Smyrna Town Court Clerk Brittany Stevens has announced her candidacy for Smyrna municipal judge in the Aug. 4 election, Murfreesboro Post reports. Stevens has served as Smyrna’s court clerk since 2016. She touts her work improving efficiencies in the court system, including automating procedures, an online payments system and a public online record search portal. She says the clerk’s office also was the among the first in the state to partner with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations for an electronic data exchange for expungements. Stevens earned her law degree from the Nashville School of Law and was in private practice at her family’s law office until joining the clerk’s office.

General Sessions Judge Don A. Layton announced plans to seek a fourth term in Anderson County's General Sessions Court, Division I. He has presided over the court since 1998. Prior to taking the bench, he served as clerk & master for Anderson County and had an active private law practice. Layton has been chosen as president of the General Sessions Judges Conference. He is a frequent instructor and lecturer at state and educational conferences and a member of the Anderson County Bar.

The issue of juvenile transfer to adult court is central to the race for district attorney general in Shelby County. Incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich, a Republican, is seeking reelection and three Democratic candidates are vying for the nomination to challenge her. The issue is one that sets the Democratic candidates apart from Weirich: All three believe that under the status quo, too many juveniles are transferred to adult court. In contrast, Weirich says Shelby County has more juvenile transfers than any other county in Tennessee simply because it has more people and thus more crime. The Commercial Appeal also looks at Weirich's advocacy for “truth in sentencing” laws.

Brentwood attorney A.J. Bahou today announced he will run for State House District 63 in the Republican primary. Bahou, an intellectual property patent attorney, served as chair of the Tennessee Young Republicans from 1997-1999, and was active in the organization for over seven years. He has also been active in Leadership Brentwood, Brentwood Rotary, the Nolensville Lions Club and the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the board and executive committee of LaunchTN, a statewide incubator for small business startups in Tennessee. Learn more about his campaign in this press release or online at https://voteajbahou.com.

Robert J. Carter, district attorney general for Tennessee’s 17th Judicial District, has announced his plans to seek reelection to the position in the upcoming 2022 election, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reports. The 17th District includes Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties. Carter has served in this current capacity since being appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012 and was reelected in 2014.

Nashville public defender, Jeff Preptit, has dropped his campaign for the Democratic nomination in House District 59, the Nashville Post reports. Preptit was forced to make the decision after the newly redrawn House maps put him in a different district, which now includes wealthier areas in southern Davidson County. Local health care executive Caleb Hemmer is seeking the Democratic nomination, while Michelle Foreman and Wyatt Rampy are running as Republicans. Incumbent Rep. Jason Potts, D-Nashville, is not seeking reelection.

Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston has placed his wife and brother-in-law on administrative leave after an investigative report from the state comptroller found Pinkston in violation of the state's nepotism policy, the Chattanoogan reports. According to the report, Pinkston’s wife, who serves as chief of staff, and his brother-in-law, an investigator, are both under Pinkston’s line of supervision. While the office is in violation of the state’s Nepotism Policy Act, the report states it “did not find any evidence of favoritism regarding salary increases” for either position. Pinkston announced he placed his family members on administrative leave and said he is “reviewing the recommendations of the comptroller’s office.”

Three state residents have filed a lawsuit over the new House and Senate redistricting maps, the Tennessean reports. The complaint, backed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, alleges the General Assembly unconstitutionally divided more counties than necessary in the House map and numbered Senate districts nonconsecutively. The suit does not challenge the state’s new congressional map. "Tennesseans should pick their own representatives and not the other way around," Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus said in a statement. According to WPLN, the state Democratic Party has agreed to pay all fees associated with litigation in the case. Republicans have maintained the maps are constitutional and meet all legal requirements. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office said it is “ready to defend an open and fair process.”

Former House Speaker Beth Harwell has announced she will run for the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s redrawn 5th Congressional District, Nashville Scene reports. Harwell, a Nashville native, was elected in 1988 to represent parts of southwest Davidson County in the state House and was elected speaker in 2011. She left the House in 2018 and made an unsuccessful bid for governor. Harwell currently servces on the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority and is a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party. She joins a crowded Republican primary, which includes educational consultant Natisha Brooks, businessman Baxter Lee, former U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, music video producer Robby Starbuck, and attorney and retired brigadier general Kurt Winstead.

The slate of judicial candidates in Weakley and Henry counties are now known. In Weakley County, a contested race for district attorney general includes Republican candidates Adam P. Nelson and Robert R. Young and independent Colin Johnson. The race for circuit court clerk will include independent Jennifer Kay Killibrew and Republican Courtney McMinn. In Henry County, the race for circuit court judge Part 2 will see three running in the Republican primary: Bruce I. Griffey, Terry J. Leonard and Dennis Vance. Two Republicans, Matt Stowe and Jeffrey Neil Thompson, will face off for 24th Judicial District Attorney General. The McKenzie Banner has the full slate of candidates in both counties.