The TBA filed a petition with the Tennessee Supreme Court to amend Rule 9, section 10.1 to allow bar associations geographically located in the state to receive certain information from the Board of Professional Responsibility. The current rule limits public access to certain contact information to protect attorneys’ safety. The TBA unequivocally supports limiting public access to information to protect attorneys and retired judges from harm to their persons and property. In its petition, the TBA is asking the court to clarify that bar associations serve a different role than members of the public for purposes of sharing this information. Read the full petition and the proposed amendment.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that the state will seek federal waivers to update its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to promote healthier eating, improve health outcomes and reduce chronic conditions for low-income families. According to a press release, the proposal would allow recipients to purchase certain hot prepared foods, such as rotisserie or grilled chicken, and would exclude processed foods listing sugar or similar sweeteners as the primary ingredient and carbonated beverages where sugar or similar sweeteners are among the first two ingredients. "I’m grateful to the Trump Administration for its leadership to Make America Healthy Again, and thank our grocery retailers, convenience stores, food producers, and beverage manufacturers for working to ensure that healthier choices reach every community across our state,” Lee said.

A Middle Tennessee man returned to prison Friday after an appeals court reversed a 2023 decision that had overturned his murder conviction and freed him after 17 years behind bars. Thomas Clardy was convicted in 2007 for a 2005 shooting at a Madison auto repair shop that killed a man and injured two, NewsChannel 5 reports. He received a life sentence. But he was released in 2023 and has been living free for two years. His lawyers have long argued that no physical evidence ties Clardy to the crime and prosecutors presented no motive at trial. They also say he was at home with his pregnant wife at the time of the shooting. The state appeals court decision now requires Clardy to complete his life sentence. Clardy’s attorneys have filed two clemency petitions, one for exoneration and another for commutation. He also made a direct appeal to the governor for release before returning to prison.

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg requesting removal of a newly added Instagram map feature, WSMV reports. The senators said the feature could put children’s safety at risk by exposing their location to predators and traffickers. According to Meta, the map allows users to see a person’s last active location and where content is being posted from, with updates occurring anytime a user opens the app. Content with a location tag is available for 24 hours after posting. The feature requires users to opt in and can be restricted to friends, close friends or selected individuals, or turned off entirely. However, Blackburn and Blumenthal say some users have reported their location information was shared automatically without their consent.

Nashville businessman Darden Copeland has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming Congressional District 7 primary, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Copeland, founder of Calvert Street Group, a Nashville public affairs firm specializing in referendums and land use campaigns, filed his campaign committee statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on July 24. His announcement comes after weeks of speculation and adds to a growing field of candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from Congress on July 20. The primary election is set for Oct. 7, with the general election scheduled for Dec. 2.

Memphis Attorney Stuart Kenneth R. "Ken" Shuttleworth died July 26. After completing his service in the U.S Air Force,  Shuttleworth attended the University of Memphis Law School and in 1972 became the founder and senior partner of the Shuttleworth PLLC law firm in Memphis. In addition to Shuttleworth’s success as a trial lawyer, he was known to help others in the legal profession through the Tennessee Lawyer's Assistance Program (TLAP). He was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to the TLAP Commission, where he served for six years, and for a period of time, served as chair. He also was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. A private family service will be held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Stuart, Florida. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Memphis. Donations in his honor may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center or the TLAP Foundation.

Former City Judge Walter Williams died last week at age 73. Williams became a judge in March 1991 and served on the Chattanooga City Court for eight years. He earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law and practiced with the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta before entering private practice. In 1980, he became a partner in the Chattanooga law firm McClarty & Williams, where he primarily handled personal injury, corporate, estate and municipal law cases. Williams retired from the bench in 2003 after 12 years of service and returned to private practice, later serving as senior partner at McKoon, Williams, Atchley & Stanley until his retirement in 2015. Arrangements are being handled by John P. Franklin Funeral Home. Details will be released at a later time. Donations in his honor may be made to the Judge Walter F. Williams 1974 Endowed Scholarship Fund at Morehouse College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 830 Westview Dr., SW, Atlanta, GA 30314.

The 2025 Southeast Complex Litigation Conference will be held Oct. 29 at the Tennessee Bankers Association in Nashville, offering updates on mass torts, class actions and whistleblower cases. National litigators will discuss emerging litigation involving medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs and consumer products, as well as best practices for identifying, prosecuting and defending complex cases. Session topics include class actions and multidistrict litigation basics, whistleblower claims under the False Claims Act and key trends in aggregate litigation. Speakers include Mark Chalos of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein and Tricia Herzfeld of Herzfeld, Suetholz, Gastel, Leniski & Wall, with additional speakers and content to be announced in the coming weeks. For more details, to register and to stay updated, visit the TBA website.

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order requiring colleges to submit data proving they do not consider race in admissions, the White House said Thursday. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their essays. According to reporting from the Associated Press, Trump’s administration accuses colleges of using personal statements and other proxies to consider race. The order is similar to parts of recent settlement agreements the administration reached with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research funding after they agreed to provide the government with data on the race, grade point average and standardized test scores of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. The order would require universities to share that information, undergo audits and release admissions statistics publicly.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from all 50 states in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist in their efforts to address illegal offshore gaming operations. According to the Tennessee Lookout, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the group called for stronger federal enforcement against foreign-based companies running online sports betting and gambling platforms that often operate without licenses, avoid taxes, ignore state laws and lack consumer protections. The attorneys general said that such operations expose users to fraud, addiction and serious crimes like money laundering and human trafficking. They also urged the DOJ to collaborate with payment processors such as Visa and Mastercard to disrupt access to the U.S. financial system.