The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) will hold three legal advice clinics this week. Tomorrow, the group will hold a clinic for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37203 and a general advice clinic at the Nashville Public Library's Downtown Branch, 615 Church St., Nashville 37219. On Thursday, a walk-in clinic will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 S. Academy St., Murfreesboro 37130. All times central. Get details and links to sign up for each clinic on the LAS online calendar.

Miller Bruce Sullivan died Jan. 15 at age 25. A Knoxville native, he graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a degree in political science and religious studies, going on to law school at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. In October, he celebrated passing the Tennessee Bar Exam and joined the Cole Law Group in Brentwood. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. EST on Jan. 25, at Fountain City Presbyterian Church, 500 Hotel Rd., Knoxville 37918, followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m. The memorial service will be livestreamed on the church's Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either UT UKirk Campus Ministry or The National Epilepsy Foundation.

Save the date for TBA's 29th Annual Labor & Employment Forum set for May 2 at the Tennessee Bankers Association in Nashville. Speakers will include Heather Collins, John Edwin Gerth, Greg Grisham and Mark Travis. Visit the TBA website for more information and to register.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The office will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

President Joe Biden has asserted that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which prohibits discrimination based on sex, is part of the Constitution, arguing it has met the criteria to be added as the 28th Amendment, The Hill reports. "The American Bar Association (ABA) has recognized that the ERA has cleared all necessary hurdles to be formally added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment. I agree with the ABA and with leading legal constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution,” Biden said. He also affirmed that the 28th Amendment guarantees all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of sex. Biden said the ERA “is the law of the land” because it was passed by a two-thirds majority in Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states. However, he has not directed the archivist to formally add the amendment to the Constitution, which could invite legal challenges, the news outlet reports.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has permanently disbarred Johnson County lawyer and former general sessions judge Perry Lee Stout from the practice of law. Stout was temporarily suspended on Feb. 28, 2024, after pleading guilty to the commission of two felonies: conspiracy to possess with intent to sell not less than ten or more than 70 pounds of marijuana and money laundering. He was sentenced to an effective eight-year sentence in May 2024. In imposing disbarment, the court found that Stout knowingly violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4 (a), (b), (c) and (d) when he purchased illegal drugs and participated in illegal drug trafficking.

This week's installment of TBA's Indigent Representation Primer is now available. The new post explores how the increasing strain on our appointed counsel system has ripple effects across the legal and broader community. The crisis in indigent representation is not just a problem for criminal defendants; the entire legal system is impacted by delayed trials, overburdened courts and disrupted proceedings that can stem from a shortage of appointed counsel. The consequences of delays and disruptions extend beyond the courtroom, affecting victims and their families, the families of defendants, children caught in the system, and the larger community. These challenges highlight the urgent need to address the issues with the system, including more resources for the lawyers in this crucial role. Read all past primer posts.

A Texas judge ruled Thursday that three states can move forward with another attempt to roll back federal rules and limit access to the abortion drug mifepristone. Action News 5 reports that Idaho, Kansas and Missouri requested last year to pursue the case in federal court in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a narrow ruling finding that abortion opponents who initially filed the case lacked legal standing to sue. The states seek to have the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibit telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone, limit its use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy instead of the current 10 weeks and require three in-person doctor visits to obtain the drug instead of none. Nationwide, 13 states ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, while four more prohibit the procedure after the first six weeks.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced a settlement with BlackRock Inc. resolving allegations that the global investment firm misled consumers about the role of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in its investment practices. The settlement concludes a lawsuit filed by the state of Tennessee in 2023 under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. According to a press release, BlackRock must increase its disclosure, implement compliance measures, ensure communications with investors are consistent and commit to casting shareholder votes solely in the financial interests of investors. As part of the settlement, Tennessee will dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, reserving the right to refile if BlackRock fails to substantially comply.

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company to divest from the app, setting up a ban to take effect Sunday. The justices sided with the Biden administration, ruling the divest-or-ban law does not violate the First Amendment, The Hill reports. President-elect Donald Trump had previously urged the justices to delay the deadline so he could negotiate a deal, but the court declined. The Biden administration does not plan to enforce the law before the inauguration, leaving the decision to Trump and seemingly allowing the app to stay online for now. The court was unanimous in its judgment, though Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch filed separate concurrences. TikTok has argued divestment is not feasible and that it will “go dark” starting Sunday.