Nashville-based Bass, Berry & Sims has announced the establishment of a new practice group focused on controlled substances, the Nashville Post reports. The Controlled Substances Enforcement & Diversion Group will advise Drug Enforcement Agency-registered clients, including health care providers, in their efforts to comply with drug regulations. The group will be led by Lisa Rivera, a former federal prosecutor, and Brian Irving.

Metro Nashville filed suit yesterday seeking to overturn recently passed legislation giving state leaders appointments on the Metropolitan Sports Authority, the board that oversees Nissan Stadium, Bridgestone Arena and other Nashville sports facilities. The Nashville Post reports that Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said in a release that the city “cannot sit idly by and let the state deprive the Metropolitan Government and the people who live here of their rights under our Tennessee Constitution.” In passing the legislation, state leaders argued they should have a voice on the board because the state is financing $500 million in bonds for construction of a domed stadium to replace Nissan Stadium. Metro is seeking an injunction ahead of the law's effective date of Jan. 1, 2024.

Teams from several Tennessee high schools recently competed in the Empire Windy City Classic Mock Trial Tournament in Chicago with Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) winning the championship round against Centennial High School from California. This was MBA’s fifth Empire championship, tying Trinity Pacific School of California for the most titles ever. Two other schools from Tennessee also competed. CSTHEA, a Chattanooga home school, finished in sixth place while St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis finished in 12th place. Three students from St. Mary’s also took home individual awards: Krithica Vaidyanathan won fifth place Best Witness, Caroline Hunt was named fifth place Best Attorney and tied co-student Zoe McMullen for seventh place Best Witness. MBA will return to Chicago in November to compete for the Empire World Championship. See photos from winning team.

The Tennessee Journal, a longtime state government news publication, and its bill tracking service has been acquired by State Affairs, a 2021 startup delivering political news in several states. The journal and Tennessee Legislation Service was owned by M. Lee Smith Publishers. Smith, onetime legal counsel to Gov. Winfield Dunn, founded the journal in 1975. Editor Erik Schelzig, a former Associated Press reporter, will continue to run the publication, the Nashville Post reports. In addition to Tennessee, State Affairs has reporters in Georgia, Indiana and Kansas.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) will receive a Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant of $56,717 to boost pro bono services, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) recently announced. WTLS plans to use the funds to assess its current pro bono program and plan transformative changes. According to LSC, WTLS will engage in a six-month assessment focused on client-centered internal pro bono processes. It also will look at staffing needs and strategies for volunteer recruitment, training and mentoring. WTLS is one of 17 organizations receiving a grant under the program.

The Board of Law Examiners has released statistics about the July 2023 bar exam. According to the board, 713 individuals — 574 first time test takers and 139 repeaters — took the July exam. They represent more than 90 different law schools and saw an overall pass rate of 67.18%. For first time test-takers at Tennessee law schools, Belmont University College of Law saw the highest pass rate at 93.4%, followed by Vanderbilt University Law School at 88.89%, University of Tennessee College of Law at 81.82%, Nashville School of Law at 78.37%, University of Memphis School of Law at 75% and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 60.61%. See all statistical information from the July exam or from past exams on the board’s webpage. The list of those who passed the July exam was released Oct. 6.

Tennessee clergy and pediatricians are declaring gun violence a public health crisis, reports the Commercial Appeal. The African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee and the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics say they will start collecting data on gun violence and developing new prevention strategies. The groups say they are launching a statewide campaign to pivot from legislation-driven efforts to more direct action. The groups worked with state lawmakers to address gun violence as a public health crisis but legislation they supported did not advance.

Supporters of Gary Sutton, who has been on Tennessee’s death row since 1996, held a news conference Friday to call for removal of his federal public defender, Susanne Bales. Supporters say she did not meet with Sutton for 12 years and he plans to petition the court to remove her, the Associated Press reports. Also at the press conference was a private investigator who says she has uncovered “indisputable facts of exculpatory evidence, witness tampering and constitutional violations” in Sutton’s case. In response to complaints about her work, Bales said her team is working within the bounds of the legal system to “ensure Gary is not executed for a case that is riddled with problems.”

Last Thursday, a three-judge panel on the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a challenge to a Tennessee law that criminalizes distribution of absentee ballot applications by anyone other than an election commission employee. The decision stems from a lawsuit brought by civil rights and labor groups against Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. The groups had argued the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s first and 14th amendments by chilling “core political speech” without serving a compelling state interest. A lower court had dismissed the suit in 2021, finding that the law dealt with conduct not speech. Read more from Democracy Docket or read the decision.

Los Angeles-based Southwestern School of Law, an institution known for its entertainment law curriculum, is offering the nation’s first full-time online law degree program, Above the Law reports. The school will begin accepting applications this month with the inaugural class set to begin in fall 2024. President and Dean Darby Dickerson said the program is not “Zoom U” but “a carefully considered, thoughtfully designed program that will allow students to interact with faculty and other students meaningfully while providing scheduling and geographic flexibility.” The American Bar Association (ABA) approved the program last April. Read more from the school.