Bobby Cain, a member of the "Clinton 12" who helped integrate Clinton High School in East Tennessee in 1956 — one of the first high schools in the South to integrate — died Monday at age 85. The Associated Press reports that Cain was a senior when he entered the formerly all-white school on a court order. He had previously attended a Black high school about 20 miles away in Knoxville and was not happy about leaving his friends to spend his senior year at a new school in a hostile environment. Despite not being allowed to play sports and facing protests and violence — including being attacked after graduation — Cain persevered to become the first Black student in Tennessee to graduate from an integrated state-run school. He later attended Tennessee State University, worked for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and is remembered as a “reluctant hero.”

The family of a child bitten by a dog appeal the dismissal of their lawsuit at the summary judgment stage. The trial court ruled that the plaintiffs failed to present evidence that the defendant owners knew or should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities as required by Tennessee Code Annotated section 44-8-413(c)(1). The plaintiffs argue that (1) the trial court committed reversible error when it granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment without a hearing; and (2) they presented sufficient evidence to create a dispute of genuine material fact as to whether the defendant owners should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

The Defendant, Enoch Zarceno Turner, was convicted of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child abuse, aggravated arson, and especially aggravated burglary, for which he received an effective sentence of life without parole. The sole issue raised on appeal is whether the State established the identity of the Defendant as the perpetrator of each of the offenses. Upon our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Defendant, Robert Vernon Johnson a/k/a Robert Vernon Griffin, was convicted by a Davidson County jury of second degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He received an effective sentence of thirty-one years’ imprisonment. Defendant appeals, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court abused its discretion in denying probation for the firearm conviction and ordering consecutive sentences. Upon review of the entire record, the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Following a trial, a jury found Defendant, Matthew Richard Herron, guilty of felony reckless endangerment with a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm having been convicted previously of a felony drug offense, for which he received a total effective sentence of ten years’ incarceration. Defendant represented himself at trial and now represents himself on appeal. Upon review of the parties’ briefs, the record, and the applicable law, we conclude that Defendant has failed to prepare a sufficient brief in compliance with Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 27(a) and Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Rule 10(b) and that, therefore, his claims are waived. Accordingly, we affirm the judgments of the criminal court

Former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in a scheme using the state’s constituent mailer program, WKRN reports. He was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. Casada was convicted alongside his former chief of staff Cade Cothren of secretly running Phoenix Solutions, a company that funneled taxpayer-funded mailer business for profit. Cothren was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson handed down the sentence after rejecting defense objections, finding Casada used “sophisticated” money laundering to conceal the scheme. The Tennessean also reports on the sentencing.

Justice Holly Kirby has announced she will retire from the Tennessee Supreme Court, effective June 30, 2026. “I’ve been privileged to work alongside my Supreme Court colleagues, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Tennessee Bar Association and trial judges and lawyers across the state, as well as our governor and our general assembly, to advance our shared vision for Tennessee’s justice system,” Kirby said in a release. “Their dedication and hard work made all the difference. Together we’re making the judicial branch stronger.”

Kirby was appointed to the court by then Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014 and has served as chief justice for the last two years. She achieved many “firsts” in her career. At just 38 years old, she was the first woman in Tennessee to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. While in private practice, she became the first female partner in the Memphis firm of Burch Porter & Johnson. And she was the first graduate of the University of Memphis to sit on the state’s high court. As chief justice, Kirby helped secure $26 million to fund indigent representation in Tennessee and establish a new commission to oversee the administration and compensation of appointed counsel. Recognizing the need to modernize the court system, she also  supported the court’s Technology Oversight Committee and helped bring stakeholders together to develop a solution to unify court system data. She also focused on increased threats to Tennessee’s judiciary, leading efforts to strengthen laws on intimidation of judicial officials, and to protect judges, their families and justice system employees.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s (AG) Office reportedly is investigating Deloitte, the contractor managing TennCare’s eligibility system, over potential “unlawful discrimination” tied to its hiring practices and former diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Tennesseean reports that the AG's office ordered Deloitte to turn over records related to applicant evaluations, compliance with anti-discrimination laws and its decision to end DEI initiatives earlier this year. Deloitte, which holds a nearly $1 billion contract with TennCare, has not commented. Critics argue the probe is politically motivated and a misuse of taxpayer resources.

Kentucky-based Cornbread Hemp has sued Tennessee over new hemp regulations set to take effect in 2026, arguing they unfairly discriminate against out-of-state businesses by requiring wholesalers and retailers to be physically located in Tennessee and banning direct-to-consumer shipping. The Tennessean reports that the company, which made nearly $1 million in Tennessee sales last year, says the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Interstate Commerce Clause and also infringes on the First Amendment by banning all health-related claims in marketing hemp-derived products. Cornbread Hemp is represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, which argues the rules force companies to either abandon customers or incur costly in-state operations.

Law firms are increasingly adopting generative AI tools and law schools are under pressure to prepare students for this shift. Cat Moon, professor and founding co-director of Vanderbilt Law School’s AI Law Lab, tells Inside Higher Ed: “Law schools have to prepare students to be intentional users of this technology, which will require them to have foundational knowledge and understanding in the first place. We have to preserve that core learning process so that they remain the human expert and this technology complements and supports their expertise.” About 30% of law offices now use AI, while 62% of law schools have integrated AI into first-year courses and 93% are considering further updates, though many programs remain basic. Experts stress that lawyers need not just access to AI but training to use it responsibly, since early misuses have shown the risks. Reuters reports that some schools, including Suffolk University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of San Francisco, have embedded AI instruction into required introductory legal writing and research courses.