The U.S. Supreme Court will not review a ruling that the mandatory State Bar of Texas violates the associational and free speech rights of attorneys when it engages in activities not “germane” to improving the legal profession, such as funding legislative efforts, Bloomberg Law reports. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with three bar members who said they can’t be forced to support to subsidize those non-germane activities. The appeals court granted an injunction that blocked the bar from requiring membership and dues from the plaintiffs until the lower court determines how much of their dues supported non-germane activity. It rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that all “ideological” activities were necessarily non-germane, citing diversity initiatives that seek to create a fair legal profession. The plaintiffs appealed to the high court, asking it to expand the appeals court ruling to find that members of a mandatory bar can’t be compelled to finance any political or ideological activities and can’t be forced to join one that engages in such activities.

Legal services company Latitude has announced it will expand to Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Francisco, the Nashville Post reports. The Franklin-based company has more than doubled its number of locations over the last nine months. It has additional offices in Brentwood, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Miami, Boston and Minneapolis. Latitude bills itself as a legal services company that provides law firms with both temporary and permanent legal professionals.

Rep. Eddie Mannis, R-Knoxville, announced this week that he will not seek reelection in District 18, the Tennessee Journal reports. The Knoxville businessman in a statement said the recent death of his father had impacted his decision not to run again. “I have heard his final words, “Follow your heart,” over and over in my head,” Mannis said in the statement. “It has been a very difficult decision, but I must truly follow my heart.” Mannis is the 10th Republican to retire from the state House. The Tennessee Journal has compiled a full list of all General Assembly members who are not seeking re-election.

Michael Glen Hatmaker of Campbell County was today disbarred from the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. According to the first complaint from the Board of Professional Responsibility, Hatmaker was paid $7,500 to represent a client in a criminal matter, but failed to refund the unearned balance to his client after he was suspended from the practice of law. He also failed to comply with the terms and conditions of his suspension. In the second complaint, Hatmaker set aside a default judgment without the knowledge or authorization of his client and took no action thereafter to prosecute his client’s action or reasonably communicate with his client about the status of her case. He also failed to respond to the BPR about either complaint. He executed a conditional guilty plea and is not eligible for reinstatement.

A new episode of the TBA Legislative Updates podcast is now streaming with TBA Public Policy & Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin. Tune in for news on the Senate redistricting lawsuit ruling, updates on HB2438/SB2257 concerning revisions to the Uniform Arbitration Act, an update on the professional privilege tax and more! To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A list of those who passed the February 2022 bar exam will be released tomorrow by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Check the TBA’s website for the complete list of successful applicants.

The Tennessee Senate has two weeks to fix issues with its new redistricting plan after a ruling from a three-judge panel yesterday, the Tennessean reports. Three voters, backed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, sued over the Republican-led redistricting plan for numbering Senate districts nonconsecutively, a requirement included in the state constitution. The panel of judges will impose its own map for this year’s election should the Senate fail to fix the issues within 15 days. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said they expect to appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, who he hopes will “reach down and deal with it quickly because it does impact the filing deadlines and can impact the election." The lawsuit also challenged the House redistricting map, which the panel did not block on Wednesday but ruled should go to trial to determine if the court should take action against it.

The U.S. Senate voted 53-47 today to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, The Hill reports. She is the first female, Black high court justice and its first former public defender. Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, crossed party lines and voted in favor of Jackson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in February. Jackson would still need to be sworn in before she’s officially a justice on the Supreme Court. Justice Stephen Breyer, who she is succeeding, has said he will step down over the summer, assuming his successor was in place. 

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold a free legal advice clinic on Saturday in Nashville. The in-person clinic will run from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. CDT at McHugh Clinic at Belmont, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. Those coming in-person are required to wear a mask. To volunteer for a clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all April clinics.

Ever wanted to know more about the moving parts, projects and staffers of the Tennessee Bar Association? Starting next week, look for a #TeamTBA post on all our social media outlets and in TBA Today for a closer look at each staff member, their role in the association and maybe a fun fact or two! #TeamTBA profiles will be posted every Wednesday. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.