Lawmakers in Oklahoma passed a bill today that would make performing abortions a felony, Huffington Post reports. The measure, which contains no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, is now headed to the desk of Oklahoma’s Republican governor. The Associated Press adds that under the measure, those who perform an abortion could be punished with up to three years in prison and would restrict any physician who performs an abortion from obtaining or renewing a license to practice medicine in the state. 

Posting signs is now banned on hallway doors of the Anderson County courthouse, following a controversy over a sign on the county mayor’s chief of staff's door. The sign, “Lesser Civil Magistrate,” is linked to the sovereign citizens movement, which County Commissioner Steve Mead said the FBI lists as a “domestic terrorism group.” The commission will allow signs required by the Americans with Disabilities Act or designating an office, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory attributed the transgender bathroom controversy to Congress’ failure to update the nation’s civil rights laws, TIME reports. The Justice Department and North Carolina are currently facing off in dueling lawsuits over the state’s bathroom policy, which the federal government has said violates civil rights. “Congress has been sitting on the sidelines,” McCrory said. “Every city and state and town has its own non-discrimination ordinances that are very inconsistent.” 

A federal judge yesterday awarded attorneys for former University of Tennessee women’s sports employees more than $462,000, bringing the total for the 2012 lawsuit against UT to now more than $1.2 million. The university agreed earlier this year to pay $750,000 to settle the suit, in which two women and one man alleged pay discrimination and retaliation in the athletic department. UT sought to cap the attorneys’ fees at $300,000, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton yesterday rejected most of the school's arguments of fee padding. Read more from the Knoxville News Sentinel. 

The TBA launched today its 2016 Tennessee Supreme Court Candidate Evaluation Poll. In the August General Election, Tennessee voters will be asked to retain or remove three Supreme Court justices: Justice Holly Kirby, Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins and Justice Roger A. Page. In 2014 more than 2,086 TBA members gave their recommendations regarding the election of the three justices then up for retention election. The survey, sent via email, is being conducted by secret ballot beginning today and will close on June 10. Results will be released in mid-June.

Two former Knox County 4th Circuit Court supervisors filed identical age discrimination lawsuits that claim their ages and salaries were the reason for their termination in January 2015. But Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond paints a different picture of why they were let go, claiming the pair “acted as ringmasters over a circus atmosphere surrounding the handling of domestic violence cases.” The county also denied the women, ages 66 and 60, were the oldest on staff. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the women are each seeking $500,000 in punitive damages as well as lost wages.

A Breitbart News post claims “the scope and legal authority of an ongoing investigation by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery into the conduct of State Rep. Jeremy Durham is being questioned by a number of Tennessee political insiders, attorneys and individuals.” House Speaker Beth Harwell asked Attorney General Herbert Slatery to investigate Durham, R-Franklin, following allegations that Durham had an affair with a former representative. 

The Williamson County School Board approved last night a $36,500 counter settlement to a pending lawsuit, The Tennessean reports. The counter settlement came in response to the threat of a lawsuit that alleges a special needs student suffered from leaked student information and the board's reaction to a school fight.

Loeb & Loeb LLP, a Nashville entertainment firm, will take up residence on the city’s Music Row when it moves into 35 Music Square East, a $31 building that Panattoni Development Co. opened earlier this year. The firm, founded in Los Angeles, has been in Hillsboro Village for the past 15 years. Read more from the Nashville Business Journal.   

Tennessee was ranked towards the top in the recently published Justice Index 2016 that provided a snapshot view of the national and state-by-state commitment to providing access to the civil and criminal courts for some of the most vulnerable populations. The index, compiled by the National Center for Access to Justice at Cardozo Law School, includes Language Access and Self-Represented indexes.