More than 200 general counsel and chief legal officers have signed a letter of support for Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding, the corporation reports. The letter urges Congress to strengthen its investment in equal justice and emphasizes the important role legal aid plays in creating financial stability for families who form “the foundation of a resilient middle class and healthy consumers” and maintains the “strength of the American workforce.” The corporation also reports that similar letters have been signed by 37 state attorneys general, 93 law school deans, 184 law firm leaders, and the presidents of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators.

A federal judge last week dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Tennessee-born transgender plaintiffs hoping to compel the state to change the sex designations on their birth certificates. The plaintiffs had sought to overturn a 1977 law that generally prohibits such changes, the Tennessean reports. The group, represented by Lambda Legal, argued that the law discriminates against transgender people and leads to possible harassment and violence when birth certificates do not match gender identities. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson wrote in his decision that while there are varying definitions of "sex," the term "has a very narrow and specific meaning" for the purpose of birth certificates: the "external genitalia at the time of birth." Read Richardson's opinion.

The Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation announced Katherine "Kitty" Boyte as the fifth recipient of its Sue Ann Head Award for Excellence in Workers' Compensation. The award was presented to Boyte at a luncheon ceremony during the group's educational conference on June 15 in Murfreesboro. The award honors a professional who has or is currently making a lasting, positive impact on Tennessee’s workers’ compensation system.

Tennessee’s Community Corrections program for felony offenders is set to be renewed when a new law takes effect July 1. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the Department of Correction is believed to be assessing the program to determine its next step. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, and Sen. Ed Jackson, R-Jackson, placed “community-based supervision” back into state law and will allow Community Corrections to provide intensive probation, treatment and supervision for convicted felons who, otherwise, could be headed to prison.

Above the Law has released its annual Top 50 Law School Rankings. Vanderbilt Law School has dropped two places to seventh on the list, while the University of Tennessee College of Law has moved up five places to 43. See the full list of rankings here.

Former Memphis Police officers Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean have filed motions to have their cases tried separately from the other three officers who are charged in the beating and death of Tyre Nichols. The Commercial Appeal reports that both motions point to every officer being charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping — which were assessed for each of the scenes at which officers interacted with Nichols — and some of the officers were not at both scenes. 

Undocumented Tennesseans are no longer able to access basic reproductive services like family planning and birth control at health clinics that formerly relied on federal Title X funding. According to the Commercial Appeal, Tennessee lost millions in federal money due to noncompliance with a key Title X requirement that providers had to offer information on all options for pregnant patients, including information about abortion access. Tennessee's post-Dobbs policy stated patients "must be provided information and counseling regarding all options that are legal in the State of Tennessee." While the state has budgeted funds to replace the lost federal dollars, its policies do not allow the money to be used to provide services for undocumented families and individuals.

Nashville’s Metro Council has approved $6.5 million to improve radio communications between Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and police and install shatter-resistant protection on glass across the district. WPLN reports that at a meeting last week, MNPS officials highlighted several ways the council could support the district’s safety goals. An updated radio system will help ensure seamless communication between schools and police in case of an emergency. The glass protection will make it more resistant to breaking if an intruder attempts to force their way in.

Two lawyers who used fake case citations generated by ChatGPT in a court filing were ordered in U.S District Court on Thursday to pay a $5,000 fine, reports Law.com. Judge Kevin Castel of the Southern District of New York also ordered Steven Schwartz of Levidow, Levidow & Oberman and his associate, Peter LoDuca, to send letters to their client, Roberto Mata, and to “the judges whose names were wrongfully invoked.” Schwartz said in a court filing in May he "greatly regrets" his reliance on the technology and was "unaware of the possibility that its contents could be false." Read more about the case in our previous reporting in TBA Today.

The sixth floor of the Cordell Hull legislative building in downtown Nashville was briefly closed Thursday after envelopes containing an unidentified substance addressed to Republican legislature members was discovered, reported the Tennessean. No injuries were reported. An investigation by the FBI is currently underway.