The U.S. Justice Department started taking applications for President Joe Biden’s mass amnesty for marijuana convictions on Friday, Bloomberg Law reports. The program, announced last October, offers those convicted of certain federal marijuana offenses a “full, unconditional and categorical pardon.” Those seeking a pardon have to apply to the Office of the Pardon Attorney for a certificate of proof. To be eligible, applicants must have been convicted of simple possession in federal court or D.C. Superior Court. Immigrants without documentation and anyone convicted of a state marijuana offense may not apply.

Three Knoxville Police Department officers and a transportation officer are being investigated for their treatment of a woman whose pleas for help were ignored as they accused her of faking an illness, the Associated Press reports. The police officers, Brandon Wardlaw, Adam Barnett and Timothy Distasio, and transportation officer Danny Dugan are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into their conduct. Earlier this week, the Knox County District Attorney’s office announced it would not press criminal charges after an autopsy determined that “at no time did law enforcement interaction cause or contribute” to Lisa Edwards’ death. Video of the interactions shows the officers rebuff her many requests for help.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has launched a new part-time/hybrid law degree program and is currently accepting applications for the fall of 2023. The school says that it won approval from the American Bar Association last week to create the program and offer distance education hours in excess of those currently permitted under ABA standards. The new program will replace the school’s flex-time enrollment option, which has allowed students to take a reduced load of credits for the past 10 years, but has still required in-person daytime classes. The new program will provide an option for individuals who need or want to work full-time. Associate Dean for Distance Education Vonda Laughlin will oversee the program.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its subsidiary Ticketmaster LLC asked a U.S. judge last week to halt a proposed consumer class action over their botched sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets. The companies urged the judge to force claims to be heard privately in arbitration, arguing that ticket buyers agree to binding arbitration when they purchase tickets online. Read more from Reuters.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be in Nashville this weekend for the annual gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative University, hosted by Vanderbilt University. Sessions begin today and continue through Sunday, Axios Nashville reports. Several sessions will be livestreamed online. The event aims to connect college students with experts "to develop innovative solutions to global challenges." U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also is expected to be among the speakers. He appeared at an event at the Nashville International Airport today to promote a $7 million federal grant for improvements to the airport's access road.

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday signed two controversial pieces of legislation, the Tennessean reports. Lee signed SB3/HB9, which bans "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors," as defined in Tennessee's obscenity law, from public places and venues where children are present. He also signed SB1/HB1, which bans transgender or nonbinary minors from seeking medical treatment for gender transitioning or dysphoria. The American Civil Liberties Union, which had previously warned they would sue if the bill became law, reiterated its plans to defend "the rights of families and the lives of transgender youth in Tennessee." The law, which was fast-tracked by the legislature's Republican supermajority, takes effect this summer, with a March 31, 2024, deadline for minors to end any existing treatment.

The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) commissioner gave an update to the legislature that showed improvements to the troubled system. Margie Quin went before the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee yesterday as part of the department’s budget request. Quin highlighted several ways that DCS has made changes already this year, and how more funding could help it continue that upward trajectory. “We’re not doing all that we want to be able to do,” Quin says. “And we’re here looking for a better solution.” She says one of the biggest victories is that kids are no longer sleeping in office buildings, except for in Shelby County. WPLN has the story.

The Times Free Press reports that around 350 Chattanooga residents demonstrated during a downtown rally in Miller Park Wednesday against bills that would ban public drag performances and transgender medical care for minors. The bills have had wide support in the Republican-dominated legislature and are making their way to Gov. Bill Lee's desk. Lee has supported the bills and said he plans to sign both.

Two people protesting LGBTQ-related legislation were briefly detained during an appearance by Gov. Bill Lee at a grand opening celebration in Memphis, the Commercial Appeal reports. Memphis police confirmed that both John Wilbanks and Brandy Pride were detained and issued misdemeanor citations in lieu of a physical arrest. Wilbanks is charged with disorderly conduct while Pride is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting official detention. Lee was in town for the opening of the Whitehaven YMCA.

The Daily Memphian reports that a grand jury has returned indictments on two defendants accused in the killing of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams. Miguel Andrade, 15, and Eduard Rodriguez-Tabora, 21, are indicted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of a robbery, and especially aggravated robbery, according to a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office. Eason-Williams, a district superintendent for the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, was killed during a July 18 carjacking in front of her Whitehaven home.