Jason Dobbins, former director of operations for the Knox County Trustee’s Office, was charged Aug. 8 with two felony counts of official misconduct in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into whether some elected officials and their employees used their public positions for personal gain. The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury spent months investigating the misuse of taxpayer dollars in some Knox County offices. Dobbins is the second county employee charged in the probe. Trustee Justin Biggs fired Dobbins in April for “policy violations” after Knox News reached out with questions about the investigation. Prosecutor Ryan Desmond sought approval from a grand jury to prosecute Biggs as well, but the grand jury declined to indict him on Aug. 6. On Aug. 7, Property Assessor Phil Ballard was charged with one felony count of official misconduct related to his personal use of a county-owned SUV while also accepting reimbursement for using his personal vehicle for work travel. The newspaper reports on the developments.

The Tennessee Department of Treasury has returned $125 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners or their heirs so far this year. According to a press release, this total is double the $62.5 million paid out in 2024 and exceeds the previous record of $68.7 million by more than 80%. The funds come from unclaimed property turned over to the state by businesses and organizations, including uncashed paychecks, utility refunds, rental deposits, gift certificates and abandoned bank accounts. Tennesseans can search for unclaimed property at ClaimItTN.gov.

Justice Samuel Alito will join the majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices who have written books while serving on the bench. According to Bloomberg Law, Alito will publish a book next year under Basic Books’ Basic Liberty imprint, a publicist for the publisher said. Details about the title, publication date and subject have not yet been released. Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, will mark his 20th anniversary on the court in January 2026.

Belmont University College of Law and the TBA Young Lawyers Division are looking for volunteer attorneys for a Tennessee Free Legal Answers Clinic on Aug. 25 from 5-7 p.m. CDT in Belmont's Randall & Sadie Baskin Center, 1901 15th Ave S, Nashville 37212. Volunteers will be partnered with three to four law students to research and answer questions posted on tn.freelegalanswers.org. Attorneys must have a Tennessee Free Legal Answers account to participate in this clinic. Interested volunteers should email their account information to Ginny.Blake@belmont.edu by Aug. 21 to make sure their profile is approved in time for the clinic.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is mobilizing the National Guard to assist with the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan, WKRN reports. The governor’s office told News 2 the decision followed a request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “As Gov. Lee has said many times, Tennessee stands ready to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our nation’s borders and remove the most violent criminals from our streets,” said Elizabeth Johnson, the governor’s spokesperson. The governor’s office said the mission is still in the planning stages. The soldiers will remain under state command but will be paid by the federal government.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators — including Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee; Peter Welch, D-Utah; Josh Hawley, R-Missouri; and Adam Schiff, D-California — have introduced a bill that aims to give musicians, artists, writers and other creators the ability to see whether artificial intelligence (AI) is being trained on their work. The Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks, or TRAIN Act, would allow creators to access the courts to protect their copyrighted works, The Tennessean reports. Under the TRAIN Act, copyright holders could examine training records to determine whether AI companies have used their work to develop models, which rely on data to make predictions and decisions, and to generate content. The act has been endorsed by several music organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of America, the Recording Academy and Nashville Songwriters Association International.

The TBA Immigration Law Section will host the “Immigration Law Basics: Overview” webcast on Sept. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will offer a high-level overview of various areas of immigration law, including employment-based, humanitarian and family-based immigration. More details will be announced soon on the TBA website. Discounted registration is available for Immigration Law Section members. Not a member? Join today!

Following a report from Politico yesterday that the federal court filing system was the target of a cyberattack in early July, the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts released a statement that it is "strengthening cyber security measures." The reporting states that it is not immediately clear how the hackers got in, but the incident affected the judiciary’s federal core case management system, which contains two overlapping components: Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF), which legal professionals use to upload and manage case documents; and PACER, a system that gives the public limited access to records. In addition to information about witnesses and defendants cooperating with law enforcement, the filing system includes other sensitive information such as sealed indictments, arrest records and search warrants. Reuters has more on the story.

Vanderbilt Law School's Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic has filed a federal complaint on behalf of First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh. The complaint challenges the constitutionality of state's public records law, which restricts access to Tennesseans only. After being denied court records by the Williamson County Archives due to his California residency, Volokh sued, arguing that the restriction violates his rights. The clinic’s complaint agrees, stating that federal courts have consistently recognized a qualified First Amendment right of access to judicial records. The clinic's complaint also argues that any purported privacy interest in the records is undermined by the fact that Tennessee residents — including potentially the litigants’ neighbors — are permitted access. Read more in a press release from the law school.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) recently announced that it has entered into a new agreement with Kentucky State University (KSU) to strengthen academic collaboration and expand opportunities for KSU students to pursue a legal education. Under the agreement, LMU Law will reserve up to five seats each year in its incoming class for qualified KSU students who meet the admissions criteria outlined in the agreement. The partnership is designed to promote a clear and supportive pathway to law school and to encourage increased interest in the legal profession among KSU students. “This agreement reflects a shared commitment to access to opportunity and into preparing the next generation of legal professionals who will go out and serve their communities with purpose and integrity,” said LMU President Dr. Jason McConnell. Read more in a press release from the school.