The governor’s office is accepting applications to fill the post of 10th Judicial District attorney general until the next biennial election in August 2024. The position will be vacant as of July 16 following the resignation of current district attorney Stephen D. Crump, who earlier announced he would be filling the executive director position for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Candidates must have resided in the state for five years and in the judicial district for one year. The district includes Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. Interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter by mail to Erin Merrick, Chief Counsel to the Governor, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Nashville, TN 37243 or by email to Katelin.Brown@tn.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on April 28. 

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is asking Congress for $1.5 billion in FY 2024. According to LSC President Ron Flagg, the amount represents a projected increase in demand for civil legal services due to the persistent impact of COVID-19 on low-income Americans and the ongoing lack of adequate resources for legal aid organizations. The Biden administration included $800 million in its budget request for the agency, $100 million more than it asked for last year. Flagg praised the president for requesting increased funding, but said the LSC Board of Directors felt strongly about the $1.5 billion amount and unanimously supported the decision to continue advocating for that level of funding. Read more from the agency.

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday signed a law that prohibits public colleges and universities in the state from allowing access to video platforms headquartered in China on campus internet networks. The law impacts TikTok, WeChat and Sina Weibo. It does not prevent students from accessing the platforms on a personal internet connection or third-party network, and provides exceptions if the apps are necessary for law enforcement activities, investigations, audits or other legal functions of a public institution of higher education. Read more from the UT Beacon.

Belmont University College of Law students Madeline Gilmore and Alex Schramkowski recently were named national winners of the Appellate Advocacy Competition, a component of the National Animal Law Competitions. The competition was hosted by the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy, in partnership with Harvard Law School, Lewis & Clark Law School and Vermont Law & Graduate School. Schramkowski also was named best oral advocate of the competition. The pair had won the regional championship in February. Read more from the school.

The U.S. Supreme Court has paused a ruling from the federal Fifth Court of Appeals that would have restricted access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The Hill reports that an order from Justice Samuel Alito will keep the status quo in place until at least midnight Wednesday while the full court considers the Biden administration’s request for a stay. The appellate court this week imposed new limits on the drug in response to changes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made in 2016 to increase access, but put on hold a lower court’s decision to suspend the FDA’s approval of the drug. Without the Supreme Court’s intervention, the changes would have taken effect tomorrow. Oral arguments before the appellate court are set for May 17.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced today that a federal judge has granted an injunction against an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that would have classified nearly every body of water as part of the waters of the United States. Skrmetti had joined a coalition of state attorneys general in requesting the injunction.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued notice that the state Senate and House have ratified amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure and Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure as proposed by the court. The amendments will take effect on July 1. See a description of the amendments in the court’s order soliciting comments. Based on the comments received, the court did not include changes to Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 41 in its submission to the legislature. That proposed change was returned to the Rules Commission for further consideration.

An article in Tuesday's TBA Today indicated that Gov. Bill Lee had called on lawmakers to consider legislation allowing law enforcement to remove weapons from those deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. The article incorrectly stated that Lee supported a bill introduced by Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville. Instead, he urged introduction of a “new, strong order of protection law.” The Tennessean reports on his comments about the proposal.

TBA's Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Ashley Harbin are out with a new Legislative Update podcast today. In this week's episode, they discuss the time line for wrapping up this session, as well as the status of legislation capping the cost of electronic medical records (HB647/SB1313); the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (SB775/HB1162); and two adoption bills: a substantive bill (SB919/HB854) and a technical bill (SB921/HB855). The pair also discuss Gov. Bill Lee's proposals to strengthen security at schools following the shooting at the Covenant School. A bill (SB274/HB322) requiring threat assessments by local governments and three amendments (amendment one, amendment two and amendment three) passed the House and Senate unanimously. Earlier this week, Lee signed an executive order to strengthen background checks for firearm purchases and called on the legislature to restrict those who pose a threat to themselves or others from accessing guns. Legislative Update airs each week during the legislative session on TBA’s Facebook page. It is also posted on the TBA’s website and wherever you listen to podcasts.

The TBA is bringing its award-winning CLE programming to Savannah on April 26. The Court Square program is designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law. Start the afternoon with a lunch and learn networking session with TBA leadership. Other topics to be covered include leveraging technology to provide a better client experience, a judicial session on divorce and an ethics update from the Board of Professional Responsibility. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CDT at the Venue on Main, 454 Main St., Savannah 38372.