Metro Nashville joined a national lawsuit earlier this month challenging federal funding cuts to homelessness programs. According to the Nashville Post, the city joined four other local governments and numerous nonprofits in an 85-page complaint alleging the Trump administration changed funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care program without congressional approval, public comment or an official transition plan. The complaint notes that the funding is critical to Nashville’s homelessness initiatives and thus cuts will significantly scale back local efforts. Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a news release that the new rules will “undo proven, lifesaving programs Nashville has used for years to move people from homelessness to successfully housed.” On Friday, a federal court in Rhode Island temporarily blocked the cuts, which O'Connell praised.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for its January docket in Knoxville on Jan. 8, 2026. Oral arguments will be heard at the Tennessee Supreme Court building and livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. Beginning at 9 a.m. EST, the court will hear two cases: Tri-State Insurance Company of Minnesota a/s/o Campus Chalet Inc. v. East Tennessee Sprinkler Company Inc., which involves the application of Tennessee’s four-year statute of repose for construction-related property damage claims, and Preston Garner et al. v. Southern Baptist Convention et al., which raises questions about defamation, church autonomy and the Tennessee Public Participation Act.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month called the American Bar Association’s (ABA) law school accreditation system a “monopoly” that increases the cost of legal education and limits the supply of new lawyers, endorsing a proposal by the Texas Supreme Court to end the state’s reliance on ABA accreditation for bar admission, Reuters reports. In a letter to that court, the FTC criticized current accreditation standards — including a now-suspended diversity rule — and noted that other states such as Florida and Ohio are reviewing their requirements, while the ABA has launched a review of the standards. The chair of the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently addressed these state reviews in a Bloomberg Law opinion piece.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland has ordered U.S. immigration officials not to re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia after his release from immigration detention until the court holds a hearing on a motion for a temporary restraining order, WSMV reports. Abrego Garcia appeared Dec. 12 for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office after being released. To try to protect their client, Abrego Garcia's lawyers asked Xinis to block authorities from detaining him again.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) announced it has been awarded a $209,056 Technology Initiative Grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to help fund improvements to its legal helpline intake system. The technology program distributes annual grants to legal services providers across the United States. This year, LSC is awarding 32 grants totaling $4.2 million for projects that use technology to improve legal services for low-income Americans and increase access to high-quality legal assistance, the judicial system and legal information. LAS will use the grant to integrate artificial intelligence agents into its intake system. The upgraded system will be scalable, secure and offer multilingual intake capabilities, according to the group. By automating processes and improving data accuracy, the technology hopefully will shorten wait times and expand access to legal help.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has sued online gaming platform Roblox, alleging the company violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act by misleading consumers about safety risks to children on its platform. The lawsuit claims Roblox has for years deceived Tennesseans about serious dangers to minors, prioritizing profits over child safety. “Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground,” Skrmetti said in a news release. The attorney general’s office is working with the Nashville-based law firm Stranch, Jennings & Garvey PLLC, including founding and managing member J. Gerard Stranch IV, to prosecute the case on behalf of the state.

According to a press release from Gov. Bill Lee, longtime state employee and attorney Andy Kidd will lead the Tennessee Department of General Services beginning Jan. 15, 2026. Kidd will take over for Jeff Holmes, who has served in an interim role since former commissioner Matt Van Epps stepped down after winning his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. Kidd currently serves as the deputy commissioner of fiscal and administrative services at the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging. He previously served with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration and in the General Services’ central procurement office. He holds a master’s and bachelor's degree in business administration from East Tennessee State University and a law degree from Nashville School of Law.

More than 30 people, including country music star and Nashville native Jelly Roll, have been pardoned by Gov. Bill Lee, WKRN reports. According to officials, each case was extensively reviewed and the Tennessee Board of Parole was heavily involved in the decision-making. “After thoroughly reviewing the merits of each case, I have decided to grant 33 individuals executive clemency,” Lee said. “Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the Board of Parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process.” All 33 reportedly have served their sentences and are not subject to any type of supervision. The Tennessean has the full list of those pardoned.

Missouri-founded law firm Spencer Fane, which has offices in Nashville, will enter the New York market through a merger with Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe. The move, set to take effect on Feb. 2, 2026, will leave the firm with 700 lawyers in 31 U.S. offices. The news comes as law firm mergers are heating up. Reuters reports that Chicago-founded Winston & Strawn and UK firm Taylor Wessing plan to merge in May while international firm Ashurst and Perkins Coie plan to merge later in 2026. The news source also reports that mergers increased through the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

A longtime corrections officer at Knox County's Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center has filed a lawsuit alleging leadership at the facility discriminated against him because he is Black. Knox News reports that Antonio Smith says he was subjected to harassment and baseless allegations, including claims that he was involved in gang and other criminal activity, that he deprived children at the facility of their rights and repeatedly broke the law, and that he had an inappropriate relationship with a female supervisor. The suit was filed Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court against the county, former interim superintendent Brian Bivens, current interim superintendent Cory Dauer and supervisor Brad Sabol.