A third lawsuit has been filed against a new Tennessee law banning pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from simultaneously owning pharmacies and health plans in the state. In May, Gov. Bill Lee signed the FAIR Rx Act, a landmark bill that supporters argue will restore transparency, fairness and competition in the pharmacy marketplace. The latest action is from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which is a national trade association representing PBMs. Read more about the filing in a press release from the group. PCMA joins CVS Health and Express Scripts in challenging the law, according to Health Care Finance News. The plaintiffs argue the legislation violates the U.S. Constitution and will impede access to prescription drugs for hundreds of thousands of patients.

A three-judge federal panel heard arguments Thursday for and against a preliminary injunction in the ACLU’s challenge to the state’s recently adopted redistricting map. Plaintiffs’ attorneys argued they only needed to prove that racial discrimination was a motivating factor behind the maps, even if there also was a political impetus. Defense attorney Taylor Meehan, who has represented the state in several maps-related suits, argued that the plaintiffs had not provided concrete evidence of race being the motivation for the redrawn maps and that the presumption of legislative good faith would render the rest of their argument moot. The panel said it would take the arguments under advisement, according to WSMV.

Abu-Ali Abdur’rahman, a former Tennessee death row prisoner, died at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution early Sunday morning from liver cancer, his longtime attorney Bradley MacLean told the Nashville Banner. Abdur’Rahman was convicted and sentenced to death in 1987 in the killing of suspected drug dealer Patrick Daniels and the stabbing of Norma Jean Norman, who survived. After decades of legal fighting, Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk asked the court to set aside the death sentence in 2019 because of prosecutorial misconduct and “overt racial bias” in jury selection. The trial court approved the resentencing, but the state appealed, and the Court of Criminal Appeals rejected the modification. In 2021, Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins overturned the death sentence for a second time. Rahman was resentenced to life in prison after the state decided not to challenge the second ruling.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a pair of bills that would allow television cameras in federal courtrooms, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would authorize the presiding judge to permit the “photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising” of court proceedings at their discretion. The Cameras in the Courtroom Act would direct the U.S. Supreme Court to allow television coverage of oral arguments and other sessions open to the public, unless a majority of justices decide the action violates due process. According to Reuters, senators cited a need to end longstanding broadcast prohibitions that have inhibited the ability of most Americans to watch proceedings in major cases. The federal judiciary opposes cameras in its courtrooms, in part because of increasing concerns over deepfakes and the cost of retrofitting courtrooms for the inclusion of cameras, the ABA Journal reports. Read more from the Judiciary Committee.

The Shelby County Election Commission certified eight candidates last week in a special election for county criminal judge, according to the Daily Memphian. The candidates are David “Hawk” Allen, Javier Bailey II, Katie Ratton, Latonya Sue Burrow, John L. Dolan, Chris Ingram, Joe Ozment and Ruchee Patel. The commission also approved sites for early voting, which will run from July 17 to Aug. 1.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in United States v. Hemani that the federal government cannot strip individuals of their Second Amendment rights or prosecute them for firearm possession based solely on their marijuana use. Reuters reports that the justices found the blanket federal ban unconstitutionally overbroad and lacking in historical precedent. Congress had enacted the law to prohibit gun possession by illegal drug users and addicted people. Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the ruling was a narrow one and did not address efforts to keep guns out of the hands of addicted or intoxicated people.

A new state law passed this year requires public school districts to provide age- and grade-appropriate human trafficking awareness and prevention education to students in kindergarten through 12th grade beginning in the upcoming school year. Advocates told News 2 the instruction could give children important tools to protect themselves and identify warning signs in others. The legislation also allows schools to bring in qualified healthcare professionals and social workers to assist with instruction. School districts must adopt an implementation plan by Aug. 1.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has launched a number of mobile community supervision units aimed at “making it easier for individuals on probation and parole in rural areas to meet supervision requirements and access critical resources.” There currently are two mobile units in operation, with plans to add a third, according to a Nashville Banner newsletter. The units are large trucks equipped with workspace for up to four officers and a private meeting area, according to the department, which also released a video about the units. As of April, the state was supervising more than 75,000 people on probation or parole.

James W. “Jim” Bell died May 15 at age 91. Originally from Lawrenceburg, Bell graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced law in Knoxville until retirement. He also served on the Knox County Board of Education and became known as “School Board Bell” to distinguish himself from a lawyer with a similar name. According to his obituary, Bell obtained his pilot’s license in his 50s, learned Mandarin in his 70s and returned to Germany and found his old Army base at age 81. Bell will be interred Aug. 28 at 12:30 p.m. EDT at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 2200 E. Gov. John Sevier Hwy., Knoxville, TN 37920. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the KREST Foundation at The Knoxville Racquet Club, 5535 Lonas Dr., Knoxville, TN 37909, “so kids in need can learn to play the sport Jim loved.”

The TBA's LGBT Section will host the 2026 LGBT Forum Friday at the new Tennessee Bar Association office. The event kicks off Nashville's Pride weekend, offering one dual and two general hours of CLE. Topics to be covered include conversion therapy, the case of Chiles v. Salazar, constitutional rights and other issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. The program also will feature Nashville Metro Council Member-at-Large Olivia Hill, who will discuss her campaign to become the city's first transgender council member. Additional speakers include attorneys Maureen Holland and John Rice, as well as somatic psychotherapist Jeremy Lehmann. More information and the link to register are available on the TBA's website. In addition, there still are a few seats available on Nashville’s Big Drag Bus for a two-hour tour of the city with LGBT Section leadership. Contact TBA Senior Education and Professional Development Coordinator Jarod Word to sign up.