A group of West Nashville residents has filed a 20-page ethics complaint against District 20 Councilmember Rollin Horton, accusing him of misuse of office, retaliation, doxxing and interfering with political activity in response to their efforts to oppose his successful rezoning plan for The Nations, according to the Nashville Post. The complaint stems largely from a failed recall effort and cites incidents including an Instagram post that displayed a resident’s address, police being called on petition gatherers and alleged pressure on business owners. Horton denies the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated, and says the rezoning followed extensive community engagement. Metro Legal now has two weeks to determine whether the complaint merits a full hearing before the Board of Ethical Conduct. WPLN also reports on the developments.

Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Lonnie Thompson grew up in poverty in South Memphis and originally planned to become a classical pianist, earning a scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory. His participation in student protests against South African apartheid led him to shift his focus from music to law. Thompson went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown and built a wide-ranging legal career before becoming a judge. And he still plays piano and organ at his Memphis church! Now elected president of the General Sessions Judges Conference, he hopes to improve court efficiency and expand community outreach. "I think general sessions is a very, very special court because it’s the court of first impression," Thompson said. "Our citizens get to see exactly what the court system is like, and they are more likely to encounter us before they will any judge on any other level." Read more in this profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Bradley County authorities have arrested a Cleveland man on allegations that he drove his car toward an area  judge who was walking a pet along a neighborhood street. Joshua Dale Philip Sanford faces charges of aggravated assault and retaliation for a past action, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The incident, described by investigators as an assault, was reported Thursday. The judge involved has not been identified.

A federal judge has declined to block ongoing book bans at one of Tennessee’s largest school districts ahead of a full trial next fall, the Tennessee Lookout reports. In April, after months of school board meetings and the removal of more than 140 books from school libraries, three high school students sued the Rutherford County Board of Education. The students, represented by the ACLU-TN, argued in initial filings that the book bans violated their First Amendment rights and disadvantaged students by limiting access to “crucial, acclaimed and historical works.” Judge Eli Richardson this week denied a preliminary injunction, declining to stop the district from restricting access to books while the case proceeds. Attorneys for both sides declined to comment on the ruling according to the news source.

President Donald Trump on Friday named new federal district court judge nominees, including Brian Lea for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, according to Reuters. Lea, a former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and partner at Jones Day, joined the U.S. Department of Justice near the beginning of Trump’s return to office. In the announcement on social media, Trump said, “In his new role, Brian will boldly defend our Constitution and prioritize law and order in Tennessee — he will not let you down.” Trump also nominated Justin Olson to fill a district court seat in the Southern District of Indiana and Megan Benton of Missouri to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The new picks bring to 34 the number of judicial nominees Trump has announced in his second term. The U.S. Senate has confirmed 19 of them, adding to the 234 judicial nominees confirmed during Trump’s first term.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee last week announced two new appointments to the judicial branch. Bethany Glandorf will serve as circuit court judge in the 20th Judicial District, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Phillip Robinson. Matthew Colvard will serve as district attorney in the 31st Judicial District, appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Christopher Stanford. Both appointments are effective immediately. Glandorf currently serves as special master for the 20th Judicial District's 3rd Circuit Court. She earned her law degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. Colvard currently serves as interim district attorney for the 31st Judicial District. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law. “I am proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals and value the significant experience they will bring to their respective roles,” Lee said in a news release.

Federal sentencing dates for two former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols have been canceled, the Daily Memphian reports. Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., who both pleaded guilty to their roles in Nichols’ death, were scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18 and Dec. 19, respectively. Prosecutors have recommended 40 years for Martin and 15 years for Mills. It is unclear why Martin’s sentencing date was canceled according to the paper. Blake Ballin, Mills’ attorney, argued in a request to move Mills’ sentencing that it should be postponed while the appeals process plays out for his and Martin’s three co-defendants. New dates have not yet been set for either defendant.

Meta Platforms Inc. won a court ruling that its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp do not violate U.S. antitrust law, Bloomberg Law reports. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington D.C. ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) failed to prove the deals allowed Meta to illegally monopolize the social networking market. “Whether or not Meta enjoyed monopoly power in the past, though, the agency must show that it continues to hold such power now. The court’s verdict today determines that the FTC has not done so,” Boasberg wrote. The decision is a setback for the FTC, which sued Meta for antitrust violations in 2020 during the first Trump administration.

Harvard Law School Library announced Thursday it has released the first complete set of digitized evidentiary documents and trial transcripts from all 13 Nuremberg Trials, marking the 80th anniversary of the first tribunal’s start on Nov. 20, 1945, according to a press release from the law school. The collection, now fully available on the library’s Nuremberg Trials Project website, includes more than 140,000 documents totaling over 750,000 pages, surpassing the roughly 20% previously accessible to the public. The project, which began in 1998, involved years of digitizing, transcribing and cataloging materials that were deteriorating in storage. Harvard officials said the updated archive allows users worldwide to search transcripts, view document analyses and access images, with full keyword searchability expected soon. The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted top Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity, creating a foundational historical record of the Holocaust and establishing principles for modern international law.

A coalition that includes a former Metro Nashville Public Schools administrator and parents of Tennessee public school students on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee’s universal voucher law, arguing that the program violates the Tennessee Constitution. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the lawsuit seeks a judgment declaring the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act program is unconstitutional and violates the state constitution by shifting public funds to unaccountable private schools that “openly discriminate” against students. In its first year, the program has provided vouchers worth nearly $7,300 to 20,000 students, with lawmakers seeking to double participation next year. The plaintiffs say the law harms public education by funding schools outside the state system. State officials have defended the program as expanding educational options for families.