The Tennessee Senate on Wednesday voted 26-3 in favor of a bill that would make it a felony to help a minor seek an abortion without parental consent. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the measure on April 2. A similar bill is making its way through the House. Read more about the Senate version from the Associated Press.

Tennessee lawmakers have voted to send a bipartisan bill that would have let residents convicted of felonies apply to vote again without also restoring their gun rights to a summer study committee, the Associated Press reports. The move effectively kills the bill for the session. Some Republican leaders were sympathetic to the aims of the bill sponsors but questioned whether that particular piece of legislation was the correct solution. Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth said, “I'm all for rewriting the code. But I don't think just this bill is the way to do it."

Families of three children and three adults killed in last year’s Covenant School shooting have filed an ethics complaint against Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. The complaint charges the lawmaker is violating Senate ethics rules by being part of a lawsuit seeking release of the shooter’s writings while pushing a bill, SB2105, to block third parties from intervening in public record lawsuits. The bill passed unanimously through the Senate and is now on the House's agenda. Since June, a legal battle has been ongoing over release of the shooter’s journal. Nashville police and the families of the Covenant victims have tried to prevent the journal’s release, while Gardenhire and several media outlets have petitioned to have it released. The Nashville Banner has more.

U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger earned a reputation as a tough prosecutor after convicting a former Tennessee governor during her stint at the U.S. attorney’s office. The 1981 case, which dealt with selling liquor licenses to political friends, gave her credibility in a male-dominated space. “It really set me up as a woman who was tough and could do litigation,” said Trauger, who serves in the Middle District of Tennessee. From helping to form the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women to becoming the first female district judge in the Middle District of Tennessee, Trauger has been a trailblazer for women’s advancement in the law. A new video profile from the U.S. Courts explores her unlikely journey.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice (ATJ) Commission is partnering with West Tennessee Legal Services and the Governor’s Faith Based and Community Initiative to host a free expungement clinic on April 19 in Jackson. The clinic is for those who have charges in Madison County General Sessions or Circuit courts. Attorney volunteers will work with clients virtually and use document automation software to generate the petitions needed for the expungements. Clients will be prescreened and no prior experience is required. Sign up to volunteer here or for questions, contact Andy Cole with WTLS.

Tennessee Bar Association leaders recently met with the members of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington. D.C., as part of the American Bar Association's (ABA) annual Day on the Hill. TBA President Jim Barry, President-elect Ed Lanquist, YLD President-elect Sean Aiello, ABA Resource Committee Chair Jonathan Cole and Executive Director Sheree Wright participated in the visits and other activities planned as part of the Day on the Hill event. Members of the group met with representatives from all nine congressional offices and both senators. The focus of this year’s ABA Day on the Hill was promoting support and funding for the Legal Services Corporation, as well as increased funding for federal public defenders, support for attorney-client confidentiality over prison email systems, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and reforms to student lending. See photos from the event.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will hold a reception on May 2 to honor newly-confirmed Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary Wagner. The event will take place from 4-6 p.m. CDT on the second floor of the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Memphis 38103. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. RSVP by April 29 to info@memphisbar.org or 901-527-3573. Wagner, who currently serves on the Shelby County Circuit Court, was confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly on March 11. She will join the court after Justice Roger A. Page retires on Aug. 31.

The list of those applicants who achieved a passing score on the February 2024 Uniform Bar Examination in Tennessee will be released tomorrow by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Results will be posted by the board by 2 p.m. CDT and will be available on the TBA.org website as soon as they are released.

New law school rankings from U.S. News & World Report were released with fewer big changes than previous years, according to Reuters. Schools in the top four spots remained in the same position and there were relatively few changes among the so-called T-14 schools. Further down the list, though, there was significant movement. Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law both had the largest gain, moving up 28 positions. The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law had the largest drop, declining 37. For Tennessee schools, Vanderbilt University Law School came in at 19 (down from 16 last year); University of Tennessee College of Law came in at 52 (down one spot from last year); Belmont University College of Law ranked 91 (up from 105 last year); University of Memphis School of Law placed at 140 (down from 125 last year); and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law came in at 165 (up from 175 last year). See the full list for this year. Compare results to the 2023 list.

A number of legal groups will hold a free virtual name change clinic via Zoom at 4:30 p.m. EDT tomorrow and lawyers are needed to volunteer for the clinic. Those interested may sign up here. After the virtual clinic, clients will gather on the fifth floor of The Edney on April 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT to sign and notarize completed documents. The clinic is sponsored by Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), the Chattanooga Bar Association, the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Chattanooga Trans Liberation Collective and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. View a flyer for the event.