The heavy volume of misdemeanor cases in criminal justice systems across the country is examined in a recent Wall Street Journal article. State courts “often resemble assembly lines where time is in short supply,” and misdemeanor cases in some states can take on average only three or four minutes. Several jurisdictions have taken steps to remedy these problems and reduce the flood of misdemeanor cases, such as removing cases relating to driving with a suspended license out of its criminal courts. The Brennen Center for Justice newsletter has more.

Tennessee will receive $233,000 as part of a $3.8 million multistate settlement with Sirius XM Radio, Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced. Sirius has agreed to provide restitution to eligible consumers to resolve claims that the satellite radio company engaged in misleading advertising and billing practices. Consumers who have not previously filed a complaint with their attorney general or state complaint handling entity such as DCA for the practices covered by this settlement have until May 3 to file a complaint to be considered for restitution.

The TBA Entertainment and Sports Law section will be hosting a happy hour Dec. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Sinema, located at 2600 Franklin Pike in Nashville. Contact section chair Casey Summar for more information or to join the section. To learn about the other 26 sections supported by the Tennessee Bar Association, visit the TBA website.

The annual Music City 5k Christmas Run will be held Dec. 13 at Public Square Park in Nashville. Presented by Kinnard, Clayton, & Beveridge law firm, the Run/Walk is one of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee’s primary fundraising events, which helps support programs and services that assist in preventing child abuse and neglect.

A largely overlooked case issued by the Tennessee Court of Appeals may have given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals new protections from discrimination in the state of Tennessee, attorney Keith Dennen writes in a Tennessean opinion piece. In Lisa Howe, et al. v. Bill Haslam, the plaintiff alleged that a 2011 Act of the Tennessee General Assembly that added a definition of “sex” to the Tennessee Human Rights Act and created the Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act violated the Equal Protection guarantees of the United States and Tennessee Constitutions. Although the case was dismissed, buried within the appellate opinion, the text says, “the governor submits, ‘transsexual individuals are protected from discrimination on the basis of sex (including discrimination for failure to conform to gender stereotypes) by the THRA [Tennessee Human Rights Act] and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act.’ ” Though the language only specifically states that transsexual people are protected from discrimination, this statement has the potential to open the door for blanketed discrimination protection for the entire LGBT community, Dennan suggests.

The NAACP has scheduled a press conference on the steps of the Robertson County Courthouse on Dec. 16 to address segregation in Robertson County schools, the Tennessean reports. Federal investigators determined earlier this year that the school district has failed to comply with its desegregation plan, which was enacted 44 years ago. In October, the Robertson County School District unveiled a proposed settlement agreement with the Department of Justice that included revamping school zones that would have diversified schools outside the Springfield area.

Tennessee has not decided to join a 17-state coalition in its lawsuit against the Obama administration that challenges the president’s executive order easing immigration restrictions. "The fact that Tennessee is not currently one of the plaintiffs does not mean that Attorney General Slatery has decided against joining the lawsuit or that he is opposed to appropriate legal action," said Leigh Ann Jones, a spokeswoman for Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery. The Tennessean has the story. 

The offices of the Chattanooga Bar Association are sporting a fresh new look this holiday season, the Hamilton County Herald reports. Renovations of the bar’s space on the fourth floor of the Pioneer Building downtown were completed Nov. 14, and Executive Director Lynda Hood and Executive Assistant Wanda Paschal have settled in and resumed normal operations.

California Republican Darrell Issa will be the next chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee with jurisdiction over intellectual property and information technology issues, Roll Call reports. Issa said “patent troll” legislation will be among his priorities. Last year, the House passed patent litigation overhaul legislation targeted at curbing “patent trolls” but the measure stalled in the Senate.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will soon visit Memphis to lead a roundtable discussion with local civil rights leaders to discuss building trust between police and the community, as well as how Memphis is confronting social issues of race. Holder made his first trip of this series to Atlanta on Monday and is scheduled to visit Chicago, Philadelphia and Oakland. The Justice Department has not released a time or place for Holder’s visit to Memphis, Local Memphis reports.