U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday declined an invitation to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about ethics issues, citing concerns about judicial independence and the division of power among the three branches of government. He did, however, submit a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” to the committee, which explained how justices address ethical issues, SCOTUSblog reports. The committee chair had asked Roberts to testify about ethics rules and potential reform after news broke that Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury travel. Yesterday, Politico reported that Justice Neil Gorsuch, soon after being appointed to the court, failed to disclose the purchaser of a Colorado property that he co-owned. It is now known that the buyer is chief executive of a law firm with business at the court.

The law school class of 2022 graduated into a strong entry-level hiring market, landing legal jobs at a higher rate than their predecessors in 2021 and 2019, according to new figures from the American Bar Association. Nearly 78% of last year's new lawyers found jobs that require bar passage within 10 months of leaving campus — up from about 76% among the class of 2021, Reuters reports. More recent data may suggest that growth is slowing. According to another report from Reuters, the legal services sector lost 600 jobs last month, marking the first monthly employment decline in the industry in six months.

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The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 12 attorneys last week for failure to pay the annual registration fee; three of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Tennessee Supreme Court granted a motion Thursday from Tennessee-licensed attorney Benjamin J. Weber, who asked the court to dismiss an earlier filed petition for reinstatement.

Georgia Attorney Nancy Carol Prager was reinstated to active status by the Tennessee Supreme Court last week, with an effective date of April 10. Prager was placed on inactive status in 2012. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that reinstatement was appropriate.

Kansas lawyer Kelly Maguire Simeon was reinstated to active status by the Tennessee Supreme Court today, with an effective date of March 17. The court acted on Simeon’s petition for reinstatement after determining that she had paid the required reinstatement fee and all delinquent annual registration fees.

Before adjourning, the General Assembly passed a $56.2 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year, the largest in state history. The budget includes $75 million for e-filing in the state court system, a $250 million investment in the state’s Rainy Day Fund, $3.3 billion for the governor’s infrastructure plan, $288 million for state parks and natural areas, $200 million to relocate the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and $350 million for the city of Memphis to renovate FedExForum and Liberty Stadium. For education, the budget includes a $1.1 billion increase for the state’s education funding formula, adding $125 million for teacher salary raises and $147 million to fund school resource officers in public and private schools. Finally, the budget includes $45.8 million in business tax cuts (including a $37.8 million excise tax reduction) and $288 million for elimination of the sales tax on groceries in August, September and October. Read the full budget (HB1545/SB1532) as passed with amendments 2, 3, 8 and 10.

Lawyers are needed to help with an expungement clinic in Lebanon Thursday from 4-7 p.m. CDT. The event, which will handle cases from Wilson County, will take place at The Journey Church, 1240 Leeville Pike, Lebanon 37187. To sign up, email Savannah Quintero at Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. News Channel 5 has a preview of the clinic. View a flyer for the clinic.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed full access to the abortion pill mifepristone, resolving for now a conflict over the drug while the underlying lawsuit is decided, the Tennessean reports. The decision halted restrictions on access to mifepristone that had been put in place by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and would have taken effect at midnight Friday. The case, an appeal of U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s decision invalidating FDA approval for the drug, is now expected to move through the normal appeal process.