More law schools have announced that they are pulling out of rankings by U.S. News & World Report because of concerns that they discourage programs to support public-interest careers. Yale Law School, which has been ranked No. 1 since the inception of the rankings, was first to make such an announcement. Since then, several law schools have followed, incluiding Harvard Law School, the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, Stanford Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center, Columbia Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, the Duke University School of Law and the University of California at Irvine School of Law. Read more from the ABA Journal about why schools are taking this step and why some lower-ranked institutions are reluctant to withdraw.

State House Democrats voted 11-10 over the weekend to replace Caucus Chair Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, with John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville. Dixie had served just two years in the position after beating Clemmons for the job in 2020, the Nashville Post reports. Democrats also voted to return Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, to her leadership position. She is running for mayor of Memphis next year. Other leaders elected were: Nashville Rep. Harold Love, assistant minority leader; Nashville Rep. Bill Beck, house floor leader; Nashville Rep. Jason Powell, minority whip; Nashville Rep. Bob Freeman, caucus vice-chair; Knoxville Rep. Gloria Johnson, caucus treasurer; Clarksville Rep. Ronnie Glynn, caucus secretary; and Memphis Rep. Larry Miller, leader pro tempore.

The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims Appeals Board will return to in-person oral arguments this Friday after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week’s arguments will take place at the Supreme Court Building in Nashville beginning at 9 a.m. CST. Cases on docket include challenges to the sufficiency of notices regarding gradually occurring injuries, a challenge to an expedited hearing order granting benefits, and a challenge to the board’s authority to award fees after finding an appeal frivolous. Read more about the cases.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeffery S. Bivins recently was presented the Distinguished Alumnus in Public Service Award by his college alma mater, East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Bivins graduated from ETSU in 1982 with a bachelor degree in political science and a minor in criminal justice, the Elizabethton Star reports. Bivins graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1986. He practiced law with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry PLC in Nashville and was assistant commissioner and general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Personnel before joining the bench. He served as a circuit court judge for the 21st Judicial District and then as a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Bivins was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2014. In 2016, his colleagues elected him chief justice, a position he held until 2021.

Memphis lawyer Clarence Wilbon has been elected chair of the executive committee at Adams and Reese, the Commercial Appeal reports. He will be the first Black person to hold that position when he takes over on Jan. 1. Wilbon, currently a litigation partner, has practiced with the firm since 2014, and was elected to the executive committee in 2021. Wilbon previously served as TBA associate general counsel and is a graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program. Adams and Reese has close to 300 attorneys and advisors in 21 offices across 10 states. 

Gov. Bill Lee has announced that Kentucky doctor and legislator Ralph Alvarado will take over as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health on Jan. 16. Alvarado is a sitting Kentucky state senator and chief executive officer of Alvarado Medical Services. A release from the governor’s office states that Alvarado has decades of experience as an attending physician and in hospital management. He will succeed Interim Health Commissioner Dr. Morgan McDonald.

Tennessee state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, last week pleaded guilty to two of five counts in his campaign fraud case: conspiracy to defraud the United States and accepting excessive campaign contributions. The Daily Memphian reports that he faces up of five years in prison and $250,000 fine on each count. Kelsey also gave up his right to a trial and prosecutors agreed not to try him on the other three charges. Kelsey is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. Last year Kelsey pleaded not guilty to all five counts, calling the charges a “witch hunt” and blaming them on President Joe Biden. He recently requested a change of plea hearing after co-conspirator Joshua Smith pleaded guilty to helping him implement the scheme.

The Forge Companies is seeking an associate general counsel for its Nashville office. The position will assist the general counsel with legal and regulatory matters affecting the company and its affiliated entities, including Advocacy Trust LLC, Advocacy Wealth Management, Forge Consulting, Forge Capital and Forge Capital Services. The position also will collaborate with the risk and control manager on control processes, regulatory relations and cybersecurity management, and with the Human Resources Department. A minimum of 10 years of legal services experience is required. Read the full job description and get instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

Six states last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject President Joe Biden's bid to reinstate his plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt the while constitutionality of the program is challenged in court, CNN reports. The Republican-led states argue that Biden’s executive order exceeded the administration's authority and should be paused while the merits of the case are decided. The administration had earlier asked the high court to lift the order pausing the program. In related news, the administration also last week extended a halt on loan repayments while the issue remains in litigation. Under the new order, payments will resume 60 days after the debt cancellation program is implemented, 60 days after lawsuits are resolved, or 60 days after June 30, 2023, if litigation fails. National Public Radio has more on that action.

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