Belmont University College of Law recently announced that 2L Ryesa McGehee is this year’s winner in the law school's seventh annual Legal Fiction Workshop. “Routine and Habit” is a gritty story about one defense attorney’s willingness to follow her intuition wherever it may lead. McGehee's story is also eligible for the American Bar Association (ABA) Ross Essay Contest for Legal Short Fiction, which will be decided later this summer. The story was chosen by community reader Frank Toub, who said, "The author tells the all too familiar story of an attorney who, in going the extra mile for a client, oversteps to her own detriment." While a student at Belmont Law, Toub participated in the 2022 Legal Fiction Workshop and won the ABA's Ross Essay Contest.

Former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. Nashville attorney Barry Howard, who nominated Page for the award, praised Page’s substantial and enduring contributions to public service and the legal system. A dedicated advocate for access to justice, “he consistently supported legal aid organizations, speaking whenever called upon and championing initiatives to assist underserved communities,” Howard said. Page also played a key role during his time on the bench in advancing resources for indigent defense, including efforts to increase compensation for court-appointed counsel and the creation of an appellate division within the public defender’s office to alleviate systemic burdens. He also worked “to expand access for self-represented litigants by promoting the availability of user-friendly forms and ensuring that pro se parties were treated with fairness, patience and respect in his courtroom,” according to Howard.

In announcing this year’s recipient, TBA President Heidi Barcus said the association is honoring Page for his commitment to ensuring access to legal representation across the state. "The TBA is honored to recognize former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page for his 40-plus years of service to the Tennessee legal community. Throughout his time on the bench, Page has been a strong advocate for access to justice, especially in Tennessee’s rural counties, and has always handled the cases before him with humility and fairness, embodying the spirit of former Justice Frank Drowota." The award will be presented at the annual Lawyers Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Knoxville. Read more about Page in a press release from the TBA.

Anthropic PBC is angling to be a major direct provider of legal technology with its latest rollout, extending beyond its original role as a maker of large language models, Bloomberg Law reports. This week, the company unveiled 12 new AI tools for specific legal practice areas including corporate, regulatory and employment law. The plugins are bundles of various skills for the company’s AI model Claude and connections to other legal software. According to legal technology consultants, Claude was already the favored AI tool for lawyers and these new products could change Anthropic’s role in the legal industry. “This represents a major transition for Claude from backroom to front room,” says Rudy DeFelice, who consults with corporate legal teams at Harbor.

State officials will officially take the reins of metropolitan and regional airports across Tennessee this week. According to the Tennessean, by July, the boards running Tennessee's top four airports will be replaced with a majority of state-selected commissioners. During the legislative session, lawmakers argued they should have more oversight since the state contributes to airport operations. The bill passed on April 23, and automatically will become law on May 21, unless Gov. Bill Lee vetoes it. The law gives the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the speaker of the Senate two appointees each. Local officials have opposed the law. The Metro Nashville Council recently passed a resolution opposing the measure, and Chattanooga airport officials are considering legal action.

The 12th annual Justice Innovation Awards ceremony will be held during the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) 89th Annual Conference July 19-22 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville. Two awards will be presented recognizing individuals and organizations that rethink and advance justice for children and families. The Impact of the Year Award honors a Tennessee individual, court, law firm, advocacy group or service provider that has led significant improvements supporting the organization’s mission. The Innovator of the Year Award recognizes an active NCJFCJ member who has led or promoted nationally significant innovation in juvenile justice, family law, domestic violence or child abuse and neglect. Nominations for both awards close June 5. Read more in a release. 

An investiture ceremony and reception for Kyle A. Hixson, who will be the newest justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, will take place July 7 at noon EDT. The ceremony will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, 604 South Gay St., Knoxville 37902. Gov. Bill Lee will administer the oath of office, and a reception will follow. View the invitation. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by June 26 to TSCRSVP@TNcourts.gov. Gov. Bill Lee appointed Hixson to the high court in January. The General Assembly approved the nomination in March. He will replace retiring Justice Holly Kirby when she steps down at the end of June.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Metro Councilmember Terry Vo and several Tennessee taxpayers filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking to block the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) from participating in joint immigration enforcement operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Nashville Banner, the lawsuit alleges THP troopers unlawfully stopped motorists suspected of being noncitizens so ICE agents could investigate immigration status. The group argues the practice violates the Fourth and 14th amendments through warrantless arrests and racial profiling. Plaintiffs also claim the operations divert state resources away from traffic safety enforcement. The suit seeks to bar THP from coordinating with federal immigration agents on such operations and from making traffic stops based on race or ethnicity.

Morgan County District Attorney (DA) General Russell Johnson said the stabbing death of corrections officer Dustin Pedigo at the county correctional complex remains his office’s top priority as the case heads to the grand jury later this month. According to WBIR, prison-generated cases from the facility now outnumber non-prison criminal cases on the county’s docket, with more than 200 cases pending over the past two years. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate Pedigo’s death and what Johnson describes as “various issues” at the prison, including allegations from current and former employees involving intimidation and retaliation tied to safety concerns. Gov. Bill Lee, who visited the facility following Pedigo’s death, called the incident “a tremendous tragedy” and said the state must continue working to improve prison safety. Prosecutors plan to present the case to the grand jury on May 26 and could consider seeking the death penalty if a first-degree murder indictment is returned.

On Monday, Metro Nashville filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Publix in federal court, alleging the grocery store’s pharmacy contributed to local and national opioid crises by failing to monitor suspicious orders of oxycodone and other painkillers. According to the Nashville Banner newsletter, the complaint also alleges that Publix failed to “implement adequate policies and provide tools to its pharmacists to conduct due diligence prior to dispensing opioids,” all while allegedly deceiving public officials in Nashville. The complaint mentions that Tennessee has the third-highest amount of opioid prescriptions, and that Nashville “is at the center of a rising opioid epidemic in the United States.” In 2025, Publix settled a similar lawsuit in federal court.

Vanderbilt Law School recognized 20 members of the Class of 2026 with academic, leadership, journal and citizenship awards during commencement ceremonies. Recipients represented students from across the country and internationally. Read the full list of award recipients on the Vanderbilt Law School website.