Outgoing Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn formally declared her candidacy for Tennessee's 8th Congressional District on June 4, according to the Commercial Appeal. Kuhn had already qualified for the ballot. Her announcement came less than a month after she lost the Democratic primary for Shelby County mayor. Her final term as criminal court clerk will end in September. Kuhn said her campaign is focused on affordability and increasing the federal minimum wage. If she wins the Democratic primary in August, Kuhn will face incumbent U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary. Kustoff has represented the 8th Congressional District since 2017.

The Shelby County Election Commission will add a special election for criminal court judge to the Aug. 6 ballot following the decision by Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft to move up his retirement date from July to June 7, the Daily Memphian reports. Candidates may begin obtaining qualifying petitions on June 8 and must file them with the Election Commission by June 17. The withdrawal deadline for qualified candidates is June 20. The Division 8 race joins five other special judicial elections already on the August ballot: Chancery Part 2, Circuit Court Division 3, Criminal Court Division 1, General Sessions Civil Court Division 2 and General Sessions Criminal Court Division 7. See a list of all of candidates who have qualified with the Shelby County Election Commission for the August ballot.

Cosby resident Sheila Grooms McMahan has announced her candidacy for Tennessee state representative in District 11. Newport Plain Talk reports that her campaign will focus on preserving the traditions and way of life that define East Tennessee while addressing the pressures facing rural families. McMahan has voiced strong opposition to private school voucher programs, arguing they divert critical funding from public schools and fail to benefit average families. She also said she will focus on property tax reform, the rising costs of utilities and everyday essentials, economic development, and reducing unnecessary government spending while prioritizing core services such as infrastructure, education and health care.

Tennessee voters are expected to consider a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would expand judges' authority to deny bail before trial in certain serious criminal cases, according to KnoxTNToday. Under current law, most defendants have a constitutional right to bail except in capital cases when the evidence is especially strong. The proposed amendment would allow judges to deny bail in cases involving offenses such as terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape and other serious crimes requiring a convicted defendant to serve at least 85% of a sentence. The measure would not automatically deny bail but would give judges broader discretion to do so after reviewing the facts of a case. The amendment would also require judges and magistrates to publicly explain the reasons for granting or denying bail in qualifying cases. This past spring, the General Assembly approved placing the amendment on the gubernatorial ballot.

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert has filed a petition in Shelby County Chancery Court challenging the results of May's primary election, alleging that uncounted absentee ballots could have affected the outcome of the race, Local Memphis reports. Halbert, who lost her primary contest by 126 votes, claims in the petition that approximately 1,700 absentee ballots were cast but not counted. According to the filing, the number of allegedly uncounted ballots exceeds the certified margin of victory and could call the election results into question. Halbert also alleges she has been denied access to election records and materials needed to determine whether all legally cast ballots were included in the certified results. The petition asks the court to order the preservation of all materials related to the May 5 primary election, review the Shelby County Election Commission's reconciliation procedures and require reconciliation of certified vote totals with election records and tally materials.

State Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, launched his campaign Thursday for Tennessee’s newly drawn 7th Congressional District, according to NewsChannel 5. Dixie, who has represented House District 54 since 2018, said his campaign will focus on voting rights and issues affecting working families. The newly drawn district includes part of Nashville and extends farther east. Dixie will face fellow Democrats Darden Copeland, Saletta Holloway and Joshua Warren Sales in the Aug. 6 primary. Republican Matt Van Epps is running unopposed in the Republican primary. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.

State Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, formally launched her campaign Monday for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. According to WSMV, Lamar is seeking to replace Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, who announced his retirement earlier this month and has endorsed her campaign. “I am going to prioritize strong schools, healthy families and safe communities, and those issues aren’t rural or urban or suburban issues alone, it’s everybody’s issues,” Lamar said. 10 people are vying for the seat including two Republicans, four Democrats and two independents, Action 5 News reports. The primary will be held on Aug. 6 followed by the general election on Nov. 3.

Three federal lawsuits challenging Tennessee's redrawn congressional map have been consolidated before Chief U.S. District Judge William Campbell Jr., who has denied one request to temporarily block the map and has yet to rule on two others. The Tennessee Lookout reports on the latest developments. The three suits were brought separately by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of Memphis voters, clergy and nonprofits; the NAACP Tennessee State Conference and League of Women Voters; and Democratic congressional candidates and voters. All three challenge a map enacted by the General Assembly that splits Memphis and Shelby County into three districts. The groups argue the map violates the 14th and 15th Amendments, disenfranchises voters, and set a dangerous precedent for mid-election redistricting. In related news, the Daily Memphian reports that the ACLU has filed a request with the court to allow a team of five national attorneys to argue the case. The state also has retained out-of-state lawyers, signing with the Virginia law firm Consovoy McCarthy. Two other cases will proceed separately: a state court case filed by the Tennessee NAACP and a federal suit filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee by a Chattanooga non-profit.

The final list of candidates for the U.S. House race was released for the state’s newly redrawn congressional districts ahead of the August primary election, Action News 5 reports. That list does not include longtime U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, who announced last week that he would not seek reelection. The updated map, passed during a special legislative session, divides Memphis into three congressional districts. District 5, which now stretches from northwest Shelby County up to the Kentucky state line and east to Williamson County, includes incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Spring Hill, activist DeVante Hill and Memphis City Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper Sutton among nine candidates. District 8 features 11 candidates, including incumbent Rep. David Kustoff, R-Germantown, and former Shelby County mayoral candidate Heidi Kuhn. District 9 includes candidates such as current Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads; Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis; and Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, competing for the open seat.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection in the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District or any other Tennessee congressional district, the Daily Memphian reports. Cohen made the announcement in Washington, D.C., two hours before the noon filing deadline for the new districts. He will leave the U.S. House in January after serving 10 terms over 20 years. Cohen was first elected to Congress in 2006 after an unsuccessful bid for the seat in 1996. Before joining Congress, he served 24 years in the Tennessee Senate following his election in 1982. Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, announced Tuesday that he will continue his campaign in the 9th District alongside Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar of Memphis and activist DeVante Hill of Bartlett. The Commercial Appeal also reports on the developments.