The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has announced that Jay Miller is its new general counsel. In the role, Miller will lead the Legal Services and Judicial Development Division and serve as a member of the AOC’s Executive Leadership Team. “We are excited to welcome Jay to our team,” said AOC Director Michelle Long. “His experience in state government and proven track record providing trusted advice on a variety of complex legal issues makes him an asset to the judiciary.” Miller previously served as general counsel for the Tennessee Agriculture Department, with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and with Baker Donelson in Nashville. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law.

The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500, a dramatic drop from last year’s ceiling of 125,000 under the Biden administration, according to the Associated Press. The news syndicate also reports that no reason was given for the new number, which was published in the Federal Register. The administration suspended the refugee program on Trump’s first day in office and since then only a trickle have entered the country, mostly white South Africans. Some other refugees have been admitted as part of a court case seeking to allow entry to those who were in the process of coming to the U.S. when the program was suspended.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has altered a scholarship program aimed at boosting law student diversity by eliminating requirements that applicants come from “ethnic minority” or “underrepresented racial” groups. According to Reuters, applicants now must demonstrate “a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.” The change comes seven months after the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued over the Legal Opportunity Scholarship program, alleging it discriminates against white applicants who were ineligible to apply. The $15,000 scholarship is awarded to between 20 and 25 students annually. The move comes after the ABA revised the criteria for its Judicial Clerkship Program last year to eliminate references to minority students and “communities of color.”

A ban on Tennessee's most popular hemp products will be delayed at least six months, through the end of June, a state board has decided. The delay will allow hemp licenses issued before Dec. 31, to expire before the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission takes over full enforcement from the Agriculture Department, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. A recently passed state law envisioned the commission having full authority as of Jan. 1, 2026. The commission will start some regulatory duties in January, including overseeing age limits and non-compliant products for retail.

The planned Women's Suffrage Museum in Knoxville will be bigger than originally planned with a gift to purchase another Gay Street building, Knox News reports. Following an initial fundraising campaign of $2 million, a home for the museum was secured at 706 S. Gay St. Now, a new gift of $500,000 will allow the Suffrage Coalition to also purchase 708 S. Gay St. The coalition will need to raise $2.4 million to complete the purchase of the second building and restore it. The museum, which is scheduled to open in 2028, will highlight East Tennessee's role in ratifying the 19th Amendment, celebrating figures such as Lizzie Crozier French and Harry T. Burn. Donations may be made online at WomensSuffrageMuseum.org or mailed to P.O. Box 14322, Knoxville, TN 37914. See photos from an event announcing the project. 

Laura Sosh-Lightsy worked as a dean at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) for over two decades before getting fired for a social media post about Charlie Kirk. This week, she filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school, WPLN reports. On Sept. 10 — the day Kirk was assassinated — Sosh-Lightsy posted that she did not have sympathy for Kirk due to his prior comments about gun violence. In the complaint, Sosh-Lightsy argues her comments were made as a private citizen speaking on a matter of public concern and, thus, protected by the First Amendment. The school says she was fired because the comments caused a “disruption and interference with University operations.”

The Memphis Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee, together with the TBA Young Lawyers Division and other organizations, are hosting a Restorative Rights & Resource Fair on Nov. 22. Services to be offered include expungements, voter reinstatements, driver's license reinstatements and resume help. The event will take place at the Hickory Hill Community Center, 3910 Ridgeway Rd., Memphis 38115 from 9 a.m. to noon CST. Fill out this form to volunteer. See a flyer for more information.

TBA's Real Estate Law Section, in partnership with the Tennessee Land Title Association, will host its annual Hot Topics in Real Estate program virtually tomorrow, Nov. 7. This event is a staple for Tennessee dirt lawyers, designed to keep you on the cutting edge of developments in your practice. Topics will include a comprehensive legislative update, FinCEN, the new foreclosure law, ALTA 49 endorsements and wholesaling. Additionally, Jeff Lanier, a financial expert at Stewart Title, will provide a business and economic update titled "Rates, Resilience and the Road Ahead: Understanding the Economic Forces and Strategic Shifts Impacting Title Insurance." Don't miss this annual favorite!

The latest issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is live online and full of articles of interest to lawyers across practice areas! In this issue's cover story, Nathan Drake, Amy Bryson Smith and Mary Lauren Teague of Belmont University College of Law look at three recent copyright decisions and how courts are analyzing the legitimacy of using copyrighted material without permission to train AI platforms. Brad Bald's feature focuses on the importance of change orders in construction projects and how to effectively manage them. And TBJ turns 60 this year! Heidi Barcus' President's Perspective column kicks off our celebration. Enjoy a retrospective timeline of the last six decades of the Journal. Our regular columns Crime & Punishment, History's Verdict and The Buddy System are inside, as well as a book review and information about running for TBA office in 2026. Look for the print version in mailboxes in the next few weeks!

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider seven applicants when it meets to select nominees for an upcoming vacancy on the Court of Appeals Western Section due to the retirement of Judge Kenny Armstrong on Feb. 9, 2026. The applicants include Lori R. Holyfield, Eileen Kuo, Steven Wayne Maroney, Jeffrey E. Nicoson, Gadson William Perry, Monica Rae Rejaei and John B. Turner Jr., according to a press release. Public interviews of the applicants are scheduled for Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. CST in the chambers of the Jackson City Council, 109 E. Main St., STE 107, Jackson 38301. At the conclusion of the interviews, the council will vote to send three applicants to the governor. Any member of the public may attend the public hearing and can express, orally or in writing, objections concerning applicants for the vacancy. For questions contact Administrative Office of the Courts Assistant General Counsel Laura Blount at 615-741-2687.