Join Chattanooga attorneys Donna Mikel and Doug Hamill tomorrow for a Zoom Q&A roundtable follow up to their CLE webcast on employment law during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mikel and Hamill will answer questions about the CLE, which included topics like the Families First Act, paid leave rights and more. The roundtable is limited to the first 50 registrants and will begin tomorrow at noon CDT. Register for the meeting and you will receive an email with information on how to access the roundtable. Participants may also submit questions here. 

The Knoxville Family Justice Center, a non-profit serving domestic violence and sexual assault victims, has begun sending “safety cards” to businesses to include in curbside pickups, WBIR reports. The cards are intended for those who do not feel safe at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and include helpline numbers and links to the justice center’s website where safety plans are available. Businesses local to Knoxville and interested in safety cards can send an email to info@FJCknoxville.org or call 865-521-6336 for more information.

A Davidson County jail inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials announced last week. The man is the first inmate in county custody to test positive for the virus, and was moved to isolation Wednesday after exhibiting symptoms, the Tennessean reports. The Nashville Public Defender’s office on Friday had filed a motion asking the Davidson County General Sessions Court to immediately release nonviolent inmates from custody to help slow the spread of the virus. Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk said he does not support a wide release of inmates, preferring instead to review individual situations on a case by case basis. In related news, the Tennessean reported over the weekend that the state prison system also now has its first inmate testing positive for the virus. A spokesperson with the Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed the inmate is a male at the Turney Center Industrial Complex in Hickman County.

Gov. Bill Lee has issued Executive Order 24 declaring that a state of emergency continues to exist in Tennessee, extending a number of statutory and regulatory deadlines, and suspending a number of laws. Among the changes, Lee extended the due date of the professional privilege tax from June 1 to July 1. The state Department of Revenue has issued guidance on the change saying that interest and late filing penalties will not apply to returns filed and payments made on or before the new due date. View the notice or visit the department’s COVID-19 website for more information.

Among its other provisions, the governor’s order extends application of the Tennessee Price-Gouging Act of 2002 for an additional 15 days to April 18; eases licensing requirements for those who have completed a master’s or doctoral degree in behavioral or mental health; extends the expiration date of valid marriage licenses until June 30; extends the filing date for conflict of interest forms to July 15; and replaces language in the March 19 executive order allowing state agencies to implement processes to safeguard the health, welfare, and safety of certain employees.

Oral arguments conducted by video conference last Wednesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court are now  available on the court’s oral argument videos webpage. This is the first time in history for the new approach, which is part of the court’s efforts to continue conducting essential business across the state while protecting the health and well-being of litigants, attorneys, judges and court employees.

To help meet the growing legal needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and RingCentral Inc. have launched a national toll-free hotline to connect its Disaster Legal Services Program with those seeking civil legal services. The hotline is available in every state and U.S. territory and will remain in place after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Having a “centralized, never-changing number means easy access for survivors and reduced administrative burden for our federal, state and local partners,” ABA President Judy Perry Martinez said about the effort. Those needing help can call 888-743-5749 and choose either English or Spanish, and then be directed to the appropriate state’s disaster legal services hotline. In Tennessee, calls are fielded by Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services.

The Shelby County Health Department added teeth to its stay-at-home order this week: those who ignore it and social-distancing directives may face misdemeanor charges. Offenders will first receive verbal warnings, followed by written notice. Those who continue to defy will face charges and risk having their businesses shut down, the Daily Memphian reports. In Nashville, metro police are warning non-essential businesses that they could receive citations, fines or even have licenses revoked if they stay open. Police and health department inspectors were out this week visiting businesses deemed “non-essentials” to make sure they were closed, Fox 17 reports.

The American Bar Association’s Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic is providing resources and information on emerging legal issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It also is offering practice tools for remote work, updates on new benefits provided in the CARES Act, protections against evictions and other actions due to job losses, court closings and mobilization of pro bono efforts.

The U.S. Supreme Court will postpone oral arguments scheduled for April amid the ongoing pandemic, SCOTUS Blog reports. The justices had been scheduled to hear arguments over six days in late April. Today's news follows the decision to postpone March oral arguments. A spokesperson for the court said the justices will consider rescheduling arguments for later in the term if health and safety guidance allow it, or may explore other options. The justices continue to hold regularly scheduled conferences, with some participating remotely, and will continue to decide cases that have been argued so far this term.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today entered an order to address concerns with the July 2020 bar exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s order extends the amount of time certain applicants will be able to practice pending bar exam results and the expiration of MPRE scores. The court also created a process to transfer a July 2020 exam application to either a fall exam, if one is scheduled, or the February 2021 exam. The order also permits the Board of Law Examiners to offer a full refund of fees. “The Court’s temporary changes to Rule 7 address many of the questions being asked by recent graduates and exam takers arising from the COVID-19 crisis,” Board of Law Examiners President Bill Harbison said in a statement. “Tennessee has a plan for bar exam applicants, whether we move forward with no examination or multiple examinations in 2020, that provides opportunities to practice, to transfer the July 2020 application to a different exam, and to seek concurrent admission.” Read the full order here.