State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) last week introduced Senate Bill 3, which bans drag shows in public, reports The Hill. SB3 is one of the first bills filed for the 113th legislative session, which begins in January. LGBTQ+ events have recently been disrupted in both Memphis and Jackson, causing organizers to cancel or modify their plans abruptly, and some have raised concerns over the First Amendment rights of drag performers, according to the Jackson Sun.

The Chattanoogan reported Friday that the bridge at Exit 11 on Interstate 75 will be renamed in memory of the late Mike Carter, Hamilton County judge and state legislator. The dedication ceremony will take place Friday at 11:30 a.m. EST and will be led by State Rep. Greg Vital.

A 13-year-old resident of Hollis Academy, a facility for teens in state custody, is suing the facility and its parent company for neglect, stemming from an October 2021 incident. The Tennessean reports that a fight on the basketball court escalated quickly, and the youth cracked his head on the concrete while another resident punched him in the face and head. He was flown from the hospital in Waynesboro to Vanderbilt Medical Center because doctors feared his injuries could result in paralysis. The suit alleges that the staff knew the teen was in danger after being threatened by another resident and needed to be removed from the facility.

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The TBA Administrative Law Section will host its Annual Forum on Dec. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Nashville office of Burr & Forman. A virtual option is also available. Sessions will provide updates on relevant legislation, case law, ethics and administrative rules. Speakers include Janet Irene Kleinfelter with the Tennessee Attorney General's office, Phillip Hilliard with the state Administrative Procedures Division, and Krisann Hodges with the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Administrative Law Section members will receive a special discounted price on the program. Not a member of the section? Join today.

Officials paused in-person family visitation at Nashville jails because of the COVID-19 pandemic but now it looks like this change might be here to stay. Even as state prisons have gone back to in-person visiting, the local sheriff says he thinks incarcerated people are more comfortable seeing their loved ones on screens. But lawyers and families say a lot is being lost. “COVID has taught us all that video conferencing is no substitute for in-person conversations” says Dawn Deaner, the city’s former public defender and now executive director of the Choosing Justice Initiative. She also notes that jail calls with family and friends are recorded and can be monitored, which can affect free and open conversation. WPLN looks at how the policy is affecting some families.

The Ethics Roadshow is back on the road with stops planned in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville next month. This year’s program is again presented by Memphis attorney Brian Faughnan, owner of Faughnan Law. The theme is “While You Were Sheltering” because while most of us were “sheltering in place” during the last couple of years, there have been some significant changes to Tennessee's ethics rules. Each program will offer three components: an update on which rules have changed, an overview of important rules that remain unchanged, and a look ahead at rules changes that may be on the horizon. Make plans to join colleagues now in Knoxville on Dec. 8, Chattanooga on Dec. 9, Memphis on Dec. 14 or in Nashville on Dec. 15.

Swearing in ceremonies for new lawyers continued on Wednesday of this week in Jackson with a small group. Former TBA Young Lawyers Division President and Jackson attorney Terica Smith was on hand to welcome the students to the practice of law. See photos from the event.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) has named Heather Staggs as its is new managing attorney of pro bono programs. Staggs previously worked with West Tennessee Legal Services in its Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Section. In her new role, she will oversee the organization’s pro bono projects and clinics, including the bi-weekly Shelby County Courthouse Pro Bono Clinic and the Second Saturday Benjamin Hooks Main Library Pro Bono Clinic. Staggs earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 2015 and was licensed to practice law in Tennessee in 2017.

The U.S. judiciary’s administrative office is asking the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to hear a case involving political activity by its staff. A three judge-panel of the court previously found that rules preventing employees from engaging in political activity violated their constitutional right to free speech. The judiciary argues that such rules are necessary to protect the third branch’s “reputation for impartiality and nonpartisanship.” The rules, implemented in 2018, prohibit donations to political campaigns, attendance at partisan rallies and expressions of political views on social media. Bloomberg Law has more on the case.