The year-long celebration of the Hamilton County Courthouse building’s centennial kicked off yesterday with the unveiling of a new historical exhibit. Items from the exhibit range from a photo of World War I soldiers gathered on the courthouse lawn for a concert in 1919 to the history and lore surrounding the statues and fountains on the property. Mayor Jim Coppinger told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the exhibit was filled with memorabilia even he had never seen before. The next event for the centennial celebration will be a Christmas open house in December.

Some Catholic nonprofit organizations in Nashville are asking a federal judge to prevent them from having to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees as mandated in the Affordable Care Act, the Tennessean reports. Villa Maria Manor, Mary Queen of Angels and the Saint Mary Villa Child Development Center are three of the plaintiffs in particular who are seeking a safe harbor period during which the mandate would not be enforced for some religious nonprofits while officials revise it to try to accommodate their concerns. 

The Tennessee Bar Association has announced the members of its 2013 Leadership Law (TBALL) class. TBALL is an award-winning, six-month-long program that aims to nurture effective leadership with respect to ethical, professional and community service issues; build relationships among legal leaders from across the state and from across disciplines within the profession; raise the level of awareness among lawyers regarding the broad range of issues facing the legal profession; and enhance the diversity of leaders within the legal profession and the community as a whole. This year’s class will have 34 members from across the state. Programming begins with an opening retreat in January and concludes with graduation ceremonies during the 2013 TBA Annual Convention next June in Nashville. Read the TBA press release on the class or download a list of class members

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an atheist, nonprofit organization based in Madision, Wisc., has sued the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for not taking action against churches that illegally endorsed political candidates. The group claims the IRS allowed them an unfair advantage over secular groups by being able to preferentially engage in electioneering. Despite IRS rules that bar churches from endorsing candidates or intervening in political campaigns, several Nashville clergy gave public support to both candidates this past year. The Tennesseean has the story.

Judge Bill Swann brought his 4th Circuit courtroom to the halls of the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) this morning to give students a live and in-person look at court proceedings in action. Swann told WATE Knoxville that although it is difficult to have the sheriff, clerks, and extra security travel to the school, the benefit to students in invaluable.

A federal appeals court ruled 8-7 that Michigan’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional, six years after state voters said race could not be an issue in choosing students. WXYZ Action News 7 reports that the court said the 2006 amendment to the Michigan Constitution is illegal because it presents an extraordinary burden to opponents who would have to mount their own long, expensive campaign through the ballot box to protect affirmative actions. Judge R. Guy Cole Jr., who wrote for the majority at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, stated the burden “undermines the Equal Protection Clause's guarantee that all citizens ought to have equal access to the tools of political change” and that supporters and opponents should debate through the governing boards of each public university.

The Tennessee Attorneys General office, along with 37 other Attorneys General, reached a $90 million agreement with GlaxoSmithKline LLC to resolve allegations that GlaxoSmithKline unlawfully promoted its diabetes drug Avandia by engaging in unfair and deceptive practices by misrepresenting Avandia’s cardiovascular risks and safety profile. Tennessee will receive $3 million as part of this multistate consumer protection investigation. Download the press release.

President Barack Obama announced seven nominations for federal district courts, asking the Senate to promptly consider all his judicial nominees because “too many of our courtrooms stand empty.” If confirmed, the nominees would bring more women, minorities, and openly gay judges to courts to better reflect the nation they serve, says Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The new nominees include: Valerie Caproni, Analisa Torres, Beverly O’Connell, Kenneth Gonzales, Raymond Moore, William Thomas, and Derrick Watson. The Legal Times has the full story.

The election is over, and implementation of the Affordable Care Act is now very real and very near. Your clients and your firm have little time to grasp the fundamental changes that will be taking place in health care over the next 13 months as governments, insurance companies, health care providers and employers make the changes called for in the law. On Dec. 7, TennBar U will present a program that will help you get up to speed on the Affordable Care Act and help you serve your clients. Sessions include an overview of the Affordable Care Act, how to advise your small to mid-sixe business owner, a session on what lawyers need to do for law firm management, and answers to the top 10 questions your clients will ask.

BP will pay $4.5 billion to resolve federal criminal and securities allegations in connection with the Gild oil spill, the ABA Journal reports. As part of the plea deal, BP will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges, including 11 felony counts related to loss of life in the oil spill and one felony count for obstruction of Congress. According to the Wall Street Journal, the settlement includes $1.26 billion in criminal fines, and for BP to pay $2.394 billion to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and $350 million to the National Academy of the Sciences.