The TBA’s annual Immigration Law Forum will take place May 15 at the new TBA office, located at 3010 Poston Ave., Nashville 37203. In today’s rapidly evolving immigration landscape, the forum will cover key policy updates and practical topics for Tennessee attorneys, including a legislative update from Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, practice management tips, an ethics discussion with the Board of Professional Responsibility on fee changes, and a session with Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition leadership on using court petitions for immigration advocacy. The in-person program will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT and offer up to five general credit hours. For more information and to register visit the TBA website. 

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has three openings on its board for the 2026-2027 bar year. Those interested in applying to be the District 10, 12 or 13 representative should email a statement of interest and resume to Director of YLD and Law School Development Laura Labenberg by May 28. District 10 includes the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart. District 12 includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley. District 13 includes the counties of Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison and Tipton. Learn more about the YLD Board and this two-year position on the TBA website.

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 the Districts 5, 6 and 9 races on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, suing the state over the newly drawn congressional map. WKRN reports that the plaintiffs argue the new districts violate the First and 14th Amendments by placing an undue burden on voting rights and political association, and are seeking a permanent injunction to block the maps from taking effect in the 2026 election cycle. This lawsuit is in addition to the NAACP's emergency petition filed in Davidson County Chancery Court. The Tennessee Journal also reports on the developments. The new maps are available for download on the state comptroller's website, showing a detailed street-by-street breakdown of the new districts. The Nashville Banner analyzes 2020 census data and 2024 election results to show changes in racial makeup, density, political makeup and compactness between the previous Congressional map and the new map.

A University of Tennessee student has sued the companies behind the dating app Meete, alleging her image was used without permission in advertisements suggesting she was seeking sexual relationships, Reuters reports. According to the lawsuit, 19-year-old Kaelyn Lunglhofer discovered a TikTok video she posted on the day of her high school graduation had appeared in an online ad for the app accompanied by suggestive narration. Filed April 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the complaint alleges violations of Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, the state’s right-of-publicity protections and the federal Lanham Act. The lawsuit seeks at least $750,000 in damages and injunctive relief. Meete said it was unaware the content was being used in its promotions and has asked third-party marketing partners to remove potentially infringing material.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti has announced the state has reached a settlement with Mariner Finance over allegations the company violated multiple consumer protection laws through deceptive lending practices. The lawsuit alleged Mariner charged consumers for hidden add-on products that borrowers were not fully informed about or did not agree to purchase, increasing loan balances by hundreds or thousands of dollars and used aggressive sales tactics to push additional credit onto borrowers. According to a press release, under the settlement, Mariner will provide $11.1 million in consumer relief, including $1 million in restitution to eligible Tennessee consumers and $10.1 million through cancellation of covered consumer debt owed by impacted borrowers. The settlement applies only to Tennessee and does not affect other claims or litigation against the company.

Nashville-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims announced Thursday that it has opened a Chicago office which will be led by new members Robert Newman and Jason Gordon. According to the Nashville Post, the office is located at 300 N. LaSalle Dr., Ste. 2400, Chicago 60654, and also will include current firm attorneys Bryan Bylica, Delaney Durst and Shelley Thomas. The firm added Newman, who is returning to Bass, Berry & Sims, and Gordon in part to expand its intellectual property, media and technology practice. Thomas will serve as a liaison between the Chicago and Nashville offices. In addition to Nashville and Chicago, Bass, Berry & Sims has offices in Knoxville, Memphis and Washington, D.C.

Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, announced his candidacy for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District moments after the Tennessee General Assembly redistricted the seat, which had been held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen for nearly two decades. The redistricting, triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court's April 29 ruling in State of Louisiana v. Callais, split Memphis into three districts and created a new 9th that stretches along Tennessee's southern border from Whitehaven to Lynchburg, also picking up the Nashville suburb of Brentwood. Taylor has pushed for federal intervention in Memphis crime and has criticized local officials over prosecution rates. The Commercial Appeal has the story.

Tony Carruthers, convicted in 1994 for three murders in Tennessee, is scheduled to be executed on May 21, with his attorneys now seeking clemency from Gov. Bill Lee on the grounds of serious trial injustices. WSMV reports that his conviction rested entirely on circumstantial evidence, including testimony from a secretly paid informant who publicly stated before trial that police paid him to testify — which the state later confirmed. The co-defendant, James Montgomery, has since told federal investigators that Carruthers was not involved and that a third party committed the murders, yet untested DNA and non-matching fingerprint evidence has never been fully examined. Two jurors have signed statements saying they would not have voted for the death penalty had they known the then-undisclosed information, and Carruthers reportedly had no legal representation at trial, meaning his execution would be the first of a counsel-denied defendant in over a century. Read more in a statement from the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Voter turnout in Shelby County’s first election of 2026 reached 16%, with 89,848 of the county’s 577,527 registered voters casting ballots through early voting, absentee voting or on Election Day, according to the Daily Memphian. While turnout was not high, it exceeded expectations and surpassed turnout in similar recent election cycles, including 11% in 2022 and 13.8% in 2018. Election officials said a break in the rain on May 5 likely contributed to increased voter traffic later in the day. The county’s partisan primary elections historically have low turnout, with the highest turnout since 1992 reaching 18% in 2002.

The TBA will host its 2026 Animal Law Forum on Oct. 9 at the Nashville Zoo. The program will feature updates on trends and developments in animal law while offering attendees opportunities to network and enjoy zoo activities. Breakfast, lunch and zoo admission are included with registration. Speakers include Nashville attorney Jessica Schultz, chair of the TBA’s Animal Law Section, and Dr. Robert Simpson of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. More information is available on the TBA website.