Three Tennessee law schools recently have added to their faculties. Vanderbilt University Law School has added Jeff Gordon, who will teach courses on tax law, federal budget law, legislation and regulation; Jeffrey Bellin, who will teach classes related to criminal law and evidence and join the Branstetter Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program and Criminal Justice Program; and Anne-Marie Moyes, who has been named the inaugural clinic director of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which supports the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee. Belmont University College of Law has expanded its experiential learning program with increased staffing and the addition of a three-credit hour seminar. Patrick Riley will serve as director of field placements and teach the seminar, while former director Kristi Arth steps into a new role as assistant dean of experiential learning. The law school also has hired former Loyola Law School professor Joe Sliskovich to teach courses on business associations, federal income tax and business and tax planning. Finally, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has hired Joseph A. Figueroa and Courtney Panter as assistant professors of law.

Three families are suing the Williamson County Board of Education and Legacy Middle School’s principal after a transgender student was allowed to participate in a girls-only sex education class. The families claim the decision violated Tennessee law and caused emotional harm to students. The plaintiffs, represented by state Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, seek to bar anyone other than “biological females” from the course and criticize a school counselor’s LGBTQ+ advocacy as conflicting with the state’s abstinence-based policy. The Nashville Post reports that Bulso, who recently launched a bid to fill Mark Green's seat representing the 7th Congressional District, is promoting the lawsuit as part of his campaign. In a web post he asks supporters to help him “take this fight to Washington” and stop “the madness.”

The Trump administration has proposed a rule change to the Supplemental Security Income program that could cut or eliminate benefits for about 375,000 disabled people nationwide, including 7,500 in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the change would end an exception that currently prevents benefits from being reduced when individuals live with family members who receive SNAP food assistance. Analysts estimate the shift could completely end benefits nationwide for 100,000 people and reduce payments for another 275,000.

The Memphis City Council is considering a plan to dedicate $900,000 toward a stronger legal push against blighted properties, with a final vote possible Sept. 9. The funds, redirected from a policing task force proposal, come from interest earned on federal COVID-19 relief money. The Daily Memphian reports that City Attorney Tannera Gibson said the money will be used to hire additional attorneys and outside counsel to move blight cases from general sessions environmental court to chancery court for quicker resolutions. The approach could eventually become self-sustaining through revenue from restored properties sold out of receivership, while also freeing up code-enforcement officers from heavy court duties according to the city.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2025 Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum this fall. The primer will take place Nov. 12 at Barnes & Thornburg in Nashville. Designed for those new to health practice, that program will provide a general health law overview and practical tips to identify and avoid the pitfalls of real-life situations in the heavily regulated health care industry. Then on Nov. 13 and 14, the forum will take place at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. The two-day event will dig deeper into topics such as regulatory fraud and abuse, medical malpractice, controlled substances enforcement, a legislative update, AI contracting issues, ethics and more. The premier program for Tennessee health care lawyers, the forum provides all necessary CLE requirements for the year — 12 general hours and three dual hours — while providing opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the state. Get more information and register here.

Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a federal judge to dismiss his human smuggling case, arguing the prosecution is a retaliatory effort by the Trump administration for their client's successful challenge to removal to El Salvador. The Associated Press reports they cite public attacks from Donald Trump and top officials as evidence of “vindictive prosecution,” claiming the government is trying to punish him and reshape public opinion after deporting him in 2019 despite a judge’s order protecting him from gang violence. Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. under a Supreme Court order to face the smuggling charges. The case arose from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. The legal team is seeking at least a hearing on the government’s motives. The Hill also reports on the developments.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that internal investigations conducted by Jones Day and Squire Patton Boggs for FirstEnergy Corp. are likely shielded from disclosure under attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine. The ruling stayed a lower court order requiring disclosure in a shareholder lawsuit, citing the Supreme Court’s Upjohn decision, which protects internal legal investigations. The appeals court emphasized that privilege applies regardless of whether advice is later used for business purposes while the work-product doctrine covers materials prepared amid extensive legal and regulatory actions. The decision follows FirstEnergy’s involvement in a bribery scandal tied to the former Ohio state House speaker and a $230 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2021. The ABA Journal has the story.

Following a report from Politico yesterday that the federal court filing system was the target of a cyberattack in early July, the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts released a statement that it is "strengthening cyber security measures." The reporting states that it is not immediately clear how the hackers got in, but the incident affected the judiciary’s federal core case management system, which contains two overlapping components: Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF), which legal professionals use to upload and manage case documents; and PACER, a system that gives the public limited access to records. In addition to information about witnesses and defendants cooperating with law enforcement, the filing system includes other sensitive information such as sealed indictments, arrest records and search warrants. Reuters has more on the story.

Vanderbilt Law School's Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic has filed a federal complaint on behalf of First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh. The complaint challenges the constitutionality of state's public records law, which restricts access to Tennesseans only. After being denied court records by the Williamson County Archives due to his California residency, Volokh sued, arguing that the restriction violates his rights. The clinic’s complaint agrees, stating that federal courts have consistently recognized a qualified First Amendment right of access to judicial records. The clinic's complaint also argues that any purported privacy interest in the records is undermined by the fact that Tennessee residents — including potentially the litigants’ neighbors — are permitted access. Read more in a press release from the law school.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) recently announced that it has entered into a new agreement with Kentucky State University (KSU) to strengthen academic collaboration and expand opportunities for KSU students to pursue a legal education. Under the agreement, LMU Law will reserve up to five seats each year in its incoming class for qualified KSU students who meet the admissions criteria outlined in the agreement. The partnership is designed to promote a clear and supportive pathway to law school and to encourage increased interest in the legal profession among KSU students. “This agreement reflects a shared commitment to access to opportunity and into preparing the next generation of legal professionals who will go out and serve their communities with purpose and integrity,” said LMU President Dr. Jason McConnell. Read more in a press release from the school.