The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to lean toward upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors during a hearing on the law, The Hill reports. The court heard more than 2 1/2 hours of oral arguments, with several justices questioning the Biden administration’s claim that the benefits of administering puberty blockers and hormone treatments to some adolescents with gender dysphoria outweigh the risks. The Tennessee Attorney's General Office argued the law is necessary to protect children from "irreversible and unproven gender transition procedures." In a statement, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said, "Tennessee’s General Assembly reviewed the medical evidence, as well as the evidence-based decisions of European countries that restricted these procedures, and ultimately passed this bipartisan law prohibiting irreversible medical interventions." The ACLU of Tennessee also issued a statement on the proceeding. A decision in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, is expected by summer. Listen to the proceeding or read a transcript from the court.

The Nashville Metro Council on Tuesday narrowly voted against a resolution to approve Fusus, a software program that would have allowed the Metro Nashville Police Department to access security camera footage from willing private business owners. The vote was 20-18, falling one vote short of the 21 needed for approval. According to the Nashville Banner, opponents of the legislation raised concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of footage by federal or state authorities. Business groups and Mayor Freddie O’Connell were among those advocating for the contract, urging council members to approve the technology.

A federal judge in Texas has issued a nationwide injunction blocking enforcement of the 2021 Corporate Transparency Act, which requires corporate entities to disclose the identities of their real beneficial owners to the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant sided with the National Federation of Independent Business and several small businesses and nonprofits in concluding that the act was likely unconstitutional. Mazzant called it an "unprecedented" attempt by the federal government to legislate in an area traditionally left to the states. The law, which is touted as an anti-money laundering tool law, directs the Treasury Department to collect and analyze submitted data to combat crime.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board on Tuesday approved a six-month contract for virtual instruction amid ongoing struggles to fill teacher vacancies, Chalkbeat Tennessee reports. The board unanimously approved a $4.6 million contract with the Texas-based program Proximity Learning to provide 100 teachers for live online classes for middle and high school students. Superintendent Marie Feagins told the board the district had 312 vacant teaching positions as of Tuesday’s meeting. A report released this fall by the Tennessee Department of Education showed that Southwest Tennessee, which includes Memphis, had the highest vacancy rate in the state for the 2023-2024 school year, the paper reports. Feagins told the board the contract would not resolve the underlying issue of vacancies but would help fill some gaps until positions are filled.

A nonprofit has filed a lawsuit against Tennessee’s new law requiring those attempting to access certain material online to verify their age. According to WSMV 4, the Free Speech Coalition’s lawsuit claims that the “Protect Tennessee Minors Act” violates the First and 14th Amendments by imposing “substantial burdens on website operators, content creators, and countless others who use the internet” by requiring websites to age-verify every user before granting access to “content harmful to minors.” The group also argues that the definition of "harmful to minors" is not well defined. The law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee in May, is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

The Nashville law firm of Stranch, Jennings & Garvey PLLC has announced that its suit against Gerber Life Insurance Company has been granted national class action certification. The suit, which alleges the company used deceptive naming and marketing to push its Grow-Up Plan and College Plan, seeks damages for all individuals who purchased plans dating back to April 2014. Specifically, the suit alleges that the company lead parents and grandparents to believe the plans were affordable ways to build a nest egg for their child or grandchild, but really locked consumers into a guaranteed loss, only providing any net value if the child died. According to the firm, the entire class includes over two million people who paid Gerber more than $700 million in premiums.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals recently dismissed a lawsuit brought against the city of Memphis over a backlog of more than 12,000 untested rape kits, the Commercial Appeal reports. A second ruling, issued the same day, also reversed a ruling from the Shelby County Circuit Court that a group of women could convert the suit into a class action. Three women initially sued the city due to the backlog. A third woman eventually joined the lawsuit with claims from the 1990s. Issues in the case centered on whether the city could be held liable under the Governmental Tort and Liability Act (GTLA) and whether the state’s lack of an equitable tolling statute or class action tolling statute disallowed the claim. The appeals court found that claims brought under the GTLA required “strict compliance” with its terms, including a statute of limitations. Read the opinion.

A group that unsuccessfully opposed Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit referendum ahead of the November election now has filed suit to declare that vote void. In the suit, which was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court, the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax and Emily Evans, the group’s chair, contend that the proposal violates state law by offering to pay for things that go beyond the scope of public transit, like sidewalks and signals. The Nashville Banner has more on the suit.

Nashville lawyer Karla Campbell, who was nominated to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Joe Biden earlier this year, will not get a confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate before Biden’s term ends. The Tennessean reports that a deal struck by Democratic and Republican senators will allow for votes on several trial court nominees but put four appellate court nominations on hold. The other appellate nominees are Adeel Mangi, who was up for a seat on the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals; Julia Lipez, who was nominated to the Boston-based 1st Circuit Court of Appeals; and Ryan Park, up for a seat on the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and its Mock Trial Committee have released case materials for the 2025 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition. In the new case, Lee Jasper v Reece Witherfork, students will present their best arguments in a civil scenario centered around a rodeo. District competitions will be held in February. Teams advancing to the state competition will meet in Nashville March 21-22 to determine the Tennessee champion. This year's competition will feature the organization's first Artist in the Courtroom Competition. Tennessee's mock trial championship team and first place artist will have the opportunity to represent the state at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Phoenix, Arizona, May 7-10. The Mock Trial Committee is led by Chair Ashley Tipton, Vice Chair Michael Holmes and Long Range Planning Coordinator Zack Walden. Access resources for the upcoming competition.