The Biden administration today announced plans to recreate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy after a judge found the program unlawful, The Hill reports. The Department of Homeland Security said the new rule would "preserve and fortify" the program by seeking to address concerns over how it was implemented. But Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reiterated that “only Congress can provide permanent protection.” A federal district judge in Texas ruled in July that the program violated the Administrative Procedures Act and suspended new applications.

Bass, Berry & Sims has appointed Nashville lawyer Lillian M. Blackshear to its executive committee. The seven-member committee includes attorneys from the firm’s Memphis, Nashville and Washington, D.C., offices, The Nashville Ledger reports. Blackshear practices in the firm’s public finance practice group, counseling governments and banks to secure financing for development projects and debt refinancing. She is a member of Nashville’s Metropolitan Planning Commission and secretary of the Women in Public Finance Tennessee Chapter.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will conduct two clinics this week. Tomorrow, the group will hold a phone clinic providing general advice at 2 p.m. CDT. The first 15 callers will be accepted. Then on Wednesday, the group will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. To volunteer for either clinic, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. 

This Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. CDT, “CLE Performer” Stuart Teicher will provide a one-hour webcast “What My Facebook Posts Teach About Lawyer Mental Health” for Tennessee lawyers. Teicher travels the road as a full time CLE speaker and often encounters “interesting” and “not-so-courteous” people. He documents these encounters on his Facebook feed, providing levity but also important ethics lessons. His presentation this week will focus on Tennessee Rules of Professional Responsibility 1.3, requiring diligence in the practice of law; 1.16, regarding withdrawal from representation; and 2.1, on rendering candid advice. The course offers one hour of dual credit.

Tennessee state Sen. Katrina Robinson will no longer face 15 of 20 federal charges of fraud and embezzlement, the Commercial Appeal reports. Federal Judge Sheryl Lipman filed a motion to dismiss the charges Sunday, rejecting a defense request to dismiss all charges. Lipman was expected to issue an oral ruling today. The trial then is expected to continue tomorrow with the five remaining charges. Robinson has been accused of misusing $600,000 in federal funding meant for scholarships.

The Administrative Office of the Courts has announced visitation and funeral arrangements for state Supreme Court Justice Cornelia “Connie” Clark, who died last week. Clark will lie in state in the Old Supreme Court Chambers in the Tennessee State Capitol on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitation will take place at the First United Methodist Church of Franklin, 120 Aldersgate Way, Franklin, TN 37069 on Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Funeral services will take place Friday at noon at the church with a livestream expected on the church website. All times central. The burial will be private.

The AOC also reported today that the Supreme Court building in Nashville will be open during business hours starting today through Friday afternoon for those who would like to spend a few moments of silence in the courtroom or share remembrances of Justice Clark in a hand-crafted book that will be given to the Clark family.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold its annual Fall Memorial Service virtually on Nov. 12 at noon EDT. The service will celebrate the careers of KBA members who died in the last nine months. KBA President Cheryl Rice, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee and Rev. Charles Fels will lead the service. See the list of lawyers being remembered or register for the event here.

The TBA filed a petition with the Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday asking the court to create a new Rule 31B that would govern voluntary arbitration in domestic relations cases. The petition was drafted by the TBA Family Law Section Executive Council. Read the petition as well as four exhibits: Exhibit A New Rule 31B to Current Rule 31; Exhibit B Proposed Amendment to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31A Striking References to “Non-Binding Family Law Cases”; Exhibit C Proposed Amendments to Tenn. Code Ann. 36-3-501 and Tenn. Code Ann. 36-4-136 Rule 31B Arbitration; and Exhibit D List of Petition Recipients.

A Knoxville-based federal judge today dealt a second blow to Gov. Bill Lee’s order allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements, the Associated Press reports. The ruling came in a suit brought by four families in Knox County, who were seeking to have the school system mandate mask wearing. U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer’s decision blocks Lee’s order from being implemented while the legal battle continues to move its way through court. Earlier this week, a federal judge in Shelby County also blocked the governor’s order from taking effect there. Families across the state have argued that mask opt-outs endanger the lives of children with health conditions.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will hold its next free webinar on state tax issues on Sept. 28 at 9 a.m. CDT. The September session will cover sales and use tax for specified digital products in Tennessee. Participants will learn about taxation of electronically transferred digital audio-visual works, digital audio works, digital books and more.