Adams & Reese has announced the launch of a Blockchain & Digital Assets Practice, led by partner Mike Henson. The new practice will advise clients on legal and regulatory issues involving blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, digital assets, fintech, Web3, NFTs, smart contracts and other emerging technologies. Henson, who recently joined the firm's Nashville office, is a registered patent attorney known for his work at the intersection of intellectual property law and emerging technology. He will work with startups, emerging-growth companies, financial institutions, technology companies, investors, developers and established businesses integrating blockchain technology into their operations. “Clients are looking for practical guidance that helps them innovate while managing legal, regulatory and commercial risk,” Henson said in a press release. “Our Blockchain & Digital Assets Practice will help clients address the full range of issues that arise as blockchain and digital asset technologies continue to develop.”

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to intervene in and dismiss a lawsuit filed by the NAACP and the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, according to the Commercial Appeal. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Clean Air Act related to the use of gas turbines at xAI’s Southaven, Mississippi, facility. In court filings, the DOJ argued that xAI’s Grok artificial intelligence model is important to national security and that disrupting operations at the company’s power plant could hinder the development of future AI systems. The motion also cites concerns raised by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves that an injunction could negatively affect the state’s economy. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represents the plaintiffs, criticized the filing, arguing it would undermine the public’s ability to challenge alleged environmental violations.

A federal judge recently approved a class-action settlement with Google that provides hundreds of millions of U.S. account holders with a new way to limit the sharing of personal information in real-time bidding (RTB) advertising auctions, according to a release from Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, a Nashville law firm that is a member of the plaintiffs' executive committee. The lawsuit challenged Google's practice of sharing user data with hundreds of third parties through RTB auctions, which plaintiffs alleged was not adequately disclosed to users and occurred billions of times each day. As part of the settlement, Google introduced a new RTB Control that allows users to limit the information and reduce tracking within auctions. The control also is available online for certain signed-out users. The settlement also requires Google to provide enhanced disclosures about RTB auctions and available privacy options.

Country music artist Jelly Roll has donated nearly $300,000 and pledged an additional $300,000 to support the Judge Dinkins Education Center, a Nashville nonprofit school founded by Criminal Court Judge Jim Todd that provides education and trade-skills training to at-risk youth, the Tennessean reports. More than two decades after Todd prosecuted Jelly Roll as a juvenile offender, the two have partnered to help students facing challenges such as housing instability, mental health issues and involvement with the justice system. Since opening in 2023, the school has graduated 19 students, many of whom have gone on to earn trade certifications and secure jobs in construction and other skilled trades.

The same day Democratic plaintiffs dropped their lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new U.S. House map, the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP petitioned a federal judicial panel to block the map while its case proceeds, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The motion seeking an injunction argues that the map violates the 14th and 15th amendments and constitutes intentional racial discrimination designed to dilute the voting power of Black voters in Memphis. The suit has been consolidated with a challenge filed by the League of Women Voters and is one of two cases still pending against the map. A separate state lawsuit filed by the NAACP was dismissed last month. The other remaining challenge, filed by the ACLU, also alleges the map unlawfully discriminates against Black voters.

The Juneteenth615 Freedom Exposition & Fireworks Celebration will take place June 19 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at Centennial Park in Nashville. The free event will feature cultural exhibits, live music, food vendors and family-friendly activities celebrating freedom, heritage and community. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display as part of the city’s Juneteenth observance. The event comes as Nashville also celebrates Black Music Month through a series of programs hosted by the National Museum of African American Music.

Knoxville lawyer Mary Beth Maddox took office as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Knoxville. She will advance to the position of president-elect in June 2027 and to the presidency in June 2028. Maddox, a partner with Frantz McConnell & Seymour LLP, has practiced law for more than 30 years, focusing on civil litigation, including labor and employment, workers’ compensation and tort matters. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1991 and her law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law in 1994. She has long been active in the TBA, previously serving on its Board of Governors as treasurer, associate general counsel and as an East Tennessee governor. She also served two terms as co-chair of the TBA’s Leadership Law (TBALL) program, where she served several years as a Steering Committee member. Read more about her career in the TBA's press release.

Nashville lawyer John L. Farringer IV took office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Knoxville. He will advance to the presidency in June 2027. A member of the law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Farringer has practiced law for over 20 years, focusing on complex business and commercial litigation. He has been active in the TBA for many years, including serving for six years as a member of the Board of Governors and as associate general counsel with a special focus on issues related to indigent representation. He was a member of the 2011 Leadership Law class and received the 2015 President’s Award for his work as chair of the Medical-Legal Partnership Working Group. Farringer has made access to justice a passion of his career, including serving as chair of the TBA’s Access to Justice Committee from 2014-2015. He received the TBA’s Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Award in 2012 for his work on behalf of Juana Villegas, an undocumented woman who was shackled during and after childbirth. Last year, he also received the TBA President’s Award for his efforts in support of a new indigent representation system for the state. Additionally, Farringer served on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission from 2018-2024, and chaired the commission from 2022-2024. Read more about his career in a press release from the TBA.

Eads attorney Charlotte Knight Griffin took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Knoxville. Knight Griffin began her career in private practice in Memphis after earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). She joined Memphis Light, Gas and Water as a staff attorney in 1978 and retired in April 2023 after 45 years of service. Knight Griffin has been active in the TBA for many years, most recently serving as president-elect, speaker of the House of Delegates and a member of the Board of Governors. She is a past chair of the Local Government Practice and Litigation sections, a charter fellow of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD), a past executive officer of the YLD and past president of the TBA YLD Fellows. Read more about her career in this press release.

TBA’s new executive officers and new Board of Governors members took office at the Annual Convention in Knoxville. Officers for the upcoming bar year are: President Charlotte Knight Griffin of Eads, President-Elect John Farringer of Nashville, Vice President Mary Beth Maddox of Knoxville, Secretary Terica Smith of Jackson and Treasurer Jennifer Noe of Ashland City. Knoxville lawyer Heidi Barcus wrapped up her year in office and moved into the immediate past president role.

New Board of Governors members also took office. They are: Treasurer Jennifer Noe, East Tennessee Governor John Jolley, West Tennessee Governors Kent Francis and Geoffrey Lewis, 5th District Governor Jerice Glanton (Position 1), 7th District Governor Joshua Dougan, House of Delegates Speaker Deb House, Young Lawyers Division President Jennifer Sneed-Perry, Young Lawyers Division President-elect Darius Walker Jr., Tennessee Judicial Conference President Chancellor Tony Childress, District Public Defenders Conference President John Nicoll, Tennessee Alliance of Black Lawyers (TABL) Invited Representative David Fletcher, and Associate General Counsel Stacie Caraway.

Finally, new leaders took office in the TBA House of Delegates. They are Speaker Deb House, Deputy Speaker Steve Conley and Secretary Stanley Ross.