The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee and Lambda Legal recently announced that it will bring immediate legal action against proposed restrictions on transgender youth health care should those restrictions become law. The groups specifically cite SB1/HB1, which would ban treatments for transgender youth under the age of 18. They argue these bills discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics and note that similar restrictions in Alabama and Arkansas have been enjoined by federal courts.

Retired Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Patricia J. Cottrell has joined the international alternative dispute resolution firm JAMS. She joins her former colleague and retired Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle at the company. Cottrell will be based in Nashville and will serve as an arbitrator, mediator and neutral evaluator handling appellate, business and commercial, employment, health care, higher education, governmental and public agency, and real property disputes. In a statement announcing the move, Cottrell said she is looking forward to applying her knowledge and experience in the new role. 

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will hold a debt relief clinic on March 2 at 3:30 p.m. CST. The clinic is fully virtual and open to clients in Middle and East Tennessee. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Rucker will kick off the clinic with a presentation to clients about bankruptcy and then volunteer attorneys will meet with clients in online breakout rooms. The clinic is being held in collaboration with the Belmont University College of Law, Federal Bar Association, Knoxville Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS), Legal Aid Society and Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Contact Alix Rogers to volunteer to help.

The Vanderbilt University Law School’s Black Law Student Association is hosting two lectures this week in honor of Black History Month. Tomorrow, Judge Rupert Byrdsong of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will speak from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the school’s Flynn Auditorium. Byrdsong is a 1994 graduate of the law school. On Thursday, Judge Waverly Crenshaw of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee will present a lecture on “Journey to Justice” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the same space. He is a 1981 graduate of the school. Next Tuesday, University of Georgia School of Law scholar Andrea Dennis will speak via Zoom on the topic “Prosecuting Rap: Racial and Constitutional Implications.” Her presentation explores the use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions. Read more about the events.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Friday that he joined 21 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s efforts to expand access to the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone. Read his statement here. 

Kevin G. Ritz will be formally installed as the 51st U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee this Friday at 2 p.m. CST. The ceremony will take place at the Memphis City Hall City Council Chambers, 125 N. Main St., Memphis 38103. S. Thomas Anderson, U.S. district judge for the Western District of Tennessee, will convene the event. Ritz was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden on July 29, 2022, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 22, 2022. Read the release from Ritz's office. For more information about the ceremony contact Public Affairs Officer Cherri Green, (901) 544-4231.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, underwent emergency heart surgery on Friday, WSMV reports. A pacemaker was successfully installed. McNally had checked himself into Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Thursday due to an irregular heartbeat. He said he plans to return to his duties in the state legislature as soon as he is medically able.

The TBA Corporate Counsel Forum will take place April 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT as a live virtual event. Join us online for this opportunity to earn four hours of general CLE credit. Participants confirmed include Katie Atkins with naviHealth Inc. in Brentwood and Hemant Sharma with the University of Tennessee. As a reminder, section members receive a discount on all section-sponsored CLEs.

The Chair of the Chattanooga City Council and Mayor Tim Kelly reportedly have agreed to name Phil Noblett as the new city attorney, Chattanoogan.com reports. Noblett is currently serving as interim city attorney following the resignation of Emily O'Donnell. He joined the city attorney’s office as the deputy in 2009. Noblett earned his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He has practiced in Tennessee since 1982, previously with the firm of Nelson, McMahan & Noblett and then with various municipal governments. A past president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, Noblett also has served as city attorney for Signal Mountain.

It was a busy week for the General Assembly, Axios Nashville reports. Here are a few highlights. The full Senate passed a bill designed to regulate where drag performances can take place. The House version is still advancing through committees. Legislation to ban hormones and puberty blockers for minors cleared its last committee in the Senate. The measure is advancing in House committees, the Tennessean reports. A move to use TennCare to push insurance companies not to cover gender transition treatments also took shape. An effort to expand the state's education savings account program to include Hamilton County passed the Senate Education Committee, Tennessee Lookout reports. Finally, a bill was introduced to eliminate runoffs in local elections. The Nashville Scene has that story.