The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and nonbinary individuals from choosing passport sex markers that match their gender identity, SCOTUSblog reports. The ruling halts a lower court order that required the government to let people select "male," "female" or "X" on new and renewed passports to reflect their gender identity. It permits the administration to continue enforcing its policy while a lawsuit over the issue moves through the courts. The lawsuit argues that listing the sex assigned at birth on passports could lead to harassment or violence against transgender people. The court found that the State Department’s policy does not appear to discriminate against transgender individuals and “attests to a historical fact.”

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, reportedly received calls from President Donald Trump on Thursday offering them full pardons for their convictions, according to the Nashville Post. No official paperwork has appeared on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney's website. The two were found guilty in May of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering in a mailer fraud scheme. In September, Cothren was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, while Casada received a three-year federal prison sentence. Legal counsel for both men had requested a mistrial, which was denied, and were pursuing appeals of their convictions. Former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who was also involved in the scheme, is seeking a pardon from the president as well.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker said he plans to deny Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.’s motion to dismiss a charge in the federal criminal case against him, the Commercial Appeal reports. Attorney Michael Scholl filed the motion in October to dismiss the first count in the indictment, which specifically charges Ford with bribery, arguing in court documents that the charge is “unconstitutionally vague and insufficient.” The order had not been entered as of Nov. 6. Ford was indicted in February 2025 on federal bribery and attempted tax evasion charges stemming from a grant scheme.

The Knox County Commission voted to temporarily shelve for six months a pair of proposed ordinances that would compel nonprofits receiving county grants to pledge not to serve immigrants without legal status. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the vote came after groups stood before the panel of commissioners to deliver pleas against approving the ordinances with no expressed support for the measures during a public comment period. The two ordinances were initially introduced by Commissioner Angela Russell, an accountant who said the county should more strictly monitor nonprofits that receive county funds. One ordinance would attach the new requirements to nonprofits receiving funding via the county’s hotel tax while the other applies to general funds distributed to nonprofits. The county distributes about $1.9 million in grants to nonprofits annually — less than 1% of its budget.

Disciplinary Counsel Heather Piper with the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) will lead the TBA's Ethics Update 2025-2026 webcast on Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to noon CST. The session will review recent ethics developments from the BPR and offer attorneys a convenient opportunity to earn dual CLE credit before the Dec. 31 deadline. To register, visit the TBA website.

Three community-based organizations in Memphis will receive grant money from the Kresge Foundation for programs that strengthen climate justice and health equity. According to the Commercial Appeal, the money will go to the Center for Transforming Communities, a nonprofit that focuses on health, land and food justice; Knowledge Quest, which promotes education and economic mobility for youth; and The Works Inc., an organization that works to increase the availability of affordable housing and revitalize Memphis neighborhoods. The grants are part of the foundation's Climate Change, Health and Equity Imitative. This year, the foundation awarded $18.6 million to 32 groups across the country.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has announced that Jay Miller is its new general counsel. In the role, Miller will lead the Legal Services and Judicial Development Division and serve as a member of the AOC’s Executive Leadership Team. “We are excited to welcome Jay to our team,” said AOC Director Michelle Long. “His experience in state government and proven track record providing trusted advice on a variety of complex legal issues makes him an asset to the judiciary.” Miller previously served as general counsel for the Tennessee Agriculture Department, with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and with Baker Donelson in Nashville. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law.

The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500, a dramatic drop from last year’s ceiling of 125,000 under the Biden administration, according to the Associated Press. The news syndicate also reports that no reason was given for the new number, which was published in the Federal Register. The administration suspended the refugee program on Trump’s first day in office and since then only a trickle have entered the country, mostly white South Africans. Some other refugees have been admitted as part of a court case seeking to allow entry to those who were in the process of coming to the U.S. when the program was suspended.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has altered a scholarship program aimed at boosting law student diversity by eliminating requirements that applicants come from “ethnic minority” or “underrepresented racial” groups. According to Reuters, applicants now must demonstrate “a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.” The change comes seven months after the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued over the Legal Opportunity Scholarship program, alleging it discriminates against white applicants who were ineligible to apply. The $15,000 scholarship is awarded to between 20 and 25 students annually. The move comes after the ABA revised the criteria for its Judicial Clerkship Program last year to eliminate references to minority students and “communities of color.”

A ban on Tennessee's most popular hemp products will be delayed at least six months, through the end of June, a state board has decided. The delay will allow hemp licenses issued before Dec. 31, to expire before the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission takes over full enforcement from the Agriculture Department, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. A recently passed state law envisioned the commission having full authority as of Jan. 1, 2026. The commission will start some regulatory duties in January, including overseeing age limits and non-compliant products for retail.