The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order yesterday denying a death row inmate's request for a hearing on his competency, paving the way for his execution on Aug. 5, The Tennessean reports. Byron Black's lawyers have argued that his intellectual disability, along with dementia and severe brain damage, make him incompetent for execution. In June, they asked the justices to reverse a lower court’s ruling that declined to consider the issue. In denying the request, the Supreme Court stated that the intellectual disability claim has been litigated fully on the merits and no extenuating circumstances warrant a different outcome. Black's lawyer said she plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The legal team also has filed a petition in Davidson County Chancery Court, asking the state to ensure that his implanted heart defibrillator is disabled before his execution. A hearing in that matter is scheduled for July 14.

Jared Effler, district attorney general in the state's 8th Judicial District, has been elected by members of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference to serve as president of the organization. A native of Union County, Effler earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1999. He first served the district as an assistant district attorney. According to Knox TN Today, Effler said he looks forward to working with his colleagues “as we advocate for crime victims and work to improve public safety in our great state.” He took office in 2014 and was re-elected without opposition in 2022. The 8th Judicial District includes Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties.

Chattanooga lawyer and former TBA President Sam D. Elliott took over as chair of the Tennessee Bar Foundation Board of Trustees on July 1, Chattanoogan.com reports. Elliott, a member of Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon PLLC and a foundation board member since 2019, will serve for one year. The foundation, established in 1982, administers the state’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, honors distinguished attorneys as fellows and supports law-related public interest projects. The IOLTA program funds Tennessee’s legal aid programs and other nonprofit organizations. Elliott is a former president of the Chattanooga Bar Association and currently serves as chair of the Tennessee Historical Commission.

The 2025 Federal Practice Forum, set for July 15, will provide attorneys with essential updates and practical insights across three sessions: immigration law, art and cultural heritage law, and attorney wellness, including a session exploring parallels between athletes and the mental health challenges lawyers face. Speakers include Brent Jones an assistant U.S. attorney in Knoxville, Diane Penneys Edelman with the Brooklyn Law School, Amber Seay with The Ehrisman Law Firm, and Stuart Teicher, known as The CLE Performer. For more information and to register, visit TBA's website.

The list of candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green continues to grow, the Nashville Banner reports. State Rep. Bo Mitchell of Nashville became the first Democrat to say he’s running for the 7th Congressional District seat, which encompasses parts of Davidson, Montgomery and Williamson counties., which spans parts of Nashville to Clarksville near the Kentucky border. State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, announced a run today acccording to the Nashville Post. The Republican side of the race is more crowded. State Reps. Jody Barrett of Dickson, Jay Reedy of Erin and Lee Reeves of Franklin have filed paperwork to run. Other contenders include Matthew Van Epps, who resigned his role as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services to run; Jason Knight, a Montgomery County commissioner and former Clarksville City Council member; and U.S. Army veteran John Thorp. The Tennessean reports on Thorp's candidacy.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has hired Nashville attorney Masami Tyson to be his new chief of staff. Tyson will succeed Marjorie Pomeroy-Wallace, who ran O'Connell's 2023 campaign and has been his only chief of staff. Pomeroy-Wallace will remain with the O'Connell administration in the newly created position of chief strategy officer. Nashville Business Journal reports that Tyson is a former senior counsel at Franklin-based Nissan Americas who then spent almost four years as Tennessee’s top official recruiting business investments from foreign companies. Most recently, Tyson opened a Nashville office for Womble Bond Dickinson, where she was a partner. A native of Yokohama, Japan, Tyson received her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2000. Read more in a press release from the mayor's office.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) has agreed to delete the booking photo of a Muslim woman, photographed without her hijab, from its database in response to a pending lawsuit. In May 2024, Layla Soliz was arrested during pro-Palestinian protests on the campus of the University of Tennessee College of Law. She filed a lawsuit in October claiming that her religious freedoms had been violated because KCSO took the photo of her and published it, violating KCSO policy. In March, she settled the monetary damages portion of the lawsuit. On June 3, KCSO certified that it had expunged the uncovered booking photo of Soliz and all videos from its internal database. On July 7, the office moved to dismiss the case. Knox News has the story.

Local governments and state universities are adjusting their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies to comply with new state laws, the Nashville Post reports. In the most recent legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers passed several laws targeting DEI practices. The first, the Dismantling DEI Departments Act, bans departments that work to promote diversity or equity. The second, the Dismantle DEI in Employment Act, bans the use of hiring practices based on an applicant’s race, ethnicity, sex, age or other demographic. Finally, a third bill eliminates race-based preferences in state board appointments. In response, Metro Nashville, Middle Tennessee State University, Shelby County and the City of Memphis have made changes. Read more from the paper.

Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has ruled that Kilmar Abrego Garcia may continue to challenge his deportation to El Salvador even though he is now back in the country to stand trial for criminal charges. The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) had argued the suit should be dismissed, according to the Associated Press. Also during the hearing, a DOJ lawyer said the department would try to deport him again if released before trial. That contradicts previous statements from leaders. Additionally, new filings in the case allege that Abrego Garcia endured “severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition and psychological torture” while in the El Salvador prison, The Tennessean reports. In related news, Tennessee Lookout reports that Tennessee-based U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw has ordered lawyers in the criminal case to refrain from making public statements. That order was requested by Abrego Garcia’s lawyers who say the government has “launched a public disparagement campaign” that could prejudice their client’s right to a fair trial.

The Mid-South Commercial Law Institute recently named new officers and five new directors to its 25-member board. Officers are President Cara Alday Patrick with Beard, Schulman & Jacoway in Chattanooga; Vice President/President-Elect Wendy Geurin Smith of Memphis with Evans Petree; Secretary Maggie Reidy, a staff attorney in the Chapter 13 Trustee's office in Nashville; Treasurer R. Bradley Banks of Cleveland with Richard Banks & Associates; and Immediate Past President Paul Jennings with Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville. New directors, elected to five year terms, are: Wes R. Bulgarella with Maynard Nexsen in Birmingham, Alabama; Ryan E. Jarrard of Quist, Fitzpatrick & Jarrard in Knoxville; Tyler Layne of Nashville with Holland & Knight; R. Lee Webber with Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston in Memphis; and Robert “Jay” Wilkinson with Baker Donelson in Chattanooga. See the list of the full 2025 board.