Taylor Swift fans are fighting back against Ticketmaster after last month's ticketing debacle, WTVF reports. The suit, filed last week in California by 26 fans, alleges the company engaged in fraud, price fixing and antitrust violations. Some fans say they waited eight hours and still were unable to buy tickets, blaming Ticketmaster for allowing scalpers and bots access to the presale portal before them. The complaint seeks a civil fine of $2,500 per violation and attorneys’ fees. State and federal officials also have responded. The Tennessee attorney general previously announced an investigation into the matter while U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has asked the FTC to combat the use of bots.

Four additional schools have announced they will boycott the U.S. News & World Report rankings, bringing the total number of schools to 14. Those most recently joining the group are University of California Davis School of Law, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Washington School of Law. Four schools have publicly said they will stick with the review, according to Reuters. They are Cornell University Law School, University of Chicago Law School, University of Georgia School of Law and Washington University School in St. Louis School of Law.

The U.S. Supreme Court today took up a dispute involving an evangelical Christian web designer who refuses to provide her services for same-sex marriages. The case pits LGBT rights against an argument that the constitutional right to free speech exempts artists from anti-discrimination laws, Reuters reports. Denver area businesswoman Kristen Waggoner is seeking an exemption from a state law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors. Lower courts ruled in favor of the state.

Now is the time to plan for the new year and make a strategic plan for your office. The TBA's Practice Management Center offers resources for all your tech needs and law office management. Get started with our Strategic Planning Worksheet.

The TBA’s Communication and International Law sections will offer a one-hour webcast on Wednesday exploring privacy law through an international and domestic lens. Washington, D.C., attorney Lee Matheson will provide the international perspective with a focus on international health information privacy. Memphis lawyer Justin Joy will focus on domestic laws applicable to communication law practitioners and health information privacy following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The webcast will run from noon to 1 p.m. CST.

The Tennessee Department of State is seeking an assistant general counsel to provide general legal support and advice to the general counsel and nine department divisions. Responsibilities include legal research, drafting attorney general opinion requests, responding to public records requests, drafting legislative proposals, conducting administrative rule hearings and drafting department contracts. Two years of experience in the practice of law or as a state government attorney is preferred as is legal experience related to business and charitable organizations. Get the full job description and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

The Davidson County Elections Commission is being sued over a voting mix-up involving several precincts and the attorney general’s office will be handling the case on behalf of Metro, WPLN reports. The case was filed after more than 400 voters were given ballots for the wrong district during the November election. Elections Administrator Jeff Roberts told county commissioners this week that the mistake occurred during early voting and did not impact voters on election day. “From the [Oct.] 19th up until the first [of November], we had a group and those were given a ballot that was not consistent with the district that they should’ve been in,” said Roberts. “And then after we made some changes, we then had a few more that voted between Nov. 2 and the 5th that fell into that same category.” Those people were given a chance to vote again. However, those votes would only be counted if there was a close race or a recount, neither of which occurred. Going forward, Roberts said he will be working with the state to see how the mistake took place.

Retired Davidson County Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle has joined JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, as an arbitrator, mediator and neutral evaluator. Lyle is based in Nashville but is available to conduct sessions virtually for attorneys across the country. Lyle served for 27 years as a chancery court judge and first judge of the Business Court Docket Pilot Project for complex commercial/business litigation. Prior to joining the court, she was a partner at the Nashville law firm Trabue, Sturdivant & DeWitt, and an associate at Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order last week seeking comments on a petition filed by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners asking the court to amend Supreme Court Rules 6 and 7. The board states in its petition that the proposed amendments “reflect changes to processes adopted during the pandemic that positively impact the licensing and admissions process” and respond to the “changing nature of the practice of law.” More specifically, the petition recommends changes regarding remote legal education, administration of the bar exam and how “active practice of law” is counted by the board. Comments should be submitted by Jan. 20, 2023, to Clerk James M. Hivner by email or mail to Tennessee Appellate Courts, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219-1407. Comments should reference docket number ADM2022-01449.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced a new round of hires last week, with six new assistant district attorneys, a director of communications and the first-ever grants coordinator, the Daily Memphian reports. New assistant district attorneys are Constance Brown, Errol Harmon, Nigel Lewis, Karin Morris, Sanjeev Memula and William Walsh. Erica Williams will serve as the director of communications. She was formerly chief of staff and communications at Frayser Community Schools. Nelia Dempsey will serve in the newly created position of grants coordinator. Commenting on the hires, District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said he is bringing in people who share his vision of criminal justice reform and making good on his campaign promise of increasing diversity in the office.