The Tennessee Department of Human Services reports it is taking significant steps to bolster childcare access for families in need as part of its commitment to improve affordable childcare services. According a news release from the department, a majority of licensed childcare agencies participating in the Child Care Certificate Program will receive increased reimbursement rates starting this month. Under the certificate program, the state pays a reimbursement rate directly to childcare providers on behalf of families who are enrolled and meet the program’s income and work or education requirements.

The number of jobs in the U.S. legal services sector rebounded in September after nearing its lowest level this year in August, Reuters reports. New Labor Department data shows the sector added 5,100 jobs last month. Legal job numbers have fluctuated since hitting an all-time high in July 2022.

In response to a lawsuit challenging its minority fellowship program, the law firm of Perkins Coie has changed its criteria, expanding the applicant pool to all law students, not just members of "historically underrepresented" groups, Reuters reports. The suit, brought by Edward Blum and his American Alliance for Equal Rights, challenged the program as unlawful based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings on affirmative action in higher education. The group recently dropped a similar law suit filed against Morrison Foerster after that firm changed eligibility criteria for its diversity, equity and inclusion fellowship. Bloomberg Law has more on that development.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee has filed a federal lawsuit against a Murfreesboro ordinance designed to ban drag performances from public property, the Associated Press reports. The suit was brought on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ rights and has hosted a Pride event in the city since 2016. The organization has faced opposition from city leaders since its 2022 event, which was criticized as being inappropriate. The city first warned TEP it would deny future event permits but later updated its community decency standards to “assist in the determination of conduct, materials, and events that may be judged as obscene or harmful to minors.” The suit alleges the ordinance violates the U.S. Constitution’s first and 14th amendments.

The state is making progress in reducing the backlog of untested rape kits, however, some say more progress is needed. ABC 24 reports that the state has cut the backlog in half, thanks to the hiring of 44 new crime lab scientists and the outsourcing of some tests to Florida. At the state lab in Jackson, staff has cut turnaround time from one year to 18 weeks. “We need these scientists to keep that turnaround time low,” State Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis says, so that “we never get back in the situation we were in just a year ago.”

The Nashville legal community welcomed newly installed Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater with a reception last week at the Nashville School of Law. A native of Knoxville, Tarwater earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee, where he previously earned his undergraduate degree in political science. He has had a long career in private practice with the Knoxville firms of Egerton, McAfee, Armistead and Davis and Paine Tarwater Bickers LLP. He also served as general counsel to former Gov. Bill Haslam. The event was jointly sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association, the Lawyers' Association for Women, the Nashville Bar Association and Nashville School of Law. See photos from the event.

Blackbaud software company has reached a settlement with Tennessee and 48 other states for its deficient data security practices and response to a 2020 ransomware event that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the United States. Blackbaud will pay $49.5 million to states as part of the settlement, with Tennessee receiving $882,312, according to a release from the Tennessee Attorney General's office.

A list of those who passed the July 2023 Tennessee bar exam is now available. Check the TBA’s website for the complete list of successful applicants. Those who meet all licensing requirements will be sworn in the first two weeks of November. Watch for more information about bar passage rates and statistics coming soon.

Justice Holly Kirby was formally sworn in as chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court at ceremonies at the Historic Supreme Court Chambers in the Tennessee State Capitol. Gov. Bill Lee administered the oath of office to Kirby, who then addressed those assembled. The full ceremony is available for viewing on the court YouTube channel.

A three-judge federal court panel has ruled the state of Alabama must use a new congressional district map for the 2024 elections to remedy Voting Rights Act violations found in the state's 2021 congressional map, News Channel 9 reports. The plan was created by a court-appointed special master after the panel rejected the state's 2023 congressional map passed by Republican lawmakers during a special legislative session.