Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is joining a coalition of 15 state attorneys general in calling on Congress to end the Biden administration’s continued use of pandemic emergency powers. In a letter sent to congressional leaders, the group argues that despite President Biden himself declaring that “the pandemic is over,” two federal agencies — the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration — continue to rely on emergency use authorizations to justify novel vaccines for young people. The letter also calls on Congress to reform the PREP Act, which provides “exceptionally broad liability protections” related to vaccines and other countermeasures under emergency declarations by the Department of Health and Human Services. Read the full release. Late today, the The Biden administration announced it would end COVID and public health emergency authority on May 11. The Hill has that story.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has relocated its Columbia office to 1503 Hatcher Ln., Ste 105, Columbia 38401. Attorneys and legal services will continue unchanged in the new location, though additional staff may join in the near future, the Columbia Daily Herald reports. The office previously was located at 1121 Trotwood Ave., Ste. 4. “Legal Aid Society is proud to have been a part of the Columbia community for more than 40 years,” said Patricia Jones, lead attorney of the Columbia office. “In this new location, which is just a short drive away from our old offices, we will continue providing needed free legal services to low-income residents of Columbia and the surrounding area.”

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is reporting that former Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston has received a private reprimand from the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR). Former County Commissioner Tim Boyd shared a letter from the BPR with the paper. Boyd had filed a complaint against Pinkston in August 2021 with concerns around the employment of Pinkston's spouse and brother-in-law in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. In February 2022, the Tennessee Comptroller's Office found those hirings violated state nepotism law. The BPR declined to comment for the story, saying allegations of attorney misconduct are confidential "unless and until public discipline is imposed or formal disciplinary proceedings are filed." Pinkston also did not comment, but has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained his management decisions were legal and ethical.

Peaceful protests and calls for change from community leaders are dominating the news following Friday’s release of video footage showing the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers during a Jan. 7 traffic stop. Multiple videos from police body cameras and a SkyCop poll camera document officers using tasers, pepper spray and batons against Nichols, as well as pushing him to the ground, kicking and punching him. At protests on Saturday, speakers called for changes in local and national police policy and for all officers seen in the video footage to be fired and charged. Attorneys for Nichols’ family spoke in support of the Memphis Police Department’s decision to deactivate the SCORPION Unit (a specialized unit that focused in areas with high crime) and encouraged police departments across the country to end similar units. All five officers charged in the death of Nichols were members of the unit. On Friday, lawyers announced plans to file a civil suit against the unit. On Sunday, the Memphis Chapter of the NAACP held a press conference to call for national legislation to address police reform, Local Memphis reports. Today, the Memphis Police Department announced that a sixth officer, seen tasing Nichols, has been placed on leave. Officer Preston Hemphill was at the location of the initial stop but did not proceed to the second scene. According to his lawyer, Hemphill is cooperating with officials.

The YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee recently recognized Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton for her work empowering other women and serving as a role model. Dalton was honored at the group’s inaugural Academy for Women of Achievement Awards. She has served as criminal court judge since 2017. She also is a member of the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council. Dalton previously served as a general sessions judge and assistant district attorney in the county. She says it was her assignment to the DA’s domestic violence prosecution team that lead to her passion for helping women. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Bass, Berry & Sims has made several changes to its leadership team. In the Memphis office, Richard Spore has been appointed chair of the Real Estate & Debt Finance Practice Group. In the Nashville office, Lara Flatau has been named to the Working Parents Committee, Lauren Gaffney has been named entry level hiring partner and Paul Jennings has been elected to the firm’s executive committee. Read more in the firm’s announcement.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has joined the growing chorus of U.S. News & World Report law school rankings critics, Reuters reports. During a recent talk at the University of Notre Dame Law School he said, "I think they’re based on things, from what I understand, that are very amorphous, very subjective, very word-of-mouth factors that don't correlate well with the education that you’re actually receiving, and I find them highly problematic." He also said that he does not consider law school ranking when hiring clerks.

Effective last week, Judge Sheryl H. Lipman assumed the duties of chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She replaced District Judge S. Thomas Anderson, who served for six years as chief judge and completed his tenure. The court announced the news Monday.

At the 125th Annual Meeting of the Chattanooga Bar Association this week, Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw was sworn in as the new president. Senior Judge Curtis L. Collier of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee administered the oath of office. The association also presented six awards and recognized lawyers who have been in practice for 50 years or more, as well as new sustaining fellows of the Chattanooga Bar Foundation. Award recipients were: Hugh J. Moore Jr., Jac Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award; Rosemarie L. Hill, Ralph H. Kelley Humanitarian Award; Clerk & Master Robin L. Miller, Harry Weill Zealous Practice of Law Award; former judge Jackie Bolton, Albert L. Hodge Volunteer Award; Sam D. Elliott, President’s Award; and Alexis Crutchfield, Young Lawyers Division Volunteer Award. Read more about event in the meeting program.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Belmont University College of Law kicked off the new year by hosting a “TN Free Legal Answers” clinic on campus last week. Students and volunteer attorneys worked together to answer client questions submitted on the Free Legal Answers site, donating more than $3,000 in pro bono time!