A bill proposed by Rep. Shaundelle Brooks, D-Nashville, would hold responsible those who knowingly provide firearms to those who are not allowed to possess them. HB0947/SB1191, which is named "Akilah's Law" for Brooks' son who was killed in the shooting at an Antioch Waffle House in 2018, passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on March 26 with bipartisan support and no substantive debate. The bill would create a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a sentence of imprisonment not greater than 11 months, 29 days, or a fine not to exceed $2,500, or both, for those who sell, offer to sell, deliver, or transfer a firearm to a person knowing that the person has, within the previous five years, been admitted, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to a mental institution unless the treatment was voluntary and solely for an alcohol abuse disorder and no other secondary substance abuse disorder or mental illness. The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider the bill tomorrow. The Nashville Banner has more on the proposal.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is terminating parole protections for roughly 985,000 people who entered the United States through the CBP One app during the Biden administration. The app allowed individuals to make appointments at ports of entry to then seek asylum. The Hill reports that DHS has begun sending email notices to affected migrants telling them to self-deport through the Trump administration’s version of the app, now called CBP Home. Those who entered the country as part of the Uniting for Ukraine program and Afghans who entered under Operation Allies Welcome were not impacted by the action.

TBA General, Solo, & Small Firm Section members are invited to a section networking happy hour event at East Nashville Beer Works in Nashville on April 22 from 5-7 p.m. CDT. While an RSVP is not required to attend, it does help to better track the expected number of guests. Thank you to Emma Elliott with Peregrine Law for sponsoring this event!

TBA's Immigration and Health Law sections will present Health Care Immigration Compliance in the Era of Trump 2.0 on April 9 at noon CDT. Speakers Todd Photopulos and Elizabeth Warren will discuss how health care providers should respond if ICE raids their facility, exploring the shifting policy landscape that meets at the intersection of immigration compliance and health law. You won't want to miss this timely webcast!

The Tennessee General Assembly is projected to adjourn for the year in mid- to late April, given that most legislative committees have already closed or are set to close within the week. The House and Senate Finance Ways and Means committees are meeting this week and next week to determine whether legislation that has been voted out of other committees with a fiscal note will be funded. Because the governor included $17 million for a new indigent representation plan in his budget amendment, the committees do not have to vote on whether to add that funding. However, at the end of session, the House and Senate leadership will meet and determine exactly which measures will be included in the final budget and how much the funding will be. The budget is the one piece of legislation that lawmakers constitutionally are required to pass before adjournment. Once the budget is approved, lawmakers will consider matters “behind the budget” that received funding, as well as other priority items. It is anticipated the session will adjourn a few days after that.

Rocky McElhaney Law Firm has opened an office on Music Row at 1102 17th Ave. S., Nashville 37212. The opening of the office marks a return to Music Row for the Hendersonville-based firm after it ceased operations in 2017 on 16th Ave. S. after McElhaney’s Rock-N-Row Express LLC sold the building on that site for $3 million to First Citizens Bank and relocated its main office to Hendersonville. The firm specializes in legal work involving personal injury and wrongful death often related to vehicular incidences, and will continue to operate offices in Hendersonville, Murfreesboro and Clarksville. Read more from the Nashville Post.

Following recent severe weather across the state, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs offers tips for those impacted by the storms, including addressing financial obligations, filing insurance claims, hiring contractors, tips for flooded vehicles, avoiding scams and how to report misconduct around price gouging. Read more in a press release.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2025 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award has been extended to April 14. This year's award, presented by the TBA and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court, will honor a lawyer or judge residing in the Middle Grand Division whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Franklin June 11-14. Read about past award recipients.

Vanderbilt University Law School has moved up five spots from 19 to 14 in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday. New rankings for other Tennessee law schools include the University of Tennessee College of Law at 55 (down from 52 from last year), Belmont University College of Law at 84 (up from 91 last year), University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at 146 (down from 140 last year), and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 169 (down from 165 last year). According to Reuters, the U.S. News rankings have traditionally been viewed as the single-most influential measure of the law schools among prospective students, but that may be on the decline. In a new survey of law school admissions officers by test prep company Kaplan, 62% said they believe the rankings “have lost some of their prestige over the last couple of years.” View the full list of rankings.

Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) has announced new rules and regulations that will take effect June 30. The rules revisions strengthen player protections and build on ongoing efforts to eliminate fraudulent activity on wagering platforms. The rules also add multi-factor identification requirements for different account activities, define more responsible gaming terms, and put new conditions on the processes for voiding or canceling wagers, among other changes. “Making these rule changes is a staff-wide effort working with the industry and consumers to solicit feedback and constantly reevaluate what’s working and what could be improved, and we appreciate everyone who participated in this public process,” SWC Chair Billy Orgel said. Read more in a press release. The revisions have been approved by the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and are posted on the SWC’s website and with the Secretary of State’s Office.