The Tennessee Bar Association is accepting nominations through next week for its Fourth Estate Award, which honors courageous reporting on justice and the law. Nominees must be Tennessee-based journalists who have shown exemplary courage in exercising First Amendment rights in the promotion of public understanding of how the law and our legal system works, or how it should work, as demonstrated by a story or series of related stories published in 2025. Read more about the award in TBA's press release. Submit nominations for the Fourth Estate Award online by April 30. Access the submission form at the link above.

The law license of Shelby County attorney Michael Fearnley was transferred to disability inactive status on April 20. Fearnley may not practice law while on disability inactive status. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court by showing that his disability has been removed.

The federal government has purchased a 22,000-square-foot property on Georgia Avenue in downtown Chattanooga for $4.1 million. It was the last parcel needed to build a new federal courthouse on Vine Street, Local 3 News reports. Planners say that location offers the best schedule, cost, security, constructability and compliance. In February, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced it had settled on the Vine Street location.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill last week to make confidential the addresses of candidates on nominating petitions for the offices of judge, chancellor, district attorney and public defender. The legislation, HB1659/SB1720, was sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, and Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, who said its intent is to protect the candidates from potential harm or threats. The bill passed unanimously in the House on April 14 and received a near-unanimous vote in the Senate on April 6. The bill was transmitted to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature on April 17.

The U.S. Judicial Conference's Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules voted last Thursday to abandon a key part of a proposed rule governing the disclosure of who finances friend-of-the-court briefs. Reuters reports that committee members took the action after key judges expressed concern the measure could interfere with the privacy of advocacy groups. The panel previously had endorsed a rule requiring organizations that file amicus briefs to name donors who provide more than $100 for preparation of a brief if those individuals had joined the organization less than 12 months ⁠earlier. Opponents argued that requiring advocacy groups to disclose members’ names would violate their First Amendment rights. Current rules already require organizations to disclose ⁠support from nonmembers. The judiciary had been considering the rule change since 2019.

Five former Memphis police officers who faced criminal charges connected to Tyré Nichols' beating after a traffic stop in January 2023 have been dismissed from a civil lawsuit, according to the Commercial Appeal. An order filed Friday allows attorneys representing Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, to dismiss Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith Jr. from the case. Wells' attorneys say they requested the dismissal in an attempt to keep the case on track for trial. Three of the five are seeking a new federal criminal trial and Chief Judge Sheryl Lipman paused discovery related to them until those criminal matters are resolved. Wells' attorneys also are seeking to dismiss the police chief from the suit.

Tennessee voters will see new language on primary election ballot applications, which will require them to declare they are a bona fide member of the party whose primary they are voting in, Knox News reports. The language comes from an existing 1972 law, though it is now being highlighted on the ballot application. Every year before voters cast a ballot in person or by mail, they will have to sign a statement saying they are a member of the party in whose primary they're voting. The Tennessee Secretary of State's office in October instructed county election officials to highlight the statement that must be signed before voters can receive a ballot, Knox County elections administrator Chris Davis tells the paper.

Gov. Bill Lee last week signed into law a measure (SB2118/HB2498) that bars TennCare from covering any gender transition treatments, surgeries or hormone therapies. Those already undergoing gender transitions may continue to receive care covered through TennCare through March 31, 2027, if a physician deems that stopping the treatment would be harmful. And TennCare will continue to cover treatments for congenital conditions, early puberty, disease and physical injuries. A 2024 law banned the Tennessee Department of Correction from using state funds to offer hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Lawmakers banned gender transition treatments for minors in 2023, a law that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025 after a yearslong legal challenge. The Tennessean has more on the new law.

Nashville yesterday celebrated its first Z. Alexander Looby Day, which will be marked each April 19 to commemorate the prominent attorney and civil rights activist. On April 19, 1960, the home of Looby, who was a sitting city councilmember, was bombed. That led to a march of 4,000 people to City Hall, where student activist Diane Nash confronted then-mayor Ben West about segregation. Davidson County historian Dr. Learotha Williams Jr. led the effort to establish the day to recognize Looby and his legacy. At an event yesterday, he read the mayor’s proclamation designating the day in what is now known as Diane Nash Plaza. He also noted the significance of reading the proclamation on the Public Square, a place where African Americans were once bought and sold, and where Native Americans passed through on the Trail of Tears. The Nashville Banner has more on the event. Also yesterday, the city marked the 4th annual Diane Nash Commemorative March according to WSMV.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law recently dedicated the Pamela Reeves Institute for Professional Leadership. Seventeen past TBA presidents — including Reeves' husband Charles Swanson — were on hand to celebrate the renaming of the institute. According to the school, the renaming was made possible through the generosity of the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence George “Buck” T. Lewis and his wife Malinda. Lewis is a co-founder of the institute, which helps students identify and develop their leadership skills, professional values and career path through interdisciplinary programming. Reeves was a 1979 graduate of the law school and became the first woman to serve as both district judge and chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Prior to joining the bench, she was a respected mediator in private practice and served as TBA's first female president from 1998-1999. See photos from the event.