The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) established The Honorable Gina C. Higgins Endowment Fund in recognition of Judge Higgins’ exemplary service to the Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP). The MBA surprised Higgins when it announced the endowment fund at its annual meeting on Dec. 7, which happened to be Higgins’ birthday. Prior to the public announcement, the fund already reached $158,000. It is managed through the Memphis Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the MBA, and will be funded by 100% tax deductible donations. Read more about SLIP and the endowment in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

A former employee of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury on Monday filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that leaders in the state office forced her to resign the day after she informed them she was changing her name and preferred pronouns as part of a gender transition. The Nashville Post reports that the plaintiff worked as a field staff auditor for the comptroller for more than 14 years until January 2022. She alleges in the lawsuit that supervisors forced her to resign because of her gender transition.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted new rules to further protect consumers from scam communications by directly addressing some of the biggest vulnerabilities in America’s robotext defenses and closing the “lead generator” robocall/robotexts loophole. The new rules allow blocking of “red flagged” robotexting numbers, codifies do-not-call rules for texting and encourages an opt-in approach for delivering email-to-text messages. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 29 attorneys general in filing a letter with the FCC in June, urging the commission to enact the one-to-one consent requirement.

Gov. Bill Lee has granted executive clemency to 23 people, including 22 full pardons. A pardon serves as a statement of forgiveness to someone who has completed their prison sentence and are no longer incarcerated, while commutation shortens a sentence but lets the conviction stand, reports the Associated Press. Similar to last year, Gov. Lee did not issue any exonerations, in which the governor declares that the applicant didn’t commit the crime.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to review a ruling by a federal appeals court that would significantly restrict (but not eliminate altogether) access to a drug used in medication abortions, which account for over half of all abortions performed in the United States, reports SCOTUSblog. The justices declined to take up an appeal by the challengers in the case, a group of doctors and medical groups opposed to abortion who had asked them to also weigh in on the validity of the FDA’s initial approval of the drug, known as mifepristone, in 2000.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy’s Office is developing a public-facing data dashboard that it plans to launch in spring 2024. According to the Daily Memphian, metrics will include the time it takes for cases to resolve, racial disparities in the criminal justice system and recidivism rates, among others still under review. Mulroy’s office has been working on data reform with help from Justice Innovation Lab, a nonprofit focused on “data-informed, human-centered solutions for a more equitable, effective and fair justice system." Vishant Shah, the DA office’s chief data officer, said the data will help with case management and provide accountability and transparency.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby appointed Judge Roy B. Morgan Jr. to hear the case against Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd. Boyd was indicted Tuesday and is charged with one count of coercion of a witness and one count of harassment. Judge Jennifer Mitchell recused herself after she was initially assigned to hear the case, as did Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Frederick Agee, district attorney general for Crockett, Gibson and Haywood counties, has been assigned the case as the pro-tem prosecutor. The Commercial Appeal has the full story.

While many people think that a premises liability case is best highlighted by the stereotypical slip and fall at Walmart, case law across the country reveals that the framework of a premises liability lawsuit extends well beyond these types of "slip/dip/trip" accident claims. Join attorneys Parke Morris and Holland Matthews on Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. CST for a discussion of a number of common law Tennessee state court and federal court opinions.

This year's TBA Convention CLE lineup brought together an esteemed group of panelists and speakers with multiple legal tracks to cover a variety of timely, essential topics in today's evolving legal field. Hot topics in this nine-hour package include the intersection of sports and law with some familiar leaders in the sports world, labor and employment updates, mediation ethics (CME), the impact of policing in America, legal technology, attorney well being and more! All of TBA's CLE packages are quick, convenient and approved. Sign up today! Check out all of the packages or choose from more than 200 on-demand programs.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue has made substantial updates to several of its tax manuals. Changes are now available for the Alcohol Tax Manual; Business Tax Manual; F&E Tax Manual; County Clerk Sales and Use Tax Manual for Automobiles & Boats; Tax Manual for Farmers, Nursery Operators and Timber Harvesters; and Sales and Use Tax Manual. View updates on the department’s website.