The American Bar Association (ABA) released a statement Friday expressing concern about congressional funding for federal public defenders. The group notes that federal courts have requested $1.69 billion in FY 2025 to meet the constitutional requirement of providing public defenders to every criminal defendant who cannot afford a lawyer. The U.S. House of Representatives, according to the association, has proposed $1.5 billion in funding. Although this represents a 3.4% increase over current funding, it falls short of what is needed, the ABA says.

A group of about 20 individuals gathered in downtown Nashville this past weekend chanting and handing out flyers, WPLN reports. The flyers identified them as members of the group Goyim Defense League, a loose network of antisemites and white supremacists. Nashville police said they arrested a "neo-Nazi protester" after the individual allegedly used a Nazi flagpole to hit a bartender who had been in a physical altercation with group members. The protester was charged with felony aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, Axios Nashville reports in today’s newsletter. After last week’s demonstration downtown, Gov. Bill Lee said that Tennesseans should stand against antisemitism.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced Saturday that he has asked the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Cold Case Unit to reopen an investigation into three segregation-era bombings, the Nashville Banner reports. The news came during an event with Betsy Phillips, author of the new book “Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control,” which raises questions about why bombings at Hattie Cotton Elementary, the Jewish Community Center and the home of civil rights lawyer Z. Alexander Looby were never solved. In making the announcement, O’Connell said, “For 64 years, the question of who is responsible for three bombings has gone unresolved. The book doesn't have all the answers, but it can be the beginning of new discovery and a new conversation.”

A panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a Tennessee policy prohibiting transgender individuals from changing the sex marker on their birth certificates. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the court ruled that Tennessee’s policy is constitutional, writing that "there is no fundamental right to a birth certificate recording gender identity instead of biological sex." The majority called the policy "a nondiscriminatory form of government speech embraced by some states about an undeniable historical fact.” An attorney from Lambda Legal, which is representing the plaintiffs, said the group was disappointed in the decision and is considering next steps, the Tennessean reports. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti released a statement after the ruling, saying in part, “Whether someone can change the sex on their birth certificate is a matter for each state to decide … We are grateful that the Court of Appeals agreed … that any change in Tennessee's policy can only come from the people of Tennessee.”

A federal judge in Florida has dismissed the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of illegally keeping classified documents after leaving office, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, was unlawfully appointed to his role and did not have the authority to bring the case. Smith, a former Nashville attorney and acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, was named special counsel in November 2022.

Tennessee lawyers should have received an email on Friday with a link to the TBA's 2024 Survey. The email came from Avenue M Group LLC, an independent market research firm and our partner for this survey. The survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete, is intended for both current members and nonmembers and is designed to better understand attorneys' professional needs. Feedback is critical to ensure TBA can best support lawyers now and into the future. If you did not receive the survey or have questions, please contact Membership Director Mindy Thomas.

In interviews with NewsChannel 5 and WSMV, the chief deputy clerk of Davidson County’s criminal courts acknowledged errors occurred during the release of a man, who days later was charged with killing his girlfriend Lauren Johansen in Mississippi. Bricen Rivers, who had been arrested in Nashville in December for allegedly beating Johansen, was released on bond with conditions including GPS monitoring and restrictions on travel outside the county. A mistake in the clerk’s office, however, omitted those conditions from documents sent to jail officials. Rivers was eventually fitted with a monitoring device but left the county before the tracking company was informed that he was not allowed to do so. Within a week he had returned to Mississippi and allegedly killed Johansen. Chief Deputy Clerk Julius Sloss says his office is looking at ways to prohibit such an oversight from happening again and that the employee who made the mistake will face disciplinary action.

Chicago-based law firm Segal McCambridge has announced that it will open of its newest office in Memphis at 6000 Poplar Ave., Ste. 250, 38119. Shareholder Nelson T. Rainey, a University of Memphis School of Law graduate, will oversee the office and will be joined by shareholder Michael S. Litrenta and associates Angel T. Davis and Jaime K. Quezon. Rainey focuses on construction, health care liability, commercial litigation, real estate, family law and civil rights matters. Litrenta focuses on commercial litigation; Davis focuses on product liability, trucking, and medical malpractice litigation; and Quezon focuses on residential and commercial litigation insurance practice. Read more in a release from the firm.

Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin’s Family Law Section is moving this weekend to join the rest of the firm at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place, 150 3rd Ave. S. in downtown Nashville. When the firm merged with MTR Family Law in 2022, the decision was made to keep the new Family Law Section at its current Midtown office until the firm’s lease ended at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place. GSRM Law recently signed a lease extension at the building through January 2027 and now is brining all of its attorneys, employees and resources together in one location. Read more in a release from the firm.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy joined Memphis City Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker at a recent first town meeting to discuss crime and public safety issues. The last question of the night, however, focused on legislative efforts to oust Mulroy from office, News 5 reports. When asked why state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, is seeking to remove him from office, Mulroy said, “I don’t know. I mean, it’s got to be political. It’s obviously political. He’s playing to his base, getting clicks and likes and press by blaming one person for everything that’s going on. If you examine the truth, you’ll see there’s nothing to this.” Taylor has called for Mulroy to be removed from office for “dereliction of duty.”