President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order that will refuse asylum for migrants who cross the southern border when there is a high volume of daily encounters, The Hill reports. The ban will be in effect when the seven-day average of daily border crossings exceeds 2,500 between ports of entry, administration officials said. Under that criteria, the ban will go into effect immediately. Asylum restrictions will not apply to unaccompanied minors, and officials will continue to interview migrants who state a fear of returning to their country because of a threat of persecution or potential torture.

A report from the Nashville law firm Neal & Harwell found that Vanderbilt did not violate the First Amendment rights of Nashville Scene reporter Eli Motycka when he was arrested by campus police while covering a student protest in April. However, the report concluded that Vanderbilt's media policy, which is currently inaccessible to the public, should be published. The review also found that the policy was applied inconsistently in the incident. According to the Tennessean, the report states that while there were several missteps by police that led to the arrest, Motycka was not arrested to prevent coverage of campus protests but because he repeatedly tried to enter a closed university building.

Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed the Protect Tennessee Minors Act into law following bipartisan passage in the legislature earlier this year. The Tennessean reports that with this new law, Tennessee joins a growing list of states that are requiring websites with adult content to age-verify viewers, a move that is raising alarm from some First Amendment advocates who warn the law may have wider-reaching impact than initially expected. Similar laws have passed in 19 other states and are under consideration in seven more, but Tennessee is the only one with felony penalties.

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert has filed a response to the pending ouster petition against her, saying the allegations levied against her were "at best simple negligence, mere mistakes in judgment and good faith efforts of defendant Halbert to perform her duties." The Commercial Appeal reports that Halbert's response states that the claims against her are contradictory and that they allege "willful neglect" while also citing instances that appear to be "simple negligence." The response mostly denies the allegations against Halbert, who has been under investigation since June 2023 by Hamilton County District Attorney Cody Wamp, who is serving as a special prosecutor in the case.

Two Williamson County families have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee and the Williamson County School System. The Tennessee Lookout reports that a 13-year-old Fairview Middle School student and a 14-year-old Page High School student were arrested at school and expelled in separate and unrelated incidents after school officials misinterpreted conversations between peers as “threats of mass violence.” The suit claims the teens were strip-searched, put in solitary confinement, sent to alternative school and then subjected to months of home visits by social workers and probation officers. Larry Crain, an attorney representing the families, said in a statement last week, “This was an overreach and misapplication of the law, which resulted in a denial of their constitutional rights.”

Whether you are catching up on CLE or starting to meet your 2024 requirements, TBA CLE Essentials are designed with your convenience in mind. Choose from five unique packages that you can watch on-demand from the comfort of your own home or office. Whether you need three hours or 15, we have curated CLE packages by the hour, topic or practice area. These include: Summer Essentials Complete Package (15 hours including 12 dual), Ultimate Ethics Package (8 dual hours), General Solo and Small Practice Bundle (15.5 hours including 11 dual), The Rookie's Guide to Law (4 general hours), and the Women in the Profession Wellness Package (3 dual hours).

Memphis Area Legal Services Inc. (MALS) on Monday announced that its board of directors has selected Memphis attorney Nicole M. Grida as its chief executive officer (CEO). In a press release, MALS said that Grida is a longtime supporter of access to justice programs, and will bring her leadership, collaboration and legal skills to the organization to ensure it continues to provide excellence in legal advocacy to those in need, while finding innovative ways to protect the legal rights of low-income citizens in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton and Lauderdale counties. She presently serves on the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board as the YLD Fellows liaison. In May, MALS appointed Amber Floyd as chair of the board of directors. Floyd is general counsel to the Memphis International Airport and a YLD Fellow. She also serves on the TBA's Access to Justice Committee and the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) selected Kandiss Brown as its 2024 CASA Volunteer of the Year. During the four years that Brown has volunteered with CASA of Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, she has won praise as a dedicated volunteer who never hesitates to take on a new case, regardless of its level of complexity. "Mrs. Brown conducts each investigation in a professional manner without letting emotions overcome her judgement," CASA Executive Director Michelle Childs said in her nomination of Brown. The CASA Volunteer of the Year Award was presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 14 in Memphis as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. Read more in the TBA's press release.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Kandiss Brown as its 2024 CASA Volunteer of the Year. During the four years that Brown has volunteered with CASA of Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, she has won praise as a dedicated volunteer who never hesitates to take on a new case, regardless of its level of complexity. "Mrs. Brown conducts each investigation in a professional manner without letting emotions overcome her judgement," CASA Executive Director Michelle Childs said in her nomination of Brown. The CASA Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 14 in Memphis as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. Read more in the TBA's press release.

Two former Erlanger Hospital executives, Chief Compliance Officer Alana Sullivan and Chief Financial Officer Britt Tabor, in April 2021 filed a lawsuit against Erlanger, which recently was unsealed. The suit claims that the Chattanooga-based hospital is paying physicians well above their fair market value in exchange for referring patients, according to News Channel 9. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says it will intervene in the suit with regard to claims that the hospital violated the Stark Law, a federal anti-kickback statute that also prevents giving favored treatment to physicians.