A second federal judge in Tennessee has ruled against a new law aimed at limiting drag performances in public places, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer of Knoxville on Friday granted a temporary restraining order against District Attorney Ryan Desmond preventing him from enforcing the state law against a Blount County Pride festival over the weekend. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and other civil rights lawyers brought the lawsuit on behalf of festival organizers. The decision is the second in the state to block the law. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Parker ruled over the summer that the law was unconstitutional and blocked its enforcement in Shelby County.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released a formal opinion today providing a roadmap to help lawyers stay within the parameters of ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct when they prepare a witness or client to testify before a deposition or adjudicative proceeding. Formal Opinion 508 explains the difference between legitimate witness preparation and guidance and unethical efforts to influence witness testimony, especially in the era of remote proceedings.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy says his office plans to release footage "in the near future" from a police shooting that caused the death of 20-year-old Jaylin McKenzie, reports the Commercial Appeal. The announcement comes after the Justice Review Unit and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed this morning their investigation is complete. McKenzie was shot and killed on Dec. 16 by a Memphis Police Department officer following a traffic stop. The incident was one of five officer-involved shootings in the last five weeks of 2022. Last month, Mulroy announced a new policy to step up the public release of footage from fatal police shootings.

The father of a woman who died during last month's severe wildfires in Hawaii has sued the state and the county of Maui for gross negligence. Reuters reports that the lawsuit, filed Monday, also names a major landowner and the state's electric utility. The suit claims that Hawaiian Electric failed to de-energize its electrical equipment during hurricane-force winds, sparking the fires. In addition, the suit sites Bishop Estate for failing to reduce wildfire risk by regularly clearing dry vegetation in the area. Hawaiian Electric is also facing litigation from investors who allege they suffered significant losses due to the company's failure to adhere to wildfire prevention and safety protocols.

The Texas Senate today opened its impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton by voting to reject several motions to dismiss the charges. Reuters reports that senators voted 24-6 against dismissing all changes as well as additional motions to throw out individual charges. Paxton has been suspended since the Texas House of Representatives voted in May to impeach him on mulitiple counts of corruption including aiding a political donor and persecuting whistleblowers from his office who accused him of wrongdoing. The trial is expected to last several weeks. Both chambers of the legislature are controlled by Republicans.

The U.S. government has won a court injunction blocking the sale of after-market triggers that allow gun owners to convert AR-15 style rifles into weapons that can shoot as fast as machine guns, reports Reuters. U.S. District Judge Nina Morrison ruled the Department of Justice was likely to prove that the "forced-reset triggers" sold by Rare Breed Triggers LLC and its owners were illegal machine guns under federal law. Rifles equipped with Rare Breed's FRT-15 triggers are capable of firing 700 rounds a minute, faster than military-grade M-16 machine guns. In a 129-page decision, Morrison said the defendants defrauded customers by claiming the triggers were "absolutely" legal, despite having failed to win Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approval for their sale.

A panel of three federal judges ruled today that Alabama's Republican-drawn congressional map illegally dilutes the voting power of Black residents and ignored a court order to adhere to the Voting Rights Act, reports Reuters. The ruling is the second time the court has thrown out a congressional plan enacted by the Republican-controlled Alabama state legislature. A court-appointed special master and cartographer will oversee a new map ahead of next year's election. The judges noted in their ruling they were "deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires." More than one-quarter of Alabama's residents are Black. At a special session in July, Alabama lawmakers declined to create a second majority-Black congressional district. In related news, on Saturday, the Hill reported that a Florida judge ruled that a congressional map authorized by Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the state constitution’s Fair Districts Amendment by "dismantling a congressional district that enabled Black voters to elect their candidates of choice under the previous plan.”

The annual Access to Justice Awards were presented to six outstanding legal community leaders as part of Equal Justice University in Murfreesboro. The awards recognized Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, Judge Suzanne Bauknight, Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle, Allison Jones, Elizabeth Leiserson and Julie Yriat. Retiring Justice Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the civil justice system. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bauknight received the Janice M. Holder Access to Justice Award in recognition of her role in creating the statewide virtual debt relief clinic model. Chancellor Lyle and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS) attorney Jones were both recognized with the B. Riney Green Access to Justice Award for their work in promoting successful inter-program cooperation across the state. Finally, LAS attorney Leiserson and Yriat, legal director at the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association, were recognized as New Advocates of the Year, both working with the Eviction Right to Counsel Project in Davidson County. Read more about the annual ATJ Awards on the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services website. The conference wrapped up today with a keynote address by Legal Services Corporation President Ron Flagg, who noted LSC's priority focus on innovation and technology to support legal services and better leverage pro bono initiatives. See photos from today's event.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined 15 other state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require any foreign-owned company to certify via an independent process that it is compliant with Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which prohibits the import of any product manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor as a condition of being listed on a U.S. based securities exchange. The attorneys general question the business practices and reports of alleged forced labor of the Chinese fast-fashion retailer SHEIN, which is potentially launching an initial public offering (IPO) later this year.

United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz yesterday traveled to Dyer County in the 29th Judicial District of West Tennessee to host a series of roundtable discussions with law enforcement, local prosecutors and community stakeholders. Roundtable participants had an open dialogue with the U.S. Attorney, addressing their issues and concerns and learning more about the department’s priorities, which include addressing gun violence.