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.

Tennessee’s embattled Department of Children’s Services (DCS) still lacks oversight, according to a new audit from the state comptroller. Axios Nashville reports that while the audit found some improvements have been made, DCS still fails to meet the needs of abused and neglected children. The audit notes delayed and incomplete investigations of abuse and neglect claims, an over dependence on temporary transitional housing, delayed reporting of child fatalities, and a lack of oversight in juvenile detention. “These findings call for immediate attention and meaningful action to improve oversight, accountability and care for Tennessee’s most vulnerable children and youth,” an auditor told lawmakers this week.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in March on whether the National Guard has been legally deployed to Memphis, the Commercial Appeal reports. In an order filed today, the court agreed to hear the state’s appeal of a ruling from Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal that temporarily blocked the deployment. The court also granted the state’s request to expedite the appeal. Oral arguments have been scheduled for March 5, 2026, at 9 a.m. CST.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law announced in its Fall 2025 newsletter that it will rename the Institute for Professional Leadership in honor of the late Judge Pamela L. Reeves. A 1979 graduate of the law school, Reeves was the first woman to serve as both district judge and chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Prior to joining the bench, she was respected mediator in private practice and served as TBA president from 1998-1999. According to the school, the renaming is being made possible through the generosity of the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence George “Buck” T. Lewis and his wife Malinda. Lewis is a co-founder of the institute. A dedication ceremony will be held in the spring with support from Reeves’ husband and Knoxville lawyer Charles Swanson. Lewis and Swanson also are former TBA presidents.

Former police officer Larry Bushart has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Perry County and its sheriff, alleging his constitutional rights were violated in retaliation for protected speech. Bushart spent 37 days in jail after sharing a meme following the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk. According to WBBJ-TV, Bushart was arrested in September and held on a $2 million bond after Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems claimed the meme amounted to a threat of mass violence, an allegation Bushart and his attorneys, with the assistance of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, dispute. Other lawsuits have also been filed involving state and university employees who say they were terminated for comments related to Kirk.

Baker Donelson announced its expansion across the Carolinas with the opening of a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, office and the addition of 14 attorneys, marking the firm’s fourth new location in the region in four years. Baker Donelson Chair and CEO Timothy M. Lupinacci said that the new attorneys "bring leading practices in securities and corporate law, commercial real estate, construction and commercial litigation, and tax law — establishing a strong foundation for our future growth in this market and the broader region." The firm has offices in Chattanooga, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and across the Southeast. Read more in a press release.

Nashville’s Gordon Jewish Community Center (GJCC) is suing the Goyim Defense League (GDL) and several of its leaders, citing civil rights violations. According to the Nashville Post, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), along with Nashville attorney Benjamin K. Raybin, filed the complaint on GJCC’s behalf last week. The suit stems from a January incident in which a GDL member dressed in disguise allegedly illegally entered the center’s secured campus with the intent to intimidate the Jewish community. The complaint further claims the group violated a federal civil rights law.

A federal building in the heart of downtown Nashville leads the 2025 edition of the “Nashville Nine” list, the annual roundup of endangered historic properties assembled by the preservation nonprofit Historic Nashville Inc. According to the Tennessean, the Estes Kefauver Federal Building, a former federal courthouse approved this year for divestment, leads the list released Monday which also includes a former Music Row recording studio, two historic elementary schools slated for demolition, the home and studio of artist Alicia Henry, one of the region’s oldest log houses, historic stone walls and posts across the city, and a house believed to be a Trail of Tears witness structure. Historic Nashville President Ellen Dement Hurd said the list serves as the organization’s strongest advocacy tool, helping educate the public and decision-makers about preserving places significant to Nashville’s architectural, cultural and historical identity.