Legislation to allow the public to understand how Tennessee buys lethal injection drugs is floundering as the state correction department lobbies against it behind the scenes, Tennessee Lookout reports. HB870 would remove an exemption in Tennessee public record law, which allows the state to hide how it procures drugs for lethal injection. The exemption allows the state to protect the names of pharmacists and the manufacturers of the drug cocktail used in implementing capital punishment. The bill comes on the heels of intense public scrutiny over Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol. Last year, the state halted executions because it failed to appropriately test the execution drugs.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee was scheduled to consider legislation today that would dissolve the independent Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who sponsored the bill, said it would distribute the responsibilities of the commission to other parts of the government. SB282/HB330 is sponsored in the House by Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, but has not yet been scheduled. Gov. Bill Lee supports the move, saying reorganization will “better serve Tennessee children by incorporating important services within child and family-serving state agencies, which includes DCS.” Opponents say the change would damage an already unstable child welfare system, Tennessee Lookout reports.

After three teens escaped Saturday from the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, lawmakers and juvenile justice reform advocates are calling for changes. This latest escape comes after more than a dozen residents have broken free in recent years. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done," said Tennessee Rep. Torrey Harris, D-Memphis, who toured the facility last year. Harris said the building felt more like a prison rather than a place to rehabilitate young people. Johnnie Hatten, an investigator with Disability Rights Tennessee — which published a critical report about the facility last year — said the facility needs additional and more attentive staff. They did not even know the kids were gone until the police called, she tells Local Memphis.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has introduced a chatbot service for its 4,000 lawyers, joining the ranks of professional services firms using artificial intelligence to boost productivity, Bloomberg Law reports. The project will be delivered through a 12-month partnership with AI startup Harvey. The firm said it is also looking to extend the service to its tax practice. “Harvey’s AI solution marks a huge shift in the way that tax and legal services will be delivered and consumed across the industry,” said Carol Stubbings, global tax and legal leader at PwC UK.

The Tennessee legislature took the first step toward rejecting $1.8 billion in federal funding for K-12 education yesterday as members of a House panel approved creating a task force to determine the process for rejecting the money. If ultimately adopted, Tennessee would be the first state to reject federal funding that supports education programs, Main Street Media reports. The proposal is backed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, who has said federal funds are accompanied by federal mandates that can hinder the quality of the state’s education system. HB1249/SB1507 now advances to the full House Education Committee. The Senate Education Committee considered the bill today.

The U.S. government on Monday sued Rite Aid Corp., accusing the pharmacy chain of missing "red flags" as it illegally filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids. In a complaint filed in an Ohio federal court, the Department of Justice said Rite Aid repeatedly filled prescriptions from May 2014 to June 2019 that were medically unnecessary, for off-label use, or not issued in the usual course of professional practice. Pharmacists also are accused of ignoring “obvious” signs of misuse. Yahoo News has the story from Reuters.

Metro Nashville Chief of Police John Drake said the department is considering creating a new review unit to examine critical incidents involving police. A spokesperson for the police department told The Tennessean that the review unit would be part of the department's Professional Standards Division, which is led by Kathy Morante, a former Davidson County assistant district attorney and Tennessee deputy attorney general. The new review unit would not replace the current Force Review Board, which reviews critical incidents and makes recommendations on officer involved shootings. The new unit would focus on policy, training and supervision issues when an incident occurs.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally will take a pause from social media amid controversy over his interactions with a young gay man's Instagram photos and other LGBTQ content, the Tennessean reports. McNally has said that he only meant to encourage those he supported through comments and emojis. In a statement today, he said he should have been more careful about how those comments would be perceived. He also apologized for any embarrassment his posts caused for family, friends and colleagues. The most vocal opposition has come from two members of the state’s conservative media. Michael Patrick Leahy with the Tennessee Star and radio talk show host Matt Murphy have called on McNally to step down from his leadership role.

Hamblen County lawyer Douglas Ralph Beier on Friday was reinstated to the practice of law with conditions: he must engage a practice monitor for six months and complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing legal education, including at least three hours of legal ethics, every year he is actively licensed. Beier was suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court for two years on Oct. 2, 2020. He filed a petition for reinstatement on Sept. 20, 2022.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division hosted its signature — and award winning — debt clinic virtually on March 2. The clinic was open to clients in Middle and East Tennessee. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Rucker kicked off the clinic with a presentation to clients about bankruptcy, and then seven volunteer attorneys and 14 students from Belmont Law and Nashville School of Law met with clients in breakout rooms for counsel and advice. The clinic was held in collaboration with Belmont University College of Law, Federal Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands and Legal Aid of East Tennessee.