, and creating new training and education materials on school safety. The state also will assess law enforcement training standards and evaluate the use of armed security guards at non-public schools. Finally, state agencies will help school districts implement current laws, which require an annual security assessment and submission of a safety plan. Under the order, schools also must increase the frequency of security audits.