U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla on Monday agreed to several changes to a 41-year old consent decree governing police surveillance, the Daily Memphian reports, but rejected two other requests from the city. McCalla accepted many of the modifications agreed upon beforehand by the city and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, but he denied the city’s request that it be allowed to work jointly with other law enforcement agencies and its request to share information with private companies. McCalla ruled in 2018 that the city violated the decree when it conducted surveillance on protestors, prompting the city’s request for modifications.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands this week announced it has promoted Brittany Curry to serve as director of development. Curry joined LAS in 2017 as the firm’s hiring manager and Nashville office manager. In her new role, she will be responsible for managing fundraising strategy and fostering a culture of deep-rooted philanthropy and advocacy for the largest nonprofit law firm in Tennessee. Before joining Legal Aid Society, Curry worked as an office coordinator and account manager for TA Staffing. Her other previous work experience includes management, marketing and acting as a client liaison. See the full press release from LAS.

Memphis-area lawyers, judges, law professors and others came together on Monday night to memorialize the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died Friday, the Daily Memphians reports. Memphis lawyer Jessica L. Indingaro organized the event that celebrated Ginsburg’s wit, courage and her dedication to equal treatment of women under the law. Thirtieth Circuit Court Judge Gina C. Higgins, 4th Division, spoke to roughly 100 attendees from the steps of the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse. “We do not accept that your death is the death of an era,” she said. “Instead, it is the birth of … those who will make their voices known.” Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille R. McMullen, the first African American woman to serve on a state appellate court and Katharine Schaffzin, dean of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law were also among those who spoke. The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Memphis Bar Association, AAUW-Memphis and the National Council of Negro Women (Memphis Chapter) sponsored the event.

The Administrative Office of the Courts today released a statement from the family of Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins regarding the status of his health. According to the statement, Dinkins suffered a stroke in late July while undergoing a successful heart valve replacement. “While his mind is clear, he has had some difficulty breathing,” the statement says. “The recovery process may take weeks, but we are all very hopeful.” Read the full statement on the AOC’s website.

The TBA’s Criminal Justice Section Executive Council is seeking volunteer lawyers to assist with the section’s annual “Crim Law Day” initiative for students at the Duncan School of Law and University of Tennessee College of Law. The program will take place via Zoom on Nov. 17 with sessions from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and noon to 1:30 p.m. EST. The program will feature a general discussion between defense lawyers and prosecutors followed by breakout sessions where students will be paired with volunteer lawyers to ask questions and discuss hypotheticals. To volunteer, contact TBA staff member and Criminal Justice Section Coordinator Jarod Word.

Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin recently appointed Knoxville attorney Angela Blevins as the court’s new magistrate following the retirement of Magistrate Dirk Weddington. Blevins is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and has more than 14 years of experience practicing law in juvenile court. The Knoxville Bar Association reported the news last week.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler of California halted the Trump administration's plan to ban the WeChat app as of last month, the Tennessean reports. Beeler’s preliminary injunction provides WeChat’s parent company Tencent a temporary reprieve from the president’s executive order banning the app from app stores, banning fund transfers and payment processing on the app, and banning companies like Apple and Google from updating or maintaining the app for American users.

The Trump administration has in principle approved a proposal from TikTok, Oracle and Walmart that will keep the video platform from being shut down, The Hill reports. "I have given the deal my blessing," President Trump said Saturday. The plan would create a new global entity to be headquartered in the United States. Oracle would be responsible for hosting all American user data and "associated computer systems." Walmart would be a partner in the venture. Together, they could own up to a 20% stake in the company. The news came just a day before the president's deadline for divestiture.

As part of police reforms proposed by the Shelby County government, a panel of civilians will now provide input into the hiring of new sheriff deputies, the Daily Memphian reports. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said committee members will serve for one year. The inaugural appointments include retired Shelby County Criminal Court judge Jim Beasley; Vickie Terry, executive director of the NAACP; Steve Stamson, chair of the Shelby County Election Committee; James Jones III, president of the Teamsters Local 667; and Bishop Brandon Porter, pastor of Greater Community Temple.

The Law Department Operations Survey from the Blickstein Group is now open for 2020 input. According to Above the Law, the survey covers subjects such as the challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, compensation, artificial intelligence, legal services delivery models and more. A publicly available report on the survey’s findings will be published later this year. Those interested in contributing to the survey can access the online questionnaire here.