The Vanderbilt University Law School’s Black Law Student Association is hosting two lectures this week in honor of Black History Month. Tomorrow, Judge Rupert Byrdsong of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will speak from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the school’s Flynn Auditorium. Byrdsong is a 1994 graduate of the law school. On Thursday, Judge Waverly Crenshaw of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee will present a lecture on “Journey to Justice” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the same space. He is a 1981 graduate of the school. Next Tuesday, University of Georgia School of Law scholar Andrea Dennis will speak via Zoom on the topic “Prosecuting Rap: Racial and Constitutional Implications.” Her presentation explores the use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions. Read more about the events.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Friday that he joined 21 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s efforts to expand access to the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone. Read his statement here. 

Kevin G. Ritz will be formally installed as the 51st U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee this Friday at 2 p.m. CST. The ceremony will take place at the Memphis City Hall City Council Chambers, 125 N. Main St., Memphis 38103. S. Thomas Anderson, U.S. district judge for the Western District of Tennessee, will convene the event. Ritz was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden on July 29, 2022, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 22, 2022. Read the release from Ritz's office. For more information about the ceremony contact Public Affairs Officer Cherri Green, (901) 544-4231.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, underwent emergency heart surgery on Friday, WSMV reports. A pacemaker was successfully installed. McNally had checked himself into Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Thursday due to an irregular heartbeat. He said he plans to return to his duties in the state legislature as soon as he is medically able.

The TBA Corporate Counsel Forum will take place April 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT as a live virtual event. Join us online for this opportunity to earn four hours of general CLE credit. Participants confirmed include Katie Atkins with naviHealth Inc. in Brentwood and Hemant Sharma with the University of Tennessee. As a reminder, section members receive a discount on all section-sponsored CLEs.

The Chair of the Chattanooga City Council and Mayor Tim Kelly reportedly have agreed to name Phil Noblett as the new city attorney, Chattanoogan.com reports. Noblett is currently serving as interim city attorney following the resignation of Emily O'Donnell. He joined the city attorney’s office as the deputy in 2009. Noblett earned his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He has practiced in Tennessee since 1982, previously with the firm of Nelson, McMahan & Noblett and then with various municipal governments. A past president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, Noblett also has served as city attorney for Signal Mountain.

It was a busy week for the General Assembly, Axios Nashville reports. Here are a few highlights. The full Senate passed a bill designed to regulate where drag performances can take place. The House version is still advancing through committees. Legislation to ban hormones and puberty blockers for minors cleared its last committee in the Senate. The measure is advancing in House committees, the Tennessean reports. A move to use TennCare to push insurance companies not to cover gender transition treatments also took shape. An effort to expand the state's education savings account program to include Hamilton County passed the Senate Education Committee, Tennessee Lookout reports. Finally, a bill was introduced to eliminate runoffs in local elections. The Nashville Scene has that story.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced this week that a federal judge has granted his motion for a temporary restraining order against solar panel retailer Ideal Horizon Benefits LLC, known as Solar Titan USA. Skrmetti’s office is suing the company for allegedly making false representations about its products. Also this week, Skrmetti announced he joined a 24-state coalition in filing a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and its director. The suit seeks to enjoin a recently issued administrative rule governing “stabilizing braces,” commonly known as “pistol braces.” 

The Tennessee Supreme Court this week issued an order approving a proposal from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission to increase the number of course hours for family mediators who wish to obtain the designation “Specifically Trained in Domestic Violence Issues.” The order amends Rule 31(14)(g) to increase the required training from 12 to 16 hours. Read the commission's original proposal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today dismissed a petition from Davidson County lawyer Donald W. Fisher seeking to have his licensed transferred to disability inactive status. Fisher filed the petition on Jan. 23. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported to the court on Feb. 7 that the petition could be dismissed given that Fisher died Jan. 31.