The U.S. government today filed an emergency motion to stay a federal judge's ruling that would revoke FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, The Hill reports. Last Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled the FDA violated its statutory duty in approving the drug by basing its decision on “unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions.” In the motion filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the government argues that the ruling was "especially unwarranted" because it thwarts the FDA's scientific judgment and severely harms women. Tennessee Lookout has more on the case. Adding to the volatile legal landscape around abortion, a federal judge in Washington state on Friday issued a seemingly conflicting injunction that prevented federal regulators from altering access to the drug according to the Commercial Appeal.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee recently attended a graduation ceremony of the Monroe County General Sessions Veterans Court and was recognized with the George P. Thomas Memorial Award for her contributions to the program. The award is named for George Thomas, one of the early founders of Vet to Vet. Lee, who is from Monroe County, congratulated the graduates and said they should feel a sense of accomplishment for their hard work. Read more about the event from the Administrative Office of the Courts. See a photo from the day.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said today he was not required to disclose trips he and his wife took that were paid for by Republican donor Harlan Crow, the Associated Press reports. Describing Crow and his wife, Kathy, as “among our dearest friends,” Thomas said in a statement that he was advised by colleagues on the court and others in the federal judiciary that “personal hospitality from close personal friends” who do not have business before the court did not need to be reported. Yesterday, ProPublica reported that Thomas accepted luxury trips from Crow nearly every year for more than two decades, including a 2019 trip to Indonesia that could have cost more than $500,000 had Thomas chartered Crow's plane and yacht himself.

The Tennessee House of Representatives last night voted 69-26 to expel a second Democratic member, Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis, after voting to expel Rep. Justin Jones earlier in the day. Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville survived an attempt to expel her by a single vote, WPLN reports. The votes came a week after the trio chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery. Local officials in both Memphis and Nashville are indicating support for sending Jones and Pearson back to the state House. The Metro Nashville Council will meet Monday to begin the special appointment process, the Tennessean reports. In Memphis, the city commission is considering reappointing Pearson but is seeking legal clarification on its options, the Commercial Appeal reports. In related news, Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to be in Nashville today to push for gun control. She planned to meet with the state legislature's Democratic Caucus as well as young people who have been protesting at the state Capitol in support of gun reform according to the Tennessean.

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Tennessee today. The designation allows federal disaster assistance to be made available to affected individuals in Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Rutherford, Tipton and Wayne counties for recovery efforts following storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes on March 31 and April 1. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Those who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. Funding is also available for affected state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. Learn more about ways to help.

Knox County lawyer John Michael Boucher received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 5. The court found that Boucher violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4, 1.8(a), 1.15, 3.1 and 8.4(a) while representing a client in an employment discrimination claim by removing the client’s payment from his trust account and failing to maintain good communication with the client. As a condition of the censure, the court directed Boucher to return $5,000 to his former client within 60 days of the date of the censure.

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 legislation capping the cost of electronic medical records (HB647/SB1313), the Tennessee Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (HB1162/SB775) and two adoption bills: a substantive bill (SB919/HB854) and a technical bill (SB921/HB855). The pair also discuss the resolutions to expel Rep. Justin Jones, Rep. Gloria Johnson and Rep. Justin Pearson from the House of Representatives and an update on the professional privilege tax. The program 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.

Funeral services will be held next Friday for former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Muecke Barker. Visitation will take place at 10 a.m., followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. and a reception at noon EDT at First Presbyterian Church. Interment will be a private ceremony at the National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Foundation, 615 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37403, or First Presbyterian Church World Missions, 554 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37403. Barker, known as “Mickey” to his friends, died Monday at the age of 81. Read more about his life from Chattanoogan.com.

This year's Real Estate Essentials course will be held virtually on June 22. The program will run from 1 to 4:15 p.m. CDT. Thanks to attorney and senior underwriting counsel Joseph Kirkland Jr. at Executive Title and Closing Inc. in Memphis for producing this program. Watch for more details coming soon.

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