Speaking at yesterday’s funeral for Ramon McGee, who was found unresponsive in the Shelby County Jail covered in feces and bugs, and later died, Al Sharpton called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the conditions of the jail and the various deaths inside. "The Justice Department needs to find out what is going on in Shelby County Jail," Sharpton said. Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing multiple families whose loved ones have died at the facility, also called for action. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating McGee’s death, which was attributed to "severe neglect with malnutrition, dehydration, severe body insect infestation(s) and complications” by an independent autopsy. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the jail, has called the conditions of McGhee's death "completely unacceptable." The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined a coalition of 26 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to Meta Platforms Inc. demanding that Instagram stop “monetizing child exploitation content.” The group cites recent articles in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times that suggest Meta promoted minor accounts to “likely pedophiles.” In announcing the move, Skrmetti said, “My office is already suing Meta for its harms to children's mental health, and this latest report only adds to my concern about the risks Meta poses to Tennessee kids. Meta needs to do a better job of using its vast resources to protect our vulnerable youth.”

The writing section of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) will get an overhaul this summer with a greater emphasis on gauging analytical skills, according to Reuters. Currently, LSAT takers have 35 minutes to write an argumentative essay on a provided topic designed to demonstrate their logical reasoning. The updated writing section will give examinees 15 minutes to read different positions on a debatable topic, after which they will have 35 minutes to write an argument in which they take a position and address the strengths and weaknesses of the various ideas presented. The writing section, which is taken separately from the rest of the test, will debut on July 31, eight days before the first LSAT without logic games.

TBA's Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp Legislative Reception will be held in Nashville on March 20. The events give Tennessee lawyers an opportunity to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession, including funding for indigent representation. The TBA Day on the Hill will include a luncheon and meetings with legislators in the afternoon, followed by the annual Big Shrimp reception that night. Sign up now to take part!

Isaiah 117 House, a northeast Tennessee-based nonprofit ministry, broke ground on a new facility in Memphis on Monday. The organization allows children to go to a comfortable environment where trained volunteers can care for them during the period between removal and placement with a foster family. The Daily Memphian reports that in Shelby County, 1,200 children are in state custody. Teenagers make up the largest group, followed by small children from infancy through age 4. The Department of Children's Services (DCS) and Isaiah 117 House leaders began collaborating after they met at a monthly meeting of the Memphis Interfaith Foster and Adoption Ministries, an alliance of churches, agencies, ministries and community advocates who serve foster, adoptive and kinship children and families.

Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC has announced that Judge Bernice Donald has joined the firm after retiring from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2023. Donald will continue her domestic and international arbitration and mediation practice, and her work as a special master, advisor on appellate strategy, and counsel in internal investigations, from the firm’s office in Memphis. In a statement this week, Donald said that the firm's "deep expertise and its leadership in community affairs is a great fit with the mediation, arbitration, appellate advisory and internal investigation work I have done since leaving the bench.” Read the press release from the firm.

A group of Democratic Tennessee lawmakers is asking the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate how the state has further restricted the process for people with felony records to get their voting rights back, reports the Associated Press. The group argues that "Tennessee law permits restoration of voting rights through a straight-forward administrative procedure," but the elections office has imposed additional requirements that people get their full citizenship rights restored or secure a pardon in addition to the restoration processes that have been in place. The policy changes began last summer, halting nearly all voting rights restorations. The issue once again sparked outcries from voting rights advocates after elections officials in January made another legal interpretation that restoration of gun rights is part of the requirement. Because of those changes, coupled with existing state and federal laws for certain offenses that permanently ban someone from getting their gun rights back, critics argue the state’s new policy permanently disenfranchises tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of people from getting another chance to vote.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has named Samantha Fisher as communications director. In this role, Fisher will serve as spokesperson for the Supreme Court of Tennessee and the AOC. In addition, she will provide communications support to AOC initiatives focused on improving public education and understanding of the judicial branch and its essential role in a democratic society. Previously, Fisher served as communications director for the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter where she led and coordinated messaging on the $26 billion opioid distributor’s settlement.

The Immigration Practice Clinic at Vanderbilt University College of Law today announced a collaboration with Visalaw.ai to use Gen, the first and only immigration law generative artificial intelligence (AI) legal research and drafting product. The clinic is the first anywhere to have access to the product. “We are excited about the potential this tool holds for our clinic’s operations and what it means for students to see the advantages of AI in the practice of law,” said clinic director Alvaro Manrique Barrenechea. The Immigration Practice Clinic at Vanderbilt Law offers legal representation to individuals seeking humanitarian-based immigration relief or benefits from entities such as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Memphis Immigration Court and other government bodies.

Two moot court teams from Belmont’s College of Law in February competed in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition in Brooklyn, New York, where both teams were undefeated in preliminary rounds. The team consisting of third year law students Elizabeth Finnegan, Ben Tandy and Kealy Welage claimed a third place best brief award and the title of regional finalist. Welage — a swing advocate who argued every round — earned a ninth-place individual advocate award. Cate Farone, Samantha McCaleb and Carli Tuttle made up Belmont’s second moot court team, which advanced to the regional semifinals where they missed the break by one point on one ballot.