The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is proposing a $3 million pilot project to test sewage from Knoxville-area high schools, college dorms and other locations for illicit drugs, the Tennessee Lookout reports. If the budget for the project is approved, testing will initially begin on wastewater from 12 public high schools and 16 college dorms, with 120 Knoxville locations potentially also being selected for testing at the TBI’s discretion. Results of school and dorm-based wastewater testing can help keep parents and school administrators informed about student drug use, the paper reports. Testing sewage for illicit drug use is underway in 70 U.S. cities as part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded program intended to help guide cities in where they need to focus resources in preventing overdose deaths.

Last weekend the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) hosted a wills clinic with the Williamson County Bar Association. Nineteen first responders from the Franklin Police Department were assisted by 10 attorney volunteers and five nonattorney volunteers. Special thanks to TBA YLD District 11 representative Charles Ferguson for organizing the clinic. See a photo from this event.

The Department of Children's Services (DCS) is requesting $6 million to expand its contract with Youth Villages, whose “Intercept” program brings intensive three-day-per-week services into the homes of families in crisis to address problems that include parental substance abuse, kids in trouble at school and child neglect, reports the Tennessee Lookout. That is an increase of $189 million over last year's budget. DCS says it will use $6 million of the total to expand the program to families in rural Tennessee counties, saying those areas experience the highest rates of children being removed from their families. The additional funds in the request include $8 million for privately-contracted social workers, $41 million for residential care for kids with medical and psychiatric needs and $1.5 million for nurses.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission met in Sevierville to select nominees for a circuit court judge in the 4th Judicial District, which includes Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the commission voted to recommend Dandridge lawyer Jeremy D. Ball, Rutledge lawyer S. Lane Wolfenbarger and Knoxville lawyer Luke A. Shipley to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. Read more about the candidates from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts.

Mike Fletcher, Memphis' deputy chief legal officer, will retire at the end of 2024, reports the Daily Memphian. Fletcher has been in his position since 2017 and has represented the city in court and other legal matters for a total of 33 years, both in private practice and from City Hall. Odell Horton Jr. has been appointed to fill the vacancy. Horton most recently served as general counsel for Memphis Shelby County Schools. He previously worked as vice president and general counsel for Memphis Light, Gas and Water, and was vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The suit claims rules that count junior college years toward NCAA eligibility are an antitrust violation, and that he should have at least one more year of eligibility in 2025 — and potentially two. Pavia, who played two years at New Mexico Military Institute before moving on to New Mexico State for two years and then Vanderbilt this year, argues in the complaint that the rule restricts the name, image and likeness (NIL) earning ability of college athletes. The Associated Press has the story.

TBA’s Group Health Insurance, provided by BlueCross BlueShield, offers guaranteed issue coverage, with no health questions and no pre-existing condition exclusions. The Nashville law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt Harbison made the switch. Here is what firm administrative assistant Leah Atkinson says about the program: "Our firm joined the TBA group health insurance in 2024. We could not ignore the fact that it would be cost effective with a significant savings of about $25,000 on our monthly premiums. The transition to the new medical plan was seamless. The team held enrollment meetings with our group and answered any questions we had about the plan. We are committed to providing our employees with the best possible health care coverage but then to pass on savings to our employees, it was an easy decision to make for our group." Find out more or get your quote now.

Veterans are campaigning to mainstream psychedelic therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, despite the Food and Drug Administration's rejection of an ecstasy-based treatment back in August, Axios reports. While psychedelics have been classified as controlled substances since 1970, interest has grown in their potential to treat mental health conditions, particularly among veterans. About 29% of veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq are expected to develop PTSD, and veteran suicide rates are higher than the general population, according to the paper. In 2017, the FDA granted fast-track review to a PTSD treatment combining ecstasy and talk therapy. The Veterans Affairs Department began funding psychedelic therapy research this year, and Congress passed legislation directing the Pentagon to study the treatments. However, the FDA's August rejection of the fast-tracked therapy, citing safety concerns and allegations of misconduct in clinical trials, set back those efforts. Veterans have continued to advocate for changes at the state and federal level with mixed results. Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic mushrooms, while Massachusetts voters recently rejected a similar proposal.

A federal judicial committee on Friday agreed to develop rules to regulate the use of certain evidence generated by artificial intelligence (AI), Reuters reports.  The U.S. Judicial Conference's Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules said it would press ahead with developing policies to help judges deal with claims that a piece of audio or video evidence is a "deep fake." The meeting comes amid broader efforts by federal and state courts nationally to address the rise of generative AI and its ability to learn from large datasets and then generate text, images and videos. According to the committee, the rules will address concerns about the reliability of the processes used by computer technologies to make predictions or draw inferences from existing data, akin to how courts have addressed the reliability of expert witness testimony. According to Reuters, judges are looking at the possibility of subjecting computer-generated evidence to the same reliability standards as expert witnesses. Interested in learning more about the impact of AI on the law? Don't miss the TBA's Conference on Artificial Intelligence & the Law on Dec. 6.

Recent legal filings include new allegations of public corruption on the part of Johnson City police, Tennessee Lookout reports. These include claims that the department knew as early as July 2020 of specific allegations that Williams had sexually abused children; that the police department failed to gather, test, investigate and disclose evidence of Williams’ crimes, and in some cases altered police reports and destroyed evidence; and that some officers received hundreds of thousands of dollars in unaccounted-for income. The new accusations come as part of a federal suit against Williams, in which his alleged victims accuse the Johnson City Police Department of failing to protect them. Previous allegations have included accusations that police collected, extorted or stole money from Williams while turning a blind eye to his crimes. In addition to several lawsuits, the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a public corruption probe into the police department's handling of the case. Williams is currently in federal custody awaiting trial on child pornography production charges.