New lawyers were sworn in this week by the Tennessee Supreme Court at the Memphis City Hall and by Justice Roger Page at the Jackson Supreme Court Building. TBA Young Lawyers Division members were on hand to welcome the new lawyers and answers questions about the TBA. See photos from the Memphis and Jackson ceremonies.

A Middle Tennessee lawyer is facing charges after police say she allegedly destroyed evidence for a client, reports the Tennessean. Sumner County criminal defense lawyer Jocelyn Mims was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday after Hendersonville Police said Mims found and then deleted pornographic images of children from her client's cell phone. Mims, who was being held at the Sumner County jail Friday on an $80,000 bond has been charged with tampering with evidence, making false reports to an officer and intentionally failing to report child sex abuse. Mims was previously disbarred after she pleaded guilty in November 2008 to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal attempt to introduce drugs into a penal facility.

The American Bar Association is expected on Friday to vote on new free speech rules for law schools as campus clashes between Israeli and Palestinian supporters have intensified in recent weeks, reports Reuters. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has placed a focus on campus free speech rights, an issue prominent law schools have been grappling with over the past two years. Under the proposed change, law schools would be required to develop their own free speech policies protecting the exchange of ideas. Those policies must protect the rights of faculty, staff and students to communicate controversial or unpopular ideas and safeguard robust debate, demonstrations or protests. The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar first took up the issue last August.

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett is claiming that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy elbowed him in the back with a “sucker punch” in a hallway on Capitol Hill as lawmakers approach another deadline to keep the government funded, Knox News reports. "You don't expect a guy who was, at one time, three steps away from the White House to hit you with a sucker punch," Burchett told Knox News. McCarthy denies the incident took place. The altercation happened while Burchett was speaking with NPR reporter Claudia Grisales. Grisales said on X, formerly known as Twitter, "I thought it was a joke, it was not." Burchett was one of the "Gaetz Eight" who successfully voted to oust McCarthy from the speakership last month.

A federal judge has rejected efforts by the major social media companies to dismiss nationwide litigation accusing them of illegally enticing and then addicting millions of children to their platforms, Reuters reports. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in California ruled against the operators of Google, YouTube, Facebook and others in a decision that covers hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children who allegedly suffered anxiety, depression and emotional health effects from social media. More than 140 school districts have filed similar lawsuits against the industry. In her 52-page ruling, Rogers rejected arguments the companies were immune under the First Amendment and said the defendants did not address why they should not be liable for providing effective parental controls.

Legal battles over redistricting could lead to new congressional maps in nearly a dozen U.S. states for the 2024 election, potentially flipping control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Reuters reports on several cases including Tennessee, New York, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Louisiana that could result in seat gains for both Democrats and Republicans. The two political parties are fighting over maps redrawn after the 2020 U.S. Census. In Tennessee, civil rights groups have sued over the state's congressional map, claiming Republican lawmakers illegally hurt voters of color by splitting up Nashville's Davidson County, home to a sizable Black community into three districts. The 2022 map dismantled a heavily Democratic seat, prompting former Rep. Jim Cooper to retire.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is seeking a status update from Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp on the current investigation of County Clerk Wanda Halbert, the Commercial Appeal reports. Wamp was appointed to investigate Halbert's office in June following numerous complaints that could indicate a willful neglect to perform the duties of office. The resolution sites the closure of the satellite office in East Memphis in addition to public complaints of the clerk's office operations. The Commercial Appeal reports that according to documents from the Shelby County Trustee's Office, Halbert has not submitted a completed revenue report on time since July 2021.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally is refuting criticism that the Tennessee Senate failed to consider a bill that could have prevented the recent death of a Belmont University student last week in Nashville, reports the Tennessean. Jillian Ludwig was killed by a stray bullet while walking in a park a mile from campus. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, criticized the Senate for declining to consider a bill that he said could have required the suspect charged with Ludwig’s death to be involuntarily committed in an earlier case. Shaquille Taylor, who is now facing multiple charges, had previously been prosecuted for aggravated assault and found incompetent to stand trial. Sexton was co-writing a bill during the special session that would have required individuals to be involuntarily committed to a mental institution if they were found to pose an “imminent” likelihood of serious harm. The bill was set to be considered on the House floor when the session was abruptly adjourned.

In a landmark acknowledgement of past racism, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records on Monday announced it had overturned the court-martial convictions of 110 African American soldiers, including 19 who were executed, reports Reuters. The board found the court-martial cases were so fundamentally unfair that all the convictions should be set aside. The order restores their service records as having concluded honorably and will make their descendants eligible for military benefits, the Army said in a statement. The Army convictions arose out of the Houston Riots of Aug. 23, 1917, a violent outbreak that followed months of racist taunts against Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.

The East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (ETLAW) is celebrating 40 years of advancement with a gala dinner event on Nov. 17 at the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville. Knox County Circuit Court Judge Deborah Stevens will lead the festivities and programming, which will include remarks from former Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee. View the invitation or purchase tickets.