Voters across Tennessee cast their ballots yesterday during the state’s May primary. In Memphis, Mickell M. Lowry clinched the Democratic nomination for Shelby County mayor against Republican nominee John J. Deberry Jr. and four court clerk seats were decided. Only one was contested. The Commercial Appeal reports on those results. In Jackson, attorney Jen Free will be unopposed for a General Sessions judgeship in August. The Jackson Sun has that coverage, as well as the results of two court clerk races. Nashville saw three judge races decided, including the upset of two of the three incumbents. Three court clerk seats and the public defender also were on the ballot. The Tennessean reports on those races. In Chattanooga, Jennifer Peck was unchallenged for the Hamilton County Circuit Court judge seat while two of three court clerk positions will be unopposed in August, according to Chattanoogan.com. Finally in Knox County, incumbent General Session Judge Andrea Kline will face Democractic challenger Ben Houston III in the August election, Knox News reports. The paper also reports that Emily Abbott will be the lone general election candidate for a criminal court seat and two court clerk candidates will advance to the general election unopposed. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s website has a complete list of election results for each of the state’s counties. Early voting in the general election will run July 17-Aug. 1 with election day on Aug. 6.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Exploration CLEs received rave reviews last yearv— including, "it was the single greatest CLE I've ever been to," "insightful" and "very original idea." Now make plans to join colleagues for the fourth Exploration CLE at Long Hunter State Park in Nashville on Sept. 25. Take the day to experience the magnificence of one of Tennessee's state parks while earning three hours of CLE credit. The day will include lunch and a ranger-led hike. More information and speakers will be announced soon.

If you plan to attend the 2026 TBA Convention but have not yet booked your hotel, time is running out! The TBA hotel room block at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville will close this Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m. EDT. Book now to take advantage of our special discounted rate. Can't make it to the full convention? Join colleagues on June 11 for TBA's first-ever Tech Showcase. Day passes for Thursday are now available online.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are accepting nominations for the 2026 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award. The deadline for submitting nominations is May 8. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the Eastern Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Knoxville June 10-13. See past recipients of the award.

Several members of the TBA leadership attended the American Bar Association's (ABA) Day on the Hill this spring. Participants met with several members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation to discuss Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding, judicial security, utilizing lawyers as resources when drafting AI-related legislation and public service loan forgiveness. The group also attended the LSC reception at the U.S. Supreme Court. See photos from the event.

Tennessee’s state legislature reconvened today for what likely will be a three-day special session, the Nashville Banner reports. The session — convened after the U.S. Supreme Court found that racial gerrymandering in Louisiana was unconstitutional — will focus on redrawing the state’s congressional map, including the state’s last Democrat-controlled district in Memphis. Gov. Bill Lee, who called the session, said, “We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters.”

Yesterday, six bills were filed. Most are placeholders that do not include full bill language. Details should emerge tomorrow during the committee process. One bill, HB7006/SB7006, introduced by House Minority Leader Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, does contain a specific redistricting plan. Today, the House and Senate set the stage for the session with floor action according to the Tennessean and WREG. At a press conference last night, Democrats said they plan to lay “the foundation for legal challenges” to delay or overturn any Republican changes, the Nashville Scene reports.

Tomorrow, the House will reconvene at 9 a.m. with action planned in three committees: the Congressional Redistricting Committee will meet at 11 a.m. followed immediately by the Finance, Ways & Means Committee and then the Calendar & Rules Committee. The Senate will reconvene at 8:30 a.m. Committee meetings scheduled in that chamber include the State & Local Government Committee at 9:30 a.m., Judiciary Committee at 11 a.m. and Finance, Ways & Means Committee at 2 p.m. All times central.

Retired Colonel Karen Victoria Fair of Alcoa died April 6 at age 62. Fair graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point University in 1985 and immediately began her Army career. She was a decorated veteran with over 25 years of leadership, including service as general counsel for Commanding General First Armored Division in Wiesbaden, Germany, and strategist and later division chief to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. She served as a deputy general counsel in Iraq during “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” She was appointed by the Pentagon as litigation manager and led a team that successfully prosecuted soldiers for the human rights violations in the highly publicized Abu Ghraib scandal. Fair graduated on the Commandant’s List as a top scholar in international and operational law from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal School at the University of Virginia Law School, and she received the James L. Powers Award for Highest Excellence in Trial Advocacy while completing her law degree at the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law. Services were held April 15.

In a statement issued on May 1, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall asserted that Metro Nashville is exempt from newly passed legislation HB2219/SB2223, which requires sheriffs' offices to enter into agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as 287(g) partnerships. The Tennessean reports that Hall said the bill only pertains to sheriffs certified by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, a categorization that does not involve Metro Nashville-Davidson County. In related news, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Lindsay Graham, R-South Carolina, last week introduced the 287(g) Expansion Act to provide financial incentives for local governments to participate in the program, which allows ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement to identify and remove individuals in the country without legal status.

Save the date for this year's Elder Law Forum, the premier event for Tennessee senior-centric lawyers. Join speakers Amy Bryant, Barbara Moss, Beverly Sharpe and Jon Toy on July 17 at the Nashville School of Law for sessions on conservatorships, fraud concerns, guardians ad litem, special needs trusts, ethics and more. For more information and to register, visit the TBA's website.

TBA members should have received printed membership renewal statements by now, but for those who would prefer to renew online, the web-based portal remains open. Be sure to log into your TBA account and go to the MyTBA dashboard to get started. TBA members receive the daily TBA Today newsletter, bi-monthly Tennessee Bar Journal, three free hours of CLE, resources for starting and building a new firm, a free legal research tool, savings on a range of products and services and more!