The federal judiciary this week took action on two issues that have raised red flags for Congress. First, a group of judges and officials tasked with reviewing the judiciary's approach to workplace sexual harassment and other misconduct has recommended several reforms to improve how allegations are addressed. The report comes out as Congress is set to hold hearings on the issue. Read more from the courts. Second, the Judicial Conference yesterday approved automating the release of judges' financial disclosure reports and amending its conflict screening policy. That move comes as Congress is considering whether more stringent requirements are needed. Read a release from the courts. Reuters has more on both stories.

U.S. President Joe Biden today delivered remarks on the Violence Against Women Act as an alarming spike in domestic violence has coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. Biden signed legislation into law yesterday to extend and expand the provisions of the act. The new law expands protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, broadens access to legal services for survivors, and provides more resources and training programs for law enforcement. The new law also will do more for survivors in rural areas and underserved communities, the president said. Get full details here. The Violence Against Women Act was first written by Biden in 1994 when he was a U.S. senator. It expired under then-President Donald Trump in 2019.

A bill to expand the federal E-Verify program in the state progressed in the Tennessee Senate yesterday as part of an effort to crack down on the employment of undocumented workers, Tennessee Lookout reports. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee approved SB1780 after voting to increase the employee threshold. As introduced, the bill would have applied to businesses with 25 employees. The committee changed that to 35. Current law requires businesses with 50 employees or more to use E-Verify. The committee also voted to protect employers if an unauthorized employee applies for workers compensation due to an injury on the job. The state House approved its version of the bill earlier this month. Immigration advocates oppose the change, saying Tennessee already has one of the strictest E-verify laws in the nation.

The battle over the bust continues, Tennessee Lookout reports. Collierville resident Lee Miller, who claims family kinship to Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, says the bust should be moved from the Tennessee State Museum to a Maury County site where the remains of Forrest and his wife are now located (they recently were moved from a Memphis park). State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, is sponsoring three bills dealing with relocation of the bust from the museum. She has postponed consideration of the measures due to opposition from the museum.

A proposed Tennessee ballot initiative that would have asked voters if the attorney general should be confirmed by state lawmakers instead of the state Supreme Court was defeated by the House Civil Justice Subcommittee yesterday without debate and on a voice vote. The proposal cleared required hurdles in the Senate but would have needed a two-thirds vote in the House if it had advanced through the subcommittee. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery opposed the measure saying the current system best supports the attorney general’s independence. He warned that the constitutional amendment would make the position a “political office.” The Herald Courier has the AP story.

New special prosecutor Roger Moore from Nashville is expected to be assigned to a shooting case in Soddy Daisy, Chattanoogan.com reports. Moore would replace Tammy Meade, who was named to the case in January after local district attorney Neal Pinkston recused himself. Pinkston stepped down after accusing a political opponent, Coty Wamp, of obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the case. Meade agreed with Wamp that the wrong man had been arrested and had charges dropped against Hugo Garcia Padilla. She then identified Hugo Garcia Robles as the perpetrator and said she would seek an indictment with the local grand jury. 

It’s easy in these difficult, uncertain times to lose hope, but allowing ourselves to sink into a funk can affect our professional and personal lives. Leadership development consultant Dane Jensen says that hope has not often been a topic in business but the COVID pandemic has changed that. Today, he says, business leaders are realizing that hope is essential for workers’ satisfaction, motivation, health and performance. When things look bleak, remaining hopeful is one of the toughest but most essential self-management tasks. He lays out three steps we can take to reclaim hope: (1) imagine a plausible positive future, (2) identify steps to achieve that future, and (3) view setbacks as inflection points to reset. When we believe that the future will be better than the present and that we have the power to make it so, we can sustain hope and enjoy its many benefits. Learn how to get started in Jensen's recent Harvard Business Review article.

The 2022 Elder Law Forum is scheduled to take place in person on July 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the downtown Nashville Public Library. This venerable favorite offers essential and practical material for elder law attorneys and those interested in the practice area. The program will feature information on conservatorships, special needs trusts, veterans benefits, ethics involving considerations in the Mary Northern case and much more. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned experts and catch up on the latest developments in the field.

When students in Knox County Schools return from spring break, they will no longer be required to wear a mask in schools, Knoxnews reports. Judge J. Ronnie Greer lifted his own order today, six days after the Knox County Board of Education and four families in the mask lawsuit all requested that the mask rule be temporarily suspended. Greer said the suspension of the mask rule can last for up to 60 days, which is the maximum time given for mediation, and the requirement can be put back in place if COVID circumstances change in the county. Greer’s order also does not affect a second suit against the Knox County Board of Education, which seeks to end the mask rule and establish a precedent that mask mandates are not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an order giving the Board of Law Examiners limited discretion to (1) waive the registration late fee for lawyers working remotely for a Tennessee company and (2) approve the registration of a lawyer working as in-house counsel without having to determine when the lawyer established a presence in Tennessee. The court took the action after finding that the widespread use of remote work has created uncertainty concerning when a lawyer has established a “systematic and continuous presence” in Tennessee for purposes of Rule 7, Section 10.01(a) and Rule 8, Section RPC 5.5(d)(1) of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The order takes effect immediately and will remain in force until further order by the court.