A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled unanimously that a group of health care providers can sue the state of Arizona over a law banning abortions from being performed solely because the fetus has a genetic abnormality. Reuters reports the panel did not address the merits of the challenge, finding only that the providers are entitled to pursue it in court. The providers, two doctors and medical associations, said the law was so vague they did not know when it applied. The panel found that the economic loss of not performing abortions that they otherwise would perform was enough to go forward with the lawsuit. The law was signed by Republican then-Gov. Doug Doucey in 2021 and makes nearly all abortions a crime punishable by prison. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat elected in 2022, has said she would not enforce it.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS), announced last week that it is partnering with the Lawyers' Association for Women (LAW) for a fundraising campaign aimed at assisting survivors of domestic violence. The fundraising effort, which will last through the end of 2023, is being launched as part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Funds raised will go toward vital educational materials. “We’re proud to partner with the Lawyers’ Association for Women for this important fundraising campaign,” said DarKenya W. Waller, executive director of LAS. “It requires enormous bravery for domestic violence survivors to extract themselves from the situations they’re in.” Contributions are being accepted through Give Lively. Read the full press release from LAS.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled today a family court judge must face a lawsuit for leading a warrantless search of a litigant’s home in a divorce dispute, reports the National Law Journal. The court held that West Virginia judge Louise Goldston is not entitled to judicial immunity from claims she violated Matthew Gibson’s constitutional rights when she directed both parties during a divorce proceeding to meet at Gibson’s house to search for property his ex-wife claimed he still had. The three-judge appellate panel said Goldston lacks immunity because the search in which she participated was a non-judicial act, and she "clearly exceeded the most common understandings of the proper judicial role."

More than 30 partners from New York's Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, will join law firm Hogan Lovells, reports Reuters. Stroock has already seen dozens of partners depart amid growing uncertainty about the firm's future. Hogan Lovells, a transatlantic law firm, has more than 2,800 lawyers and has touted the hires in a statement as a "premier group of extremely talented lawyers." Reuters reports the departures appear to include more than half of Stroock's current partnership. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman announced Thursday it was discontinuing talks toward a potential merger with Stroock.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will unveil portraits of Noah Parden and Styles Hutchins in a ceremony at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Wednesday at 2 p.m. EDT, the Chattanoogan reports. Parden and Hutchins, two African-American attorneys from Chattanooga, obtained a stay of execution in 1906 for Ed Johnson, an African-American criminal defendant, in the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite the stay of execution, a mob forced its way into the county jail where Johnson was held and hanged him from the Walnut Street bridge. The portraits will be displayed outside the third-floor courtroom of the Solomon Federal Building. The Supreme Court Historical Society will also announce "The Supreme Court and My Hometown," a two-week summer day camp for local high school students featuring an intensive study of the process and substantive issues of cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tennessee is investing millions in upgrading the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, which serves juveniles found guilty of violent crimes and posing significant risks to their communities. The new hardware-secure facility will have 72 beds with the potential to expand to 96 beds in the future. WREG reports that this move comes in response to a history of issues at the center, including fights, riots, staff members being locked in cells and multiple incidents that required state troopers' assistance, which has prompted the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to make changes and improvements. The expansion will also allow juveniles in Shelby County to serve their sentences closer to home instead of being sent across the state — or out of state, in some cases — to another facility. Memphis Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons is concerned that the new beds may not be enough to address the high number of juveniles charged with violent crimes, and he emphasizes the need for intensive supervision and services.

A report by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession reveals that mothers in the legal field are more likely than fathers to experience negative workplace experiences, such as disparaging comments, lower compensation and fewer advancement opportunities. The report highlights that 61% of mothers in law firms have encountered demeaning comments about being a working parent, while 60% of mothers in other practice settings also faced such comments. It emphasizes the need for legal employers to address these challenges to retain and advance women lawyers with children and suggests best practices and policies to support female lawyers with families, including flexible work arrangements and comprehensive family health insurance.

Nine Shelby County corrections officers, indicted for their alleged roles in the death of inmate Gershun Freeman, appeared in court for the first time. The Daily Memphian reports that the officers were charged in connection with Freeman's death following an altercation in the Shelby County Jail in 2022. Two of the officers, Courtney Parham and Stevon Jones, face second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges, while the others face charges of aggravated assault resulting in death. The officers are set to return to court on Dec. 1 for a report date. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Freeman's family, emphasized the significance of video evidence in obtaining the criminal indictments.

The newly created 19th Judicial District in Montgomery County has a new judge. Ashleigh Travis was sworn in as circuit court judge on Oct. 6 by Judge Jill Ayers of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. The Administrative Office of the Courts reports that Travis, most recently a child support magistrate judge, joins Judges Katy Olita, William R. Goodman, Robert Bateman, Joel Wallace Jr. and Adrienne Fry in representing Montgomery and Robertson counties as circuit court judges.

Tennessee has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the state's former top vaccine official. Fiscus was terminated in 2021 after facing criticism over her department's promotion of the COVID-19 vaccine for minors. WKRN has more details.