A federal judge in Delaware has ruled that Ross Intelligence violated copyright law when it copied content from Thomson Reuters to build a competing artificial intelligence-based legal platform. According to Reuters, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas' decision against the now defunct legal-research firm marks the first U.S. ruling on the closely watched question of fair use in AI-related copyright litigation. The "fair use" argument has become a key defense for tech companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft and Meta Platforms, fighting lawsuits brought by authors, record labels, visual artists and others over the use of their material to train AI systems. Tech companies argue that generative AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by studying it to learn to create new content, while copyright owners say the companies use their work to generate competing content that threatens their livelihoods.

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga will celebrate Black History Month with a variety of events and activities. These include an art exhibit, screening of “The Six Triple Eight” movie, a panel discussion on Black excellence in sports and the Tennessee Songwriters Showcase Semifinals. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga also has events planned, including a library exhibit, talks with the first Black McDonald's franchisee in Birmingham and a presentation from Temple University's professor of Africology Molefi Kete. Finally, Hamilton Place will hold a Black-owned business expo on Feb. 22 and The Chattery will hold a Black History Month Night Market on Feb. 28.

The Elizabethton City Council is set to vote Thursday on whether to declare the municipal court judge’s seat vacant due to a temporary suspension of Judge Jason Holly’s law license. According to the Elizabethton Star, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Holly’s law license in October 2024 for failing to respond to three misconduct complaints. Since his suspension, Holly has not presided over court. In December, the council unanimously appointed 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Stacy L. Street as acting municipal judge. In January, Holly filed a petition for reinstatement, asserting he had met all conditions set by the court by responding to the outstanding complaints. However, days later, the court issued a public censure against Holly for failing to formally respond to the complaints. A Jan. 17 order stated that proceedings on Holly’s petition to dissolve the suspension would begin with a hearing by the Board of Professional Responsibility.

A four-count indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Middle District of Tennessee, charging eight defendants with various offenses related to their roles in a transnational commercial sex enterprise. According to the court's press release, the defendants operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking ring out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024. The indictment alleges that after facilitating the victims’ arrival in the U.S., the defendants used online commercial sex websites to post advertisements and directed commercial sex buyers to meet the victims at the motels. Authorities identified the individuals as members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. In November 2024, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation warned that the gang was operating in major cities across the state. “This indictment demonstrates our commitment to stop human trafficking whenever and wherever we find it, and to hold those involved accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire.

Two Shelby County legislators have brought back a proposal to fund a new Shelby County jail by asking voters to hike the sales tax rate. Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, and Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, proposed a bill that would allow Shelby County to ask voters whether to raise the local-option sales tax from 2.75% to 3.75%. According to The Daily Memphian, if the bill clears the Tennessee General Assembly, the tax increase would still require approval through a local referendum. While the bill does not explicitly name Shelby County, it applies to counties with populations exceeding 900,000, a threshold only Shelby County meets. Fiscal estimates attached to the bill project that the tax hike would generate more than $1.8 billion over nine fiscal years, with the revenue designated to retire debt from constructing a new jail. The bill was set to be heard by a Tennessee House committee today.

The TBA will host three ethics webcasts on March 27, featuring the CLE Performer Stuart Teicher. The sessions will blend humor, pop culture and professional responsibility to provide insightful lessons on attorney ethics. Wedded Bliss and Attorney Ethics will explore how principles of a lasting marriage connect to legal ethics, covering topics like communication and conflicts of interest. Ted Lasso and Attorney Ethics will use moments from the hit show to illustrate integrity, leadership and key rules of professional conduct. The Perfect Pop Song and Attorney Ethics will reveal what makes a song timeless and relate it to legal competence, communication and ethical structure. Attorneys can register for these interactive webcasts through the TBA website.

The TBA will launch an upgraded legal research tool for members on March 4 following the merger of longstanding TBA member benefit partner Fastcase with global legal intelligence platform vLex. The enhanced tool will continue to offer free and unlimited access to all materials currently available through Fastcase, but also include new benefits such as advanced citator features, integration with Microsoft Word and Google Chrome, a more user-friendly interface, customizable news feed and featured libraries. Following the transition, customer support will be handled by vLex and will be available by phone, email and chat. Fastcase users will not lose access to their work during the transition and no action will be required to enjoy the benefits of this upgrade after March 4. To help educate members about these improvements, the TBA will hold two webinars at which vLex Fastcase staff will demonstrate new features and highlight how to maximize the tool’s potential for legal practice. Sign up for one of these free webinars and learn more on the TBA website.

Question: May a municipality annex noncontiguous territory that lies outside the municipality’s urban growth boundary?

Opinion: No.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Southern Ohio Coal Company (“Southern Ohio Coal”) petitions this court for review of a decision awarding federal coal miners’ benefits to former miner, Donald Hunter. Southern Ohio Coal argues that the adjudicators below erred by relying on medical evidence that did not comply with regulatory quality standards and by relieving Hunter of his burden to establish that he met the conditions for entitlement to benefits. In particular, Southern Ohio Coal argues that Hunter did not establish that he has legal pneumoconiosis or that his total disability is caused by pneumoconiosis. Because the administrative law judge (“ALJ”) acted within his discretion and because his decision was supported by substantial evidence, the petition for review is DENIED.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Every day in this country, politicians solicit donations to finance their campaigns. And every day, those same politicians make statements about what they believe in, what they’ve done, and what they promise to do once elected. Sometimes, even often, these solicitations and promises occur in the same place, at the same time. But though this speech and conduct are generally protected by the First Amendment, bribery remains illegal.1 When the bribery involves money flowing to a politician for his personal use, the crime is straightforward. But when a politician is accused of accepting campaign funds in exchange for the promise of official action, the line becomes blurrier. Still, the Supreme Court tells us there is a line. And Congress and the Court have entrusted juries with discerning between legitimate campaign donations and illegitimate bribes. We must respect that line even in hard cases. This is one such case. A jury convicted former Cincinnati council member Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld of attempted Hobbs Act extortion and federal-program bribery. But this case comes with twists. All the major players, except for Sittenfeld, were working for or with the government—that is, these were paid actors working to incriminate Sittenfeld. And despite nearly every relevant conversation being recorded, the investigation didn’t yield overwhelming evidence. Still, a jury found that Sittenfeld solicited or accepted campaign donations in exchange for his promise to support a property development project. On appeal, Sittenfeld challenges the sufficiency of the evidence against him and argues that his indictment was constructively amended. But neither challenge succeeds, so we AFFIRM.