U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles is contesting the FBI's seizure of his cell phone and Gmail account as part of an investigation into alleged campaign finance discrepancies. Ogles confirmed the seizure in a social media post last month. According to Axios Nashville, Ogles claims these devices contain legislative materials that should be protected under federal law. In a recent court filing, he requests permission to review and remove documents related to that work. His attorneys also argue that the Justice Department should not have access to these communications. With regard to the broader investigation, Ogles has maintained that the alleged reporting discrepancies were based on honest mistakes.

An outside prosecutor is seeking a harsher sentence for a man charged with making threats against a judge, a federal building and other individuals. According to the Chattanoogan, Robert Edward Millsaps, who has a history of violent crime, is accused of threatening to bomb the courtroom of Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes as well as the federal building in Chattanooga. He also was charged with an act of terrorism and filing false reports. Local judges and prosecutors had recused themselves from the case so Bradley Sherman, a circuit court judge from Winchester, presided over the hearing last week. Millsaps is currently held on bond. ABA President Mary Smith noted this past spring that serious threats against judges have doubled since 2019, highlighting the growing concern for the safety of judicial officers.

State Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, is proposing legislation that would allow Tennessee students to use the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as a third option for college entrance exams and qualifying for the state’s Hope Scholarship program. Similar to the ACT and SAT, the CLT assesses foundational logic and reasoning skills through classic and historical texts. Slater, dean of Adult and Online Studies at Welch College, believes the CLT offers a valuable alternative. The Moore County News has more on the proposal.

Alabama attorney Matthew Brian Ferry died Sept. 10 at the age of 35. Ferry was born in Chattanooga and was a member of the inaugural graduating class at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, receiving his law degree in 2013. Following graduation, Ferry relocated to Alabama, where he practiced law at the Porter Law Firm in Scottsboro. A funeral was held last week with burial following in the Cedar Hill Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Jackson County Drug Court Indigent Fund, 102 East Laurel St., Ste. 302, Scottsboro, AL 35768, a cause that was close to Ferry's heart, according to the obituary.

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Hamilton County lawyer Walter Francis Williams to disability inactive status on Sept. 13. Williams may not practice law while on inactive status but may seek reinstatement by showing that the disability has been removed.

W.J. Michael Cody, a Memphis attorney who represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,  served as Tennessee’s attorney general and as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, has died at the age of 88. Cody, a partner at Burch Porter & Johnson since 1961, was instrumental in the legal team representing King during his 1968 visit to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. Among his work, he successfully convinced a judge to lift an injunction preventing strikers from marching, the Commercial Appeal reports. Cody met with King at the Lorraine Motel not long before King was assassinated on the balcony outside his hotel room. Following King's death, Cody and Memphis pastor James Lawson formed a neighborhood legal services operation to offer free aid to the sanitation workers. That idea expanded into the organization now known as Memphis Area Legal Services, the paper reports. According to the family, a private memorial service will be held with a public celebration of life to take place at a later date.

The third installment in TBA’s Mockingbirds & the Rest of Us series will take place Sept. 19. This highly interactive three-part series, taught by Doug Blaze and Buck Lewis — founders of the Institute for Professional Leadership at UT Law — examines the book, movie and recent Aaron Sorkin adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the lens of contemporary times. Panelists examine the lynching scene on the porch of the jail, the trial and the final scene on the Finch porch after an attempt on the Finch children’s lives. The full program qualifies for 4.5 dual hours of CLE. Register for part 3 here. View recordings for part 1 and part 2 using the respective links.

The TBA Administrative Law Section will host its Annual Forum on Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST at Burr & Forman in Nashville. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The program is designed to help Tennessee administrative lawyers stay current in their practice. Watch for more details on speakers and topics coming soon to the TBA website.

A legal clinic in Campbell County on Saturday helped more than 40 individuals expunge their criminal records, thanks to the efforts of local officials and legal professionals. Campbell County General Sessions Judge Bill Jones, 8th Judicial District Public Defender Leif Jeffers and District Attorney General Jared Effler, Circuit Court Clerk Bobby Vann, the Bullock Law Firm, and members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division and University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic contributed their time and expertise to the event. The Campbell County Sheriff's Office provided courthouse security for the clinic. See photos from the event.

TBA's Women in the Profession Committee will host the 3rd Annual Raising the Bar program Dec. 4 in Nashville, offering attendees 5 CLE hours. The event will include breakfast, educational sessions and a networking reception. The program will be held at Baker Donelson, 1600 West End Ave., Nashville 37203. Watch for more details on speakers and topics coming soon to the TBA website.