Racist, anonymous text messages invoking slavery were sent to Black students across the country last week, including at Fisk University in Nashville and the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. According to the Associated Press, the messages generally used a similar tone, but varied in wording. Some instructed recipients to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others mentioned the incoming presidential administration. Fisk issued a statement calling the messages “deeply unsettling.” Messages sent to UT students told recipients they had been selected to pick cotton at a nearby plantation with instructions on how to report to work. The FBI said it is in touch with the U.S. Justice Department, and the Federal Communications Commission said it is investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement."

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Biden administration policy designed to ease the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The initiative known as “Keeping Families Together” allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country.  Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker put the policy on hold in August after Texas and 15 other states filed a legal challenge. This week he found that the administration overstepped its authority by implementing the program and stretching the legal interpretation of relevant immigration law, National Public Radio reports.

The Nashville Metro Council has approved a resolution to accept a grant to process rape kits faster, which in turn will help close cases faster, WSMV4 reports. The DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will provide $250,000 to pay for the outsourcing of sexual assault kit processing to private vendors. A statewide backlog in rape kit processing was brought to light two years ago when Eliza Fletcher was attacked and killed in Memphis. Since then, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has ramped up testing and outsourcing.

The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) confirmed on Thursday that due to insufficient in-state resources children are being placed with out-of-state providers, WSMV4 reports. As of October, 229 children had been placed out of state due to lack of resources. DCS says it is working to address the issue by recruiting more providers in Tennessee, expanding its placement network and implementing a real estate plan to create additional capacity. To help families maintain connections during this time, the department says it is providing financial assistance to offset travel costs.

A U.S. judicial rulemaking panel has rejected a proposal to relax the longstanding ban on TV and audio broadcasts of federal criminal trials, Reuters reports. Media organizations had sought to loosen the ban. In a near unanimous vote, the U.S. Judicial Conference's Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules accepted a recommendation from a subcommittee to take no action and continue to disallow cameras in federal criminal trials.

Tennessee lawyers gathered today at Topgolf Nashville for TBA’s 2024 Estate Planning Tee-off. Attendees heard from Charles Frazier with the Law Offices of Charles R. Frazier; Newman Bankston with Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis; Michael Goode with Lewis Thomason; Robert Malin with Pinnacle Financial Partners; and David Parsons with David Parsons Law. Topics included updates on irrevocable trusts, the Corporate Transparency Act, and estate, gift and fiduciary income tax planning. Thank you to event sponsors Pendleton Square Trust Company Inc. and the American Cancer Society. See photos from the event.

A swearing in ceremony for those who passed the July 2024 Tennessee Bar Exam was held in Memphis today. The event wrapped up a week of events held in Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson. Constance Brown and Cole Harrell-Morris from the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division were on hand to congratulate the new admittees. See photos from today's event.

Former state commissioner Christi Branscom has rejoined Knoxville-based Partners Development as principal, general counsel and managing broker, the Nashville Post reports. Branscom previously served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services for nearly six years. During her tenure, the department undertook renovations at the John Sevier State Office Building and the Tennessee State Library and Archives building and opened several facilities at state parks. Branscom earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Tennessee and a law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law.

Do you have questions about how Tennessee's system of indigent representation works? Have you had experience as an appointed attorney that you would like to share? TBA's Government Affairs team wants to hear directly from members on issues that impact their work and the larger legal community. There are a few ways you can connect with TBA to share your questions and experiences with indigent representation. Attorneys interested in learning more about TBA's grassroots advocacy efforts can sign up for TBA Grassroots Advocacy Updates, which will highlight related policy content across all of TBA's communication platforms. For attorneys with experience working with clients who are indigent or vulnerable, we invite you to complete this survey, which includes specific questions about court appointed representation. More information is available on our Indigent Representation Resource page.

The U.S. federal judiciary this week issued warnings urging lawyers to beware of emails mimicking notifications of electronic court filings in cases they are handling. Reuters reports that the emails seek to lure recipients to a malicious website with computer viruses. Law firms and lawyers nationwide have received fake notices that purport to come from the federal judiciary but are actually phishing attempts, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said. Read the notice from the office.