The U.S. Department of Justice awarded the City of Memphis $900,000 to help cover the costs of processing rape kits and domestic violence cases. WREG reports that more than half of the money will go to the local district attorney’s office so it can assign a designated investigator to process rape and domestic violence cases. 

Workers who fill orders for Internet retailer Amazon might be out of luck in their quest to be paid for time they spend going through security checkpoints each day, WRCB reports from the Associated Press. Several Supreme Court justices expressed doubts during arguments today over whether federal law entitles workers to compensation for security measures to prevent employee theft. The case is being watched closely by business groups concerned that employers could be liable for billions of dollars in retroactive pay for security check procedures that have become routine in retail and other industries.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy today allowed same-sex marriage to begin in Nevada, clarifying that an earlier order temporarily blocking gay unions applies only to Idaho. Kennedy said in a brief order that he was lifting the hold he imposed five hours earlier on same-sex weddings in Nevada. He said his order would continue to block gay marriage in Idaho, where state officials have asked for the delay. Nevada officials did not make a similar request. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada on Tuesday. A day earlier, the Supreme Court let similar rulings from three other appeals courts become final and effectively raised to 30 the number of states where same-sex couples can marry, or soon will be able to do so. WRCB has more from the Associated Press.

The Lawrence County Bar Association has adopted a Resolution in Support of Judicial Selection Amendment, commonly referred to as Amendment 2. “The Lawrence County Bar Association is proud to join Lawrence County native Fred Thompson, former Governor Phil Bredesen, Governor Bill Haslam, and countless other lawyers and non-lawyers across the State of Tennessee in support of the Amendment 2, “ President Ben Boston said in a press release. “This Amendment, if adopted, will ensure Tennessee continues its tradition of fair and impartial appellate judges to the State’s Appellate Courts and Supreme Court for many years to come.”

Six U.S. Supreme Court justices on Sunday attended the Roman Catholic Red Mass in Washington, D.C., an annual ritual that heralds the new judicial season that begins on the first Monday in October. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan were in the front pews of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle to watch the spectacle, replete with incense, bishops and priests in scarlet vestments and soaring choir music. Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas are Catholic; Breyer and Kagan, who are Jewish, have become regular attendees. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also Jewish, stopped attending earlier in her tenure after one mass in which the sermon was “outrageously anti-abortion,” as she later described it. Justices Samuel Alito Jr. and Sonia Sotomayor are also Catholic, although they were absent Sunday. The National Law Journal has more (Subscription required.)

The American Bar Association standing committee on ethics and professional responsibility today issued Formal Opinion 468 regarding the sale of a law practice by a lawyer or firm. The opinion states that the seller must “cease to engage in the private practice of law, or in the area of practice that has been sold, in the relevant jurisdiction or geographic area.” Additionally, while the seller may assist the buyer in the orderly transition of active clients, neither party may bill clients for time spent only on the transition of matters.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit today issued an order in the Occupy Nashville case, reversing a District Court's order denying qualified immunity and granting partial summary judgment of liability for state officials involved in the case. Attorney General Herbert Slatery issued a statement regarding today’s’ decision, saying “The State has consistently maintained that its response to the health, property, and safety issues that developed as a result of the occupation of War Memorial Plaza was entirely reasonable.”

Attorney Margaret Behm will serve as the 2015 campaign chair of the Campaign for Equal Justice, the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands announced today. The campaign is an annual initiative that raises money for the Legal Aid Society, Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm. Behm is a principal at Dodson, Parker, Behm and Capparella PC in Nashville.

Former U.S. solicitor general Paul D. Clement will deliver the Rose Lecture at noon on Oct. 24 at the University of Tennessee College of Law. The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the Richard L. Rose Endowed Lecture Series established by Rick Rose, a 1974 alumnus of UT Law and currently the managing director and president of the Coats Rose law firm in Texas.

Nashville remains first in line to get a new federal courthouse, the Nashville Business Journal reports. Nashville has pursued a new courthouse for 22 years, when federal officials deemed the current courthouse at 801 Broadway inadequate because of security concerns. If built, the new U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee would cost $181.5 million, according to the latest government estimates. The site for the would-be courthouse is 719 Church St., next door to the Nashville Public Library.