The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 21 issued an opinion ordering the release of documents sealed in connection with a criminal case. The Nashville Banner reports that the records are related to former Judge Cheryl Blackburn’s competence. The ruling comes after Banner reporting in 2024 revealed Blackburn had been falling asleep on the bench and struggling to remember attorneys' names — concerns that prompted defense lawyers to question her fitness for the job. Blackburn has since retired. “This is a landmark victory for public access to judicial records in Tennessee,” Nashville attorney Daniel Horwitz said. “The public will know more about what happens in our courts based on this decision."

Belmont University’s College of Law successfully piloted a new Conflict Resolution Clinic embedded at the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) during the 2026 spring semester. Highly requested by students, the new offering builds on the school's experiential learning curriculum and introductory foundation in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) course. The Conflict Resolution Clinic focuses on mediation in a hybrid clinic model sited at NCRC, a Nashville nonprofit that provides resources for court-ordered mediation in civil, family and domestic violence cases. Read more in a press release from the law school.

The Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) recognized community leader Bill Norton with its 2026 Liberty Bell Award during the organization’s Law Day Celebration on May 6. The award honors a non-lawyer who promotes a deeper understanding of the Constitution, encourages respect for the rule of law and fosters community leadership and responsibility. According to the Hamilton County Herald, Norton was recognized for his service as immediate past chair of the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council, parade chair of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Armed Forces Day Parade and leadership roles with Vietnam Veterans of America and the American Legion. Linda Moss Mines, recipient of the 1999 Liberty Bell Award, presented the honor to Norton during the luncheon event at St. John’s Restaurant.

For the third consecutive year, Harriman High School has been recognized with the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award, which recognizes public, charter, private and homeschool associations schools that register 100% of eligible students to vote. “The hard work displayed by Harriman High students and faculty continues to impress the community and the state,” said Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “To achieve Gold Level status for the third time in a row is a tremendous achievement.” Read more in a press release from Hargett's office.

Based on input from more than 1,300 legal professionals, the 2026 Legal Industry Report from 8am™ covers three major themes shaping the legal field right now: the rapid rise of legal AI, persistent gaps in access to justice and growing concern about the rule of law. Key findings from the survey include: 69% of legal professionals now use general-purpose AI tools, yet fewer than half of firms have provided training on how to use them responsibly; 76% of respondents believe AI could help narrow the access-to-justice gap; and 62% of lawyers say the rule of law is under threat. The report also explores where firms are seeing the biggest returns on technology investment. 8am™ is a TBA member benefit partner. Read the report or learn more about their products and services.

Tony Carruthers' execution was halted at the last minute after the contracted doctor failed to establish a viable IV line for the lethal injection. Unable to find a suitable vein, the doctor attempted to place a central line as required by protocol, but was not qualified to do so — and the attempt failed. An emergency filing was made to the Tennessee Supreme Court, after which Gov. Bill Lee issued a one-year reprieve. According to the Nashville Banner, Carruthers' ACLU attorney called it a "botched execution," saying her client had been "tortured" during the failed attempts to find a vein. Read more in a press release from the Middle Tennessee Federal Public Defender's Office about the failed execution. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the defender's office stated that the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) was refusing to confirm that they would not use expired lethal injection drugs to execute Carruthers. Tennessee’s 2025 Lethal Injection Protocol does not expressly forbid the state from using expired drugs in an execution. Rather, it imposes a system of regular and pre-execution inventories and requires appropriate disposal only if expired drugs are revealed during one such inventory. The Banner and The Associated Press report on the developments.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Council of Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently voted to eliminate a rule that requires law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in recruitment, admissions and student programming. Reuters reports that the move comes after the ABA Standards Committee determined that the council’s role as an accreditor “would be imminently threatened if the diversity and inclusion rule is not repealed." Read the committee's memo. In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Education Department to assess whether to suspend or terminate the ABA's role as the government's official law school accreditor. The rule has been suspended since February 2025. Any change will not become final until the ABA House of Delegates votes on the matter. Also last week, the council voted to gather public comments on eliminating a 2022 rule requiring law schools to educate students about bias, racism and cross-cultural competency, as well as a proposal to pare back a non-discrimination rule for students and faculty.

A Tennessee man will receive $835,000 from Perry County after he was jailed for 37 days for posting on social media about the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk, The Associated Press reports. Lexington resident Larry Bushart was arrested in September after refusing to take down Facebook memes that joked about Kirk's killing. The post that prompted his arrest referenced President Donald Trump's 2024 comments after a school shooting in Iowa. Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems claimed the meme amounted to a threat of mass violence for the local high school, which shares the name of the Iowa school. Bushart and his attorneys dispute that claim. As part of the settlement, the 61-year-old will drop the federal civil rights lawsuit he filed against the county for violating his constitutional rights. While Bushart, a former police officer, was in jail, he lost his post-retirement job, missed his wedding anniversary and was not present for the birth of his granddaughter.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes has announced that he is dealing with a brain tumor. In a public Facebook post, he said he will undergo surgery and begin chemotherapy soon. Starnes says he and his family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received since news of his condition began circulating, reports News Channel 9. "I am going to fight this tumor to the best of my ability and return to work if healthy enough to do so," he wrote. "In any event, I want to thank the people of Hamilton County for allowing me to serve as a General Sessions Court Judge for nearly 14 years thus far — it has been the honor of a lifetime."

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released a formal opinion on May 20 clarifying Rule 1.16(b)(5) of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. That rule permits a lawyer to withdraw from representation when “the client fails substantially to fulfill an obligation to the lawyer regarding the lawyer’s services and has been given reasonable warning that the lawyer will withdraw unless the obligation is fulfilled.” Formal Opinion 523 clarifies how these obligations can be formalized in engagement agreements and the ethical limitations on such provisions. Read more in a press release.