A Memphis LGBTQ theater company has filed the first legal challenge to Tennessee’s drag restrictions, WPLN reports. The group, known as Friends of George’s Inc., alleges that the law violates the First Amendment and will have a chilling effect on the state’s LGBTQ community. Read the filing here. Meanwhile, in Nashville, a protest planned to oppose recent legislative restrictions on drag shows and events for this weekend has been postponed. According to WPLN, Nashville Pride and Inclusion Tennessee decided to postpone the gathering citing the threat of anti-LGBTQ violence. The march had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, the day the new state law restricting drag in public spaces is set to go into effect.

TBA's Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin are out with a new Legislative Update podcast today. In this week's episode, they discuss the Tennessee Domestic Relations Arbitration Act (HB1177/SB710); Tennessee Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (HB1162/SB775); TBA's adoption law bills, one which makes substantiative changes to law (SB919/HB854) and one that makes technical changes (SB921/HB855); and two bills dealing with the cost of electronic medical records in disability claims: HB1071/SB1393 and the Trial Lawyers/TBA bill HB647/SB1313. Finally, the episode looks at three bills targeting the professional privilege tax for attorneys: HB586/SB640 and HB580/SB1122, which would eliminate the tax, and HB585/SB641, which would phase out the tax over three years. 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.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) will hold three legal clinics in April. The “Attorney of the Day Clinic” will take place April 6 and 20 from 1-3 p.m. CDT at the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Room 134, Memphis 38103. The monthly clinic at the Benjamin Hooks Library will take place April 8 beginning at 10 a.m. The library is located at 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111. For both clinics, clients will be served on a first come, first served basis. For questions or to volunteer contact Heather Staggs or Walter Casey. See all clinics planned through the end of the year.

A new course from the TBA seeks to expand the group of legal advocates certified to serve Tennessee veterans, who are underrepresented in the Veterans Affairs Department’s (VA) claims and appeals processes. Introduction to the Practice of Veterans Law — a live virtual event on April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT — will cover information about claims procedures, basic benefits eligibility, right to appeal, disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions. Presenters will be James R. Drysdale with the VA Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., and VA certified lawyers Seth Ogden and Rita Gibson Rayford.

Two moot court teams from Belmont University College of Law recently competed in the regional competition of the National Appellate Advocacy Competition. It was the school’s seventh year to compete and its seventh straight year be named the regional champion. Student Alex Schramkowski was named Best Advocate in the region for the second year and Samantha McCaleb was named Eighth Best Advocate. The regional champion team will travel to Washington, D.C., for the national finals in April. Read more from the school and see a photo of the participants.

The 2024 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings will be out April 18 according to Above the Law. What the list will look like with more than 40 law schools withdrawing from participation and yet-to-be disclosed weights, though, is anyone’s guess. A revolt against the rankings started last November when Yale Law School became the first to opt out. Dozens of law schools have followed that lead and repeated their own harsh criticism of the rankings. The article has the full list of schools no longer participating.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is seeking session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU), set for Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Topics of interest include employment, family, health and benefits, housing, consumer, special education, juvenile justice and immigration law as well as professionalism. See all topics and submit proposals online by April 17.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will hold a free webinar on April 5 at 8:30 a.m. CDT for people interested in learning more about state tax obligations for new businesses. The session also will offer other helpful resources for new businesses. The webinar is one in a series of educational sessions held by the department each month. Learn more or register.

A Maryland appellate court yesterday reinstated Adnan Syed’s murder conviction and ordered a new hearing, marking the latest development in a protracted case chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial.” The appellate court found that the lower court failed to give sufficient notice to the victim’s family when it scheduled a hearing to vacate the conviction, the Associated Press reports. It gave defense attorneys 60 days to appeal. Syed was released from prison last September after more than two decades. Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate the conviction after finding alternative suspects and that unreliable evidence was used at trial. Read TBA’s past coverage of the case.

Nashville voters, Metro Council candidates and current Metro councilmembers are joining together in a lawsuit challenging a new state law that requires the Metro Council to be cut in half. The suit, filed yesterday in Davidson County Chancery Court, makes many of the same arguments in the Metro government suit, the Nashville Post reports. Plaintiffs in the new suit are Zulfat Suara, Delishia Porterfield and Sandra Sepulveda, all Metro councilmembers currently seeking reelection; religious leaders Davie Tucker and Judy Cummings; Dave Goetz, a former leader of the Tennessee Department of Finance and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce; Alma Sanford, a community member; and Quin Segall, a candidate for Metro Council. They are represented by Scott Tift and David Garrison of Barrett Johnston Martin & Garrison and John Spragens of Spragens Law.