Michael Dunavant was sworn in Oct. 10 as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris administered the oath of office during a brief ceremony at the Odell Horton Federal Building in Memphis, according to a press release. Dunavant was nominated by President Donald Trump in June and confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this month. He is serving for the second time as the president-appointed, Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney for the district. He also is the first person to hold the position twice after previously serving from 2017 to 2021 during Trump’s first administration. A native of Ripley, Dunavant earned his law degree with honors from the University of Mississippi and has practiced law in Tennessee since 1995.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider five applicants when it meets to select nominees for an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice Holly Kirby on June 30, 2026. The applicants are: Court of Appeals Judge Carma Dennis McGee, Court of Criminal Appeals Judges J. Ross Dyer and Kyle A. Hixson, Memphis lawyer Shea Sisk Wellford, and Eileen Kuo, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Public interviews are scheduled for Nov. 25 at 9 a.m. CST in the courtroom of the Nashville Supreme Court Building located at 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville 37219. At the conclusion of the interviews, the council will vote to send three applicants to the governor. Any member of the public may attend the hearing and express, orally or in writing, objections concerning any of the applicants. Those with questions should contact Administrative Office of the Court’s Assistant General Counsel Laura Blount at 615-741-2687.

The Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation (TJCF) set up a legacy scholarship to honor the late Judge James Curwood Witt Jr. over ths summer. The foundation will match funds up to $12,500, which will yield a $1,500 annual scholarship to the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law. Knoxville attorneys Ann Short and Eric Butler serve as scholarship chairs and are continuing to work diligently to raise funds. Donations may be made online or by check, payable to the TJCF, with a notation to fund the Judge Curwood Witt Scholarship. Checks should be mailed to the Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation, c/o Suzanne Keith, 629 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206. Questions may be directed to Ann Short, 865-637-2142 or Eric Butler, 865-546-4646.

In a court filing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Mark Norris provided an explanation for his recusal from the criminal case involving the former Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers who beat Tyré Nichols. “… I did not recuse because of any personal bias against anyone or anything. I recused because of the apparent bias of others against the Court,” Norris wrote. “It had become clear to me that certain individuals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office were personally adverse to me. They instructed the U.S. Marshals not to investigate the attempted murder of my law clerk. They instructed the FBI not to return my calls.” He continued: “I do not harbor any bias toward MPD. It has never been my theory or belief that the Martin (et al vs. U.S.) defendants or any other MPD officers have gang affiliations.” According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Norris last year said he believed MPD had been “infiltrated to the top with gang members” and at least one of the defendants in the Nichols case was in a gang. Norris’ explanation came in a separate federal case monitoring MPD’s compliance with a 1978 consent decree that limits how it can use information on residents exercising First Amendment rights. Two of the parties in that case had asked Norris to recuse himself, which he declined to do. The Daily Memphian reports on the story.

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier this week made his first comments about a proposed “compact” with the Trump administration that would provide preferred access to federal grants in exchange for the school implementing a series of government mandates. "Our North Star has always been that academic freedom, free expression and independence are essential for universities to make their vital and singular contributions to society," Diermeier wrote in a campus-wide message according to the Nashville Business Journal. "We also believe that research awards should be made based on merit alone." He went on to explain that the university was not asked to accept or reject the compact but rather to provide feedback on it. A number of campus groups had called for an outright rejection of the proposal. The campus paper has more on the story. The leaders of seven of the nine schools to receive similar offers have rejected it so far.

The federal public defender’s office in Memphis is being overwhelmed by cases stemming from the Memphis Safe Task Force, The Daily Memphian reports. The situation has prompted a federal judge to warn that private attorneys on the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel will need to take on more indigent defense work. The strain also comes as CJA attorneys nationwide have not been paid since July due to funding lapses and the federal shutdown, leaving them to work without compensation for now. Despite these challenges, local CJA attorneys say they remain committed to providing legal representation according to the paper. In related news, the surge in arrests from the task force also has pushed the Shelby County Jail beyond capacity, forcing officials to find alternate housing for inmates. Action News 5 reports on new data tracking arrests since the task force's implementation.

Tennessee has shelved plans to purchase and demolish the Capitol Towers residential high-rise in downtown Nashville, The Tennessee Journal reports. The state had considered using about $32 million in bonds and reserves to buy the property and convert the site into green space near the Capitol and Cordell Hull buildings. Officials now say there have been no discussions with the property’s majority owner, and the acquisition will not proceed.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order seeking comments from the legal community and the public on amendments to Rule 21 that would require attorneys to complete at least one hour of continuing legal education in mental health or substance use disorders every three years. The changes, proposed by the Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, would amend Section 3.01(a) to require at least one hour of the currently required three hours in ethics/professionalism programming be dedicated to these topics. The deadline for submitting written comments is Dec. 19. Comments should reference docket number ADM2025-01538 and be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov or mailed to: Clerk James Hivner, Re: Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21, 401 Seventh Ave., N., STE 321, Nashville, TN 37219-1407.

In 2023, 1,588 Tennesseans died as a result of a firearm, a historic high, according to newly released data by the state’s Department of Health. The rate of firearm deaths rose in nearly every category: adult suicide, child suicide and homicides of both adult and child victims, placing Tennessee seventh in the nation for the rate of gun deaths, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Read the full report from WBBJ TV. In addition, Tennessee Senate Democrats maintain a database to track state gun deaths. It was created after the 2023 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville and shows that over the past 10 years, firearm fatalities involving children increased overall by 128%, firearm suicides among children rose 115% and firearm homicides of children rose 114%.

Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen will not ask the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to examine the Knox County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of a 2022 crash that killed a teenager. The family of Conor Dolin, who died in a single-vehicle wreck, requested an independent review to determine why no charges were filed against the 15-year-old unlicensed driver. Allen said she found no evidence of criminal intent in the sheriff’s investigation, which was marred by missing evidence, a lost crash report and deleted body camera footage, according to Knox News. The DA’s office twice declined to charge the unlicensed driver, citing an incomplete investigation. Allen noted that while her office will not request an inquiry, the TBI could open one on its own.