Shrinking hospital capacity in Tennessee leaves at-risk communities more vulnerable to extreme heat, a new study finds. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that government officials' tools for measuring heat vulnerability often don't consider access to health care. By including hospital bed capacity in calculations, the study found a "major increase" in vulnerability for many Tennessee counties, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The article notes that the study has limitations and mainly focuses on the population of people aged 65 and older. One of the study’s main researchers expressed hope the study will encourage elected officials and policy makers to consider health care accessibility and hospital capacity as one of the main factors of heat vulnerability and ask how their constituencies can be better prepared.

According to a data report released Friday by the U.S. Labor Department, the legal services industry added 1,600 jobs in September, reversing a decline that began in April. Lawyer Monthly reports there has been "robust" demand for legal professionals in the U.S. from both corporations and large law firms over the past four months. The department's statistics include lawyers, paralegals and assistants working for law firms, corporations and other organizations. In the first half of 2024, U.S. law firms reported strong financial performance, with average revenue up 11.4% compared to the same period a year earlier. Demand for transactional practices is increasing after nearly three years of lackluster performance, the article reports.

The TBA Appellate Practice Section on Tuesday hosted its annual boot camp at the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). Produced by Appellate Practice Section Chair Laura Deakins and Middle Tennessee Delegate Leslie Price, the event provided attendees the opportunity to earn CLE through the viewing of CCA oral arguments, a Q&A with presiding judges, a moderated panel of lawyers who participated on the morning docket and an ethics presentation. Special thanks to Judges Camille McMullen, John Campbell and Robert Wedemeyer for their help with this remarkable forum.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has consolidated its Memphis and Knoxville field offices into a single office in Nashville as of Oct. 1. This decision, made after more than eight years of evaluation, aims to better serve Tennessee by having one office covering the entire state, the Daily Memphian reports. The FBI has also increased the number of investigative agents across the state from 170 to 200, with 10 of the 30 new agents already in place. In a statement, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he believed the change “wouldn’t impact the level of support” Memphis gets from the FBI. The FBI has had a field office in Memphis since before 1925.

NetChoice, the trade association of online businesses ― including Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta ― has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that requires age verification and parental consent before minors can create social media accounts. The Tennessean reports that the association filed the suit against Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Thursday morning, arguing that the new law violates the First Amendment by conditioning Tennesseans’ access to free speech on their willingness to provide sensitive personal data. The lawsuit notes that NetChoice's member platforms already provide parents with tools to monitor children's activities. The law, “Protecting Children from Social Media Act,” was signed by Gov. Bill Lee in May and is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Bill sponsors said the legislation is meant to protect children and bolster parental rights online. The measure passed the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate with bipartisan support.

The Supreme Court of California on Thursday rejected a proposed alternative pathway that would have enabled law school graduates to become licensed after working under the supervision of an experienced attorney and submitting a portfolio of work. According to Reuters, the court said the program would compromise "fairness, validity and reliability as a measure of an applicant’s competence." The State Bar of California’s board of trustees endorsed the Portfolio Bar Exam in November 2023 over the objections of public commenters. The American Bar Association’s legal education arm endorsed alternative licensing pathways in May.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded oral arguments on Thursday and will determine what comes next for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). The program, initiated under the Obama administration, has faced legal challenges since the Trump administration attempted to terminate it. The panel is reviewing a previous ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which deemed DACA unlawful but allowed current recipients to renew their status while barring new applicants. According to the Associated Press, the appeal centers on whether Texas and other states have legal standing to challenge DACA after the current administration’s 2021 rule to codify the program. A ruling is expected in the coming weeks or months, potentially leading to a U.S. Supreme Court review.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will host its Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Thanks to Bass, Berry & Sims and the MBA Probate & Estate Planning Section for sponsoring this month’s event. Attorneys always are needed to give legal advice and basic guidance on a range of issues, from divorce to employment law. To sponsor a future clinic, contact Mary Ann Upchurch at maupchurch@memphisbar.org. Questions about the clinic should be directed to Memphis Area Legal Services Pro Bono Managing Attorney Heather Staggs at hstaggs@malsi.org.

A list of those who passed the July 2024 Tennessee bar exam is now available. Check the TBA’s website for the complete list of successful applicants. Those who meet all licensing requirements will be sworn in at ceremonies across the state. Events are scheduled for Nov. 4 in Knoxville, Nov. 5 in Nashville, Nov. 6 in Jackson and Nov. 7 in Memphis. 

The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a Virginia case that attorneys say could have drastic consequences on the ability to litigate civil rights cases. The case involves a group of indigent Virginia drivers who challenged a state law that automatically suspended their licenses for failure to pay certain court fees. A federal trial court agreed with the plaintiffs and granted a preliminary injunction. Before the case went to trial, the state legislature repealed the law. When the group sought to have attorneys' fees covered, the state argued that the preliminary injunction was not sufficient to qualify them as the “prevailing party” and thus attorneys’ fees were not warranted. Bloomberg Law has more on the case, while the Nashville Banner looks at the impact on civil rights cases. A number of lawyers say that if the court upholds Virginia’s position, civil rights lawyers, who often rely on attorneys' fees, would be disincentivized to take cases knowing that government entities could simply change laws after an injunction to avoid paying.