Loans totaling more than $48.8 million were given to Davidson County law firms through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to recently released U.S. Small Business Administration data and reported by the Nashville Business Journal. Six firms received loans for more than $1 million, including Waller LLP, which received the largest loan in the amount of $9.5 million. Of the 393 Nashville law firms gaining loan approval, 50 firms received more than $150,000, the second most of any industry in Nashville, next to full-service restaurants.

Two courtrooms in Nashville will be closed temporarily and staff encouraged to isolate and get tested for the coronavirus after an individual in Tennessee Department of Correction custody with COVID-19 was at the Justice A.A. Birch Building today, the Tennessean reports. The affected courtrooms are those of criminal court judges Monte D. Watkins and Mark J. Fishburn. According to the court administrator, no court staff had been in contract with the individual without masks, but the court was being "overly cautious" in response to the exposure.

Tennessee Public Defenders Conference Executive Director Patrick Frogge is appealing to Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, asking the high court to take action to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus, specifically in general sessions courts, Knox News reports. In a letter dated Nov. 24, Frogge wrote that attorneys who represent the poor and their clients are being endangered by judges who are continuing to hold in-person hearings despite the state's ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The state Supreme Court last month suspended all jury trials, but did not suspend all in-person hearings, meaning general sessions court judges were not required to change day-to-day operations. Frogge noted that, unlike judges and prosecutors, public defenders  must meet with clients inside local jails, where outbreaks of COVID-19 are now becoming common place, making them particularly vulnerable to the virus. Frogge is asking the Supreme Court to step in, but did not specify what actions he’d like them to take.

Gov. Bill Lee is considering calling a special session to prioritize legislation related to schools' pandemic challenges, the Tennessean reports. Lee’s office hasn’t confirmed whether he will call the special session, but it would likely be held within the regular session, similar to a February 2015 special session called by former Gov. Bill Haslam for a failed Medicaid expansion proposal. Multiple legislative officials confirmed discussions were being held to take that same approach to try and pass education-related bills early in the year to allow school districts time to plan accordingly. If the special session isn’t called, taking up those bills in regular session could delay passage until spring. Measures could include holding teachers and students harmless for standardized testing scores, ensuring schools receive adequate funding next year and providing resources to bring children back up to speed after months away from the classroom.

All matters in Soddy Daisy City Court are canceled for today and Dec. 15 due to public safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus, the Chattanoogan reports. Matters involving incarcerated individuals will continue via video conferencing and all other cases will be rescheduled for 2021. This includes all traffic-related cases and all criminal matters for persons on citation or bond. For more information about new court dates for any case, call the Soddy Daisy Court Clerk at 423-332-5323.

State Rep. David Byrd of Waynesboro was flown from Wayne County to a Nashville hospital over the weekend after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia, the Tennessean reports. The paper also noted that he attended a recent House Republican Caucus meeting while not wearing a face covering, and hosted a dinner for dozens of GOP colleagues attending a caucus retreat.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an order supplementing its COVID-19 order of Nov. 17 to require those who enter a courthouse to comply with current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control regarding quarantine and isolation. CDC guidelines call for a seven-day quarantine for anyone who comes into close contact with an infected individual and gets a negative test; a10-day quarantine for anyone who comes into close contact with an infected individual and does not get tested, or anyone who gets a positive test but has no symptoms; and a 10-day isolation for anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms. Isolation should continue until 24 hours with no fever (without fever-reducing medication) and until other symptoms are improving.

The Davidson County General Sessions Court has reduced its docket for 90 days on the advice of the Nashville Health Department and Mayor John Cooper, NewsChannel 5 reports. The mayor’s office reportedly alerted the court of concerns, saying the health department had concluded there was not an appropriate level of safety or compliance with COVID-related health orders at the Birch Building. The order issued today details the changes to specific dockets.

Gov. Bill Lee issued Executive Order 68 today, allowing National Guard members to be mobilized as nurses, COVID-19 testers or ambulance drivers so long as they have the “appropriate training or skills” and the assignment is approved by the Guard and the state Health Commission. The order comes as the COVID-19 outbreak threatens to overwhelm Tennessee’s health care infrastructure, the Tennessean reports. The order also suspends some regulations to allow health care facilities more flexibility to treat the coming surge. One such change allows nursing homes and home health agencies to expand their capacity to deal with the pandemic without having to prove to a government board that the action is necessary.

Results from the October bar exam scheduled to be released Monday may be delayed following the discovery of a software error in Kentucky, which used the same exam and software. "We are confident that our results will be valid and accurate when released," officials from the Board of Law Examiners say, noting that there are "no issues with the actual scoring of the tests. The issue that arose is with a separate system that sent results to test takers. Tennessee is verifying each result to ensure test takers in our state receive their true and accurate score." Watch the TBA.org website for results when they become available.