University of Tennessee College of Law Dean Lonnie Brown has announced three new appointments to the school's leadership team. Michael Higdon, the W. Allen Separk Distinguished Professor of Law, has been named interim associate dean for academic affairs. Teri Baxter, the Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor, will serve as the interim associate dean for faculty development. And Brad Morgan, who joined the college in 2011, was named assistant dean for student affairs. Read more about the new appointees.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys general in sending a letter to congressional leaders expressing support for legislative proposals included in the Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (G.U.A.R.D.) Veterans Affairs Benefits Act. The legislation would hold unaccredited and unregulated actors accountable for preying upon veterans who apply for federal VA benefits.

Seven in 10 Black women lawyers have experienced discrimination or bias in the workplace, or personally witnessed it, according to a new survey. Additionally, 47% of the lawyers who participated in the first-ever State of Black Women in the Law 2023 DEIB Assessment Report “feel the burden” of having to educate people on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And while the majority of Black women lawyers surveyed said their workplace is committed to improving diversity, 66% said they would not stay at their organization for two more years because of a lower-than-average “sense of belonging.” Read more from survey creators Kanarys Inc., the National Bar Institute and the the Women Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association.

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday rejected Starbucks' challenge to a ruling requiring the coffee chain to rehire seven employees at a Memphis store who allegedly were fired for supporting a union, Reuters reports. The court said that by firing the workers, Starbucks likely discouraged other employees from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the court is the first appellate decision involving a nationwide campaign that has seen workers at more than 300 Starbucks locations vote to unionize.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has launched a task force aimed at bolstering public trust in elections. The effort will be headed by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, now a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and former U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals judge J. Michael Luttig. Other task force members include former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, former NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill, conservative commentator Bill Kristol, and the deans of the Yale and Stanford law schools. The 31-member ABA Task Force for American Democracy will look at ways to depoliticize how elections are administered, educate the public on democracy, and try to foster election innovations that address the causes of politicization.

Former state Sen. Brenda Gilmore has joined with a group of Tennessee voters in a lawsuit over Tennessee's newly drawn congressional maps, the Tennessean reports. The group alleges that last year’s redistricting intentionally discriminates against Black voters and dilutes the voting power of communities of color. The lawsuit, filed today in federal court, focuses on efforts to divide Davidson County into three districts and split state Senate District 31 in Shelby County. Organizations supporting the suit include The League of Women Voters of Tennessee, Equity Alliance, African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee and Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued a proclamation calling for a special legislative session beginning on Aug. 21 to address public safety. In addition to his previously unveiled proposal to provide authority for courts to issue mental health orders of protection — which would temporarily remove guns from those deemed dangerous to themselves or others — Lee identified 17 other areas for legislative action focusing on the safe storage of firearms, mental health services and school safety policies. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, has said he would like to see the legislature use the special session to focus on juvenile crime, mentioning bills that would raise the age at which youth can have their records expunged and lowering the age at which they can be tried as adults. WPLN has more on his comments. House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, said she was disappointed with the scope of the special session, saying she was hoping for a "serious discussion about gun reform in Tennessee." The Tennessean has more on reaction from the capitol.

The American Bar Association's House of Delegates on Tuesday adopted a resolution that strengthens a lawyer’s obligation to assess whether a client seeks to use the lawyer’s services to further a crime or fraud before accepting or maintaining representation. The resolution was approved by a vote of 216-102. The change represents a second step this year in the ABA’s efforts to protect lawyers from unwittingly becoming involved in a client’s or prospective client’s criminal and fraudulent activities.

An inmate at the Hamilton County jail was charged yesterday with making threats to bomb the federal building in Chattanooga and the courtroom of General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes, reports the Chattanoogan.com. An investigation into calls Robert Edward Millsaps made from the jail also revealed death threats against a local bonding agent as well as the public defender's office. Investigators found that Millsaps has had 14 cases go before Judge Starnes dating back to 2020.

Quinton Thompson, president of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and an attorney at the Memphis office of Morgan & Morgan, has earned a place among the American Bar Association’s On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers. Congratulations! Learn more about the recognition program.