The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a bill that would ban companies from forcing employees who allege sexual assault or harassment to settle their claims with an arbiter without the option of filing a lawsuit, sending a bill that passed the House of Representatives earlier in the week to President Joe Biden for his signature. The “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” will provide federal protection for employees' right to sue their employers over allegations of sexual harassment or assault, nullifying clauses in employment contracts that force employees to enter arbitration with their employer instead. Reuters has more on the legislation.

State Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, has pulled a petition to run for reelection, CommunityImpact.com reports. Johnson has served in the Senate since 2007 and would be seeking a fifth term. He sits on the Commerce and Labor, Ethics and Finance, and Ways and Means committees.

A new survey from legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa shows that 75% of respondents want to be in the office at least one day per week while only 27% want to be in the office more than a day or two. The group conducted the "LawLife 2.0 How the Pandemic Redefined the Way We Work" survey as a follow up to its 2021 “Lawyers’ Perspectives on Returning to the Office” survey and found that the desire to be in the office declined significantly in less than a year. Just 10 months ago, the number of respondents who wanted to be in the office three or four days a week was 46%. Stephanie Biderman, a co-author of the survey, said firms need to make the office experience worth the commute. “Firms have to make time in the office more valuable. Training, mentorship, positive cultural events and team-building events. That is where the focus is going to have to be,” she says. Law.com has more on the story.

President Joe Biden said yesterday that he has narrowed his search for a Supreme Court nominee to replace the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer to four women, The Hill reports. "The short list are nominees who are incredibly well qualified and documented. They were the honor students, they come from the best universities, they have experience, some on the bench, some in the practice," Biden told NBC News' Lester Holt. "What I've done is I've taken about four people and done a deep dive on them ... to see if there’s anything in the background that would make them not qualified," Biden said. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that candidate interviews could start next week.

Judge David F. Hensley has announced his retirement from the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board effective March 31. He has served on the board for close to eight years. Hensley earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1979, and began his career in Chattanooga clerking for Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Herschel P. Franks. He then spent over 30 years in private practice before being appointed to the inaugural Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board by then Gov. Bill Haslam in August 2014. He was re-appointed by Haslam in 2018. Off the bench, Hensley has served the Chattanooga community as a board member and chair of the North River YMCA and a board member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has asked federal emergency management officials to help assess whether counties affected by recent winter storms can receive funds to assist with power restoration, Fox 17 News reports. The move comes after U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, asked Lee to seek emergency assistance. The request asks FEMA to work with the state emergency department to conduct a preliminary damage assessment after freezing rain, sleet and snow impacted West and Middle Tennessee counties earlier this month. More than 30,000 homes and businesses remained without electrical service in Memphis this week, according to Memphis Light, Gas & Water.

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic on Feb. 17. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance. Clients may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

State Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, announced his reelection bid this week, the Williamson Home Page reports. He currently represents District 65 in the House of Representatives. In announcing his campaign, Whitson said, “It is time to move past the politics of the pandemic and focus on upgrading our infrastructure, backing those who serve, maintaining and protecting our community, and promoting economic opportunity for both citizens and businesses.” He touts his work supporting Columbia State Community College’s satellite campus in Franklin and Fairview High School’s mechatronics program. A member of the Save the Franklin Battlefield nonprofit, Whitson also highlights his work helping preserve Civil War-era artifacts in the area.

Nashville businessman Quincy McKnight withdrew from the race for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District yesterday, announcing his intention to instead run for Nashville mayor in 2023. McKnight, CEO of payment processing company Covenant Pay, said he decided he "can best serve the people of Nashville” as mayor, the Tennessean reports. His departure still leaves four candidates in the Republican primary: businessman Baxter Lee, former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, music video producer Robby Starbuck, and attorney and retired brigadier general Kurt Winstead. On the Democratic side, first-term Mayor John Cooper has not yet announced whether he will run for reelection. Local nonprofit leader Hal Cato says he is considering a run.

A new study from two law professors identifies 25 law schools whose students “overperformed” on the bar exam. Among the group are two law schools in Tennessee: Belmont University College of Law, which comes in at number six, and Vanderbilt University Law School, which comes in at number 19, the ABA Journal reports. The study looks at bar results to identify schools that dramatically outperformed their predicted bar exam passage rates. The study also looks at why these schools are seeing success in this area despite “not spending extravagantly more resources.” Read the full study “The Secret Sauce: Examining Law Schools that Overperform on the Bar Exam” by University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law professor CJ Ryan and University of Iowa College of Law professor Derek T. Muller.