Brentwood attorney Brandon Bass has taken office as president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) for the 2025-2026 term. He succeeds Danny Ellis of Chattanooga. Bass, who works for the Law Offices of John Day, has more than 15 years of experience representing clients in hundreds of injury cases including medical negligence, product liability, child sexual abuse, tractor-trailer and commercial vehicle accidents. Other leaders named include President-elect Troy Jones of Knoxville, Vice President East Audrey Dolmovich of Chattanooga, Vice President West Tiffany Carpenter of Memphis, Vice President Middle George Spanos of Nashville, Secretary Ali Toll of Goodlettsville and Treasurer Josh Cantrell of Franklin. See the full list of all board members in a release from the association.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued notice that the Tennessee General Assembly has ratified amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure and Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. The amendments, adopted by the court in December 2024, took effect on July 1.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on July 9 designed for new businesses. Participants will learn about state tax obligations and resources that are available for new businesses in Tennessee. Register for the webinar or view all upcoming educational events from the department.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s asylum ban for the southern border, determining it runs afoul of immigration laws protecting the rights of those seeking refuge in the U.S. The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss blocks an executive order that ended asylum for all but those who enter the U.S. at designated ports of entry. Moss found the order violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which lays out guidelines for who qualifies for asylum and how they can seek the protections. Moss also rejected the idea that Trump has inherent presidential authority over decisions of who enters the country. He postponed implementation of the ruling for 14 days to give the administration an opportunity to appeal. The suit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of 13 anonymous asylum seekers, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and the Florence Project. The Hill has more on the decision.

The TBA will be closed Friday, July 4, for Independence Day. The office will reopen Monday at 8 a.m. CDT. As always, our TBA.org website has plenty of continuing legal education options and other information available to you 24/7. Reach out to staff directly using contact information posted on our online staff directory.

President Donald Trump has nominated four people to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors. They are Knoxville lawyer and Knoxville Sports Authority Board member Jeff Hagood; Memphian Mitch Graves, the CEO of West Cancer Center and a current member of Memphis Light Gas and Water’s (MLGW) Board of Commissioners; Nashville businessman Lee Beaman; and Randall Jones of Alabama. Three of the vacancies were the result of Trump's firing members earlier this year. The Commercial Appeal and Knox News have more on the nominees, which now must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order amending Supreme Court Rule 11, section VI a(1) and a(2) to remove Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) from the list of organizations eligible to receive funding from the state’s Civil Legal Representation of Indigents Fund. It also adjusted the percentage of funding the remaining three organizations will receive from the fund. The court says it took the action since MALS is no longer an organization within the Legal Services Corporation. Read the order or see a red line version of the changes.

U.S. District Court Judge Loren AliKhan ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Susman Godfrey violates the U.S. Constitution and must be permanently enjoined. AliKhan found that the order “constitutes unlawful retaliation against Susman for activities that are protected by the First Amendment, including its representation of certain clients, its donations to certain causes, and its expression of its beliefs regarding diversity.” It was the fourth ruling finding in favor of law firms targeted by executive order, Bloomberg Law reports. The firm sued over the order in April. In related news, the U.S. Justice Department said this week it will appeal another judge’s decision to strike down an executive order targeting Perkins Coie. In early May, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that order violated the constitution. Both AliKhan and Howell serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The U.S Supreme Court today agreed to hear a number of new cases in its next term, Bloomberg Law reports. These include a request from two Republican campaign committees to strike down federal caps on the money that can be spent on advertisements in coordination with congressional candidates; an appeal to shield an internet provider from a $1 billion lawsuit over customers’ unauthorized downloads of copyrighted works; the power of judges to sentence fugitives; and how much flexibility pension actuaries have when calculating money owed by companies withdrawing from a multiemployer plan. It also asked the government to comment on whether it should hear an appeal of the verdict rendered in the Roundup litigation.

Programs from last month's Immigration Law Forum are now available for purchase as on-demand courses, both individually and as a convenient 1-Click Package. Sessions include Hot Topics & Policies in Immigration Law; Past, Current & Future Immigration Bills in the Tennessee General Assembly; and Promoting Economic Inclusion and Immigrant Integration - Policy and Practice. In addition, the section has held three webcasts so far this year, and those also are available on demand.