Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is urging Gov. Bill Lee to allow DNA and fingerprint testing for Tony Carruthers, Action News 5 reports. “Tennessee is about to execute Tony Carruthers without testing DNA and fingerprint evidence that could prove his innocence,” Kardashian said in a post on Instagram, according to the Commercial Appeal. Carruthers was convicted in a 1994 triple murder where three people were found buried in a Memphis graveyard. Advocates say unidentified forensic evidence at the scene could prove his innocence. Carruthers is set to be executed on May 21.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and its Black Law Students Association hosted the 2026 Julian Blackshear Jr. Scholarship Gala in March to celebrate access to legal education and the legal profession. Named for civil rights attorney Julian Blackshear Jr., one of the law school’s first Black graduates, the annual event supports scholarships for law students through contributions from alumni, faculty, staff and community partners. This year’s keynote speaker was Iké Adeyemi, senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Eastman Chemical Company, who spoke about leadership, resilience and using the law to create social change. The law school also posthumously presented the R.B.J. Campbelle Jr. Award to Knoxville attorney and civil rights advocate Rudolph V. McKamey, who was denied admission to the law school in 1948 because of his race. He later graduated from Howard University School of Law before building a career advocating for equality and justice in Knoxville. Read more and see photos from the event on the law school's website.

The TBA has added new staff member David Lazar, who joins the association as the data and systems analyst. Lazar holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Hofstra University in New York with minors in marketing, mathematics and rhetoric. In his role at TBA, he will manage and optimize the organization’s core platforms, including the association management system, learning management system, bulk email platform and website, while providing support to staff and members. Before joining the TBA, Lazar worked in the field of communications, writing for NBC Sports, Spectrum News NY1 and the New York Post. Outside of work, he volunteers at his local animal shelter, helping dogs and cats find homes. His contact information is available on the TBA staff webpage.

Three lawsuits have been filed against Tennessee’s new congressional redistricting map. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of three individual Memphis voters, as well as the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance. Read more in a press release from the ACLU. In the second suit, four registered voters and four candidates — including current U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, who is running to challenge Cohen — in District 5, 6 and 9 races have filed a federal lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell of the Middle District of Tennessee has set a May 20 court date for that one, WSMV reports. Finally, the Tennessee NAACP filed suit in state court. The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 11 appointed a special three-judge panel to consider that case. According to States Newsroom, the panel will be Chancellor Anne Martin, Chancellor Tony Childress and Judge James Gass.

Tennessee lawmakers passed a new congressional map last week, the Daily Memphian reports. The House approved the new map on a 65-24 vote with three present and not voting. The Senate passed the proposal 25-5. The governor signed HB7003/SB7004 as well. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, said the new map “was drawn based on population and politics,” according to the Nashville Banner. The legislature also passed HB7001/SB7001 with an amendment to set a new filing deadline of May 15 and giving political parties until May 17 to decide whether candidates are qualified to run. Candidates who already qualified under the March 10 deadline do not need to requalify if they run in the same numbered district even if that district has been redrawn. It also passed HB7002/SB7002 to repeal a 1972 state law that prohibited congressional redistricting in between decennial census cycles. The governor signed both of those bills. Read more about the new districts.

Temple University in Philadelphia announced that University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. has been named the Kean Family Dean of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Brown will begin the role on Aug. 1. “The Beasley School of Law is one of Temple University’s strongest academic assets, and we are delighted to welcome Lonnie as its Kean Family Dean,” Temple President John Fry said. “This was a thorough and competitive search process, and Lonnie quickly emerged as the top candidate, given his extensive experience as both a leader and legal scholar." Brown has been the dean of Winston Law since 2022 and is the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law and Haslam Family Professor. “I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as Kean Family Dean of the Beasley School of Law. The university and law school’s sincere commitment to student success, broad access, community engagement and overall excellence is palpable, and I could not be more excited about this amazing opportunity to contribute to those critically important objectives in the years ahead,” Brown said.

Temple University in Philadelphia on Friday announced that University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. has been named the Kean Family Dean of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Brown will begin the role on Aug. 1. “The Beasley School of Law is one of Temple University’s strongest academic assets, and we are delighted to welcome Lonnie as its Kean Family Dean,” Temple President John Fry said. “This was a thorough and competitive search process, and Lonnie quickly emerged as the top candidate, given his extensive experience as both a leader and legal scholar." Brown has been the dean of Winston Law since 2022 and is the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law and Haslam Family Professor. “I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as Kean Family Dean of the Beasley School of Law. The university and law school’s sincere commitment to student success, broad access, community engagement and overall excellence is palpable, and I could not be more excited about this amazing opportunity to contribute to those critically important objectives in the years ahead,” Brown said.

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Elections have consequences. And when a state decides to elect its judges, the state must comply with the First Amendment. In this case, two former candidates for Kentucky judicial office argue that the state violated the First Amendment when it threatened to sanction them for their campaign speech during a 2022 election. They’re right. So we agree the candidates are entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. A group of Michigan parents alleges that a local public school district denied their children access to special-education services. The parents, as a result, filed this lawsuit under several federal laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, what’s come to be called the IDEA for short. The IDEA establishes an administrative hearing process for parents and school districts to resolve special-education disputes. At the end of that process, it allows parents to sue in federal court if they are “aggrieved by the findings and decision” of the administrative hearing officer. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(2)(A). Even though the parents in this case never pursued an administrative hearing—the process that creates their cause of action—they nonetheless claim a right to bring this lawsuit. We disagree and reverse the district court’s contrary determination.

In this matter involving alleged violations of federal and state wiretapping statutes, evidence was presented to a jury during a two-day trial. Following the conclusion of the trial, the jury deliberated and ultimately found in favor of the defendant. The trial court entered judgment for the defendant, and the plaintiffs filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, alternatively, for a new trial. The trial court denied the motion, and the plaintiffs timely appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.