This year's Federal Practice Forum will take place virtually and offer essential and useful material for attorneys. Over the course of three sessions, speakers will cover a range of topics, including ADR in federal district court, ramifications of the Chevron decision, untangling jurisdiction in national parks and other federally regulated areas, and an overview of recent Supreme Court decisions. Join colleagues on July 26 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT for this live virtual event.

The TBA YLD's Rookie Series continues with a program that dispels some myths about the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) with an interactive Q&A session. From young and seasoned lawyers to law students, learn more about this integral legal service organization and its many resources on Sept.12 at noon CDT. This event is free for all TBA members. CLE credit is available for a small fee. Please RSVP for the event before Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. CDT.

The law license of Knox County lawyer Keith Allen Pope has been transferred to disability inactive status. Pope may not practice law while on inactive status but may petition the Tennessee Supreme Court for reinstatement by showing by clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and he is fit to resume the practice of law.

Shelby County lawyer Kathryn Nan Maceri has received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that Maceri violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4 and 5.3 when she failed to communicate with a client, provide competent and diligent representation, and breached her responsibilities regarding nonlawyer assistants when her legal assistant provided the client with an altered work permit. As a result, the work permit was unusable, and the client had to hire a new attorney to complete the task.

The American Bar Association (ABA) released a statement Friday expressing concern about congressional funding for federal public defenders. The group notes that federal courts have requested $1.69 billion in FY 2025 to meet the constitutional requirement of providing public defenders to every criminal defendant who cannot afford a lawyer. The U.S. House of Representatives, according to the association, has proposed $1.5 billion in funding. Although this represents a 3.4% increase over current funding, it falls short of what is needed, the ABA says.

Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, is urging the U.S. Judicial Conference to review the role of litigation finance, including considering transparency rules and mandatory disclosure of outside funding in federal lawsuits. “Understanding the funding terms, sources, financial details and potential conflicts of interest are vital to ensuring informed decision-making and guarding against perceptions of undue influence,” Comer wrote in a letter to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The Judicial Conference meets twice a year and makes recommendations to Congress concerning legislation involving the judicial branch. The chief justice serves as its presiding officer. Bloomberg Law has more.

A group of about 20 individuals gathered in downtown Nashville this past weekend chanting and handing out flyers, WPLN reports. The flyers identified them as members of the group Goyim Defense League, a loose network of antisemites and white supremacists. Nashville police said they arrested a "neo-Nazi protester" after the individual allegedly used a Nazi flagpole to hit a bartender who had been in a physical altercation with group members. The protester was charged with felony aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, Axios Nashville reports in today’s newsletter. After last week’s demonstration downtown, Gov. Bill Lee said that Tennesseans should stand against antisemitism.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced Saturday that he has asked the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Cold Case Unit to reopen an investigation into three segregation-era bombings, the Nashville Banner reports. The news came during an event with Betsy Phillips, author of the new book “Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control,” which raises questions about why bombings at Hattie Cotton Elementary, the Jewish Community Center and the home of civil rights lawyer Z. Alexander Looby were never solved. In making the announcement, O’Connell said, “For 64 years, the question of who is responsible for three bombings has gone unresolved. The book doesn't have all the answers, but it can be the beginning of new discovery and a new conversation.”

A panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a Tennessee policy prohibiting transgender individuals from changing the sex marker on their birth certificates. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the court ruled that Tennessee’s policy is constitutional, writing that "there is no fundamental right to a birth certificate recording gender identity instead of biological sex." The majority called the policy "a nondiscriminatory form of government speech embraced by some states about an undeniable historical fact.” An attorney from Lambda Legal, which is representing the plaintiffs, said the group was disappointed in the decision and is considering next steps, the Tennessean reports. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti released a statement after the ruling, saying in part, “Whether someone can change the sex on their birth certificate is a matter for each state to decide … We are grateful that the Court of Appeals agreed … that any change in Tennessee's policy can only come from the people of Tennessee.”

The National Civil Rights Museum will host a hybrid symposium on the “60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer” on July 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT. During the event, activists from the iconic Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) will share experiences of their grassroots efforts to help register Black American voters in Mississippi in 1964, while authors, historians and filmmakers will highlight incidents that took place that summer. Tickets are $15. The event includes lunch for in-person attendees. Register online for in-person or virtual attendance. Read more in an article from Fox 13 News.