The American Bar Association’s (ABA) legal education arm may be moving toward endorsing lawyer licensing pathways that do not involve passing the bar exam, Reuters reports. While still in the preliminary stages, the council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is slated to weigh a draft policy statement urging states to “create diverse pathways to licensure.” The group meets next on May 17.

Gov. Bill Lee on Friday signed a $1.9 billion franchise tax cut into law, the Tennessee Journal reports. The law provides businesses with state operations $1.55 billion in refunds for the past three tax years if they paid the property tax element of the two-component tax. It also eliminates the property tax portion going forward at a projected cost of $405 million per year.

Davidson County General Sessions Judge Jim Todd details the challenges of the current bail system and offers ideas for reform in a recent interview with the Nashville Banner. Among the issues, he cites lack of access to criminal records outside of the county and inadequate supervision and enforcement of bond conditions. To improve the system, Todd — who has worked as both a prosecutor and defense attorney — is working on an agreement with the county sheriff to check criminal histories in the National Crime Information Center database. He and other judges also plan to ask the local government to fund new positions to handle that task. Additionally, Todd argues that Metro should adopt a bond supervision system similar to the federal courts. He and Criminal Court Judge Cynthia Chappell are working on a pilot program along those lines to increase supervision of those released on bail.

The administration of President Joe Biden has asked a federal judge to terminate key aspects of a 1997 settlement agreement that established minimum standards for housing unaccompanied migrant children in detention facilities. Reuters reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is arguing it should be released from the settlement now that it has adopted regulations. The Flores settlement, named for a 1985 class action lawsuit, generally places a 20-day limit on detaining children who enter the country without documentation and requires facilities that house them to be licensed by state authorities.

President Joe Biden last week signed into law a bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, that is designed to expand reporting about the sexual exploitation of children online. Under the bill, website and social media companies must report incidents of sex trafficking, grooming or enticement of children for sexual acts to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Companies previously were required to report only on child sexual abuse. The new law also toughens penalties for companies that fail to report crimes, and requires evidence to be preserved for one year, instead of the current 90 days, giving law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute crimes. The Tennessean has more.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will be out with a book this summer. ”Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law” will be released Aug. 6 according to Harper Collins. The book is written by Gorsuch and one of his former clerks, Janie Nitze. According to the publisher, Gorsuch and Nitze will review a variety of legal cases, from fishermen in Florida to an Internet entrepreneur in Massachusetts, and how Americans find themselves “trapped unexpectedly in a legal maze.” The Associated Press has more on the book.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved the nomination of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz of the Western District of Tennessee to serve on the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit. The committee voted 11-10 along party lines, Reuters reports. Tennessee’s senior Republican senator, Marsha Blackburn, who serves on the committee, accused the White House of rushing the nomination through without meaningfully consulting her. She and other Republicans also had questioned Ritz during his confirmation hearing about an ethics complaint they said was filed against him. Ritz denied doing anything wrong and said he was unaware that a complaint had been filed.

This year's Federal Practice Forum, presented virtually via Zoom, will offer three sessions beginning at 9 a.m. CDT on July 26. Topics will include ADR in federal district court, ramifications of the Chevron decision, and an update on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act cases in Tennessee. Be sure to sign up by 8:15 a.m. the morning of the program to receive the link to watch by email.

The TBA’s Court Square Series is back with stops planned in Cookeville and Chattanooga this spring and summer. The Cookeville program will take place the afternoon of May 30 and feature a panel of three judges, Beverly Sharpe with the Board of Professional Responsibility and a legislative update with Nathan Ridley. The Chattanooga program will take place June 7 and feature Judge Marie Williams talking about courtroom best practices, Judge Barry Steelman discussing criminal law and Rob Malin providing an update on estate planning. The Court Square Series is intended to bring top speakers to local legal communities and foster relationships and collegiality among lawyers across the state.

Longtime Nashville intellectual property lawyer Jack Waddey has launched a new firm with Chanelle Acheson. Waddey Acheson will focus on intellectual property, corporate investigations, government investigations, artificial intelligence and litigation. The firm is touting its reliance on technological advances to provide better results at a lower cost. Waddey has more than 50 years of experience. According to a press release, he has secured hundreds of patents and trademarks and served as a mediator since 1998. Acheson has experience in a broad range of complex litigation matters and using technology in case and client management. The firm is located at 1030 16th Ave. S., Floor 2, Ste. 165, Nashville, TN 37212. It can be reached at info@waddeyacheson.com or 615-839-1100.