A nonprofit group that advocates for students with disabilities and individuals whose discrimination complaints have been put on hold are suing the U.S. Education Department over cuts to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). According to Bloomberg Law, the department has eliminated seven of OCR’s 12 regional offices and left only “skeleton staffing” at the remaining offices. “These actions harm students and their families who rely on the Department to ensure their access to educational opportunities, as required by the federal civil rights laws Congress charges OCR to enforce,” the complaint says. A similar suit filed by a group of states is challenging the department’s plan to fire 1,378 employees. The reduction in force will undermine the department’s ability to perform work mandated by federal law, that suit says. The National Center for Youth Law and Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. are representing the plaintiffs.

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on three preliminary injunctions issued by federal district judges in Seattle, Maryland and Massachusetts, which bar the government from implementing the president’s executive order ending birthright citizenship in certain situations. The court is giving the other side until April 4 to respond, according to SCOTUSblog. The executive order made it official government policy that children born to mothers not legally in the country or here temporarily, and whose fathers are not citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of the birth, would not automatically become citizens of the country.

Legislation proposing state intervention in Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) passed its first hurdle in the Tennessee House's K-12 Education Subcommittee Tuesday morning, the Commercial Appeal reports. The bill now moves to the full Education Committee though no date for consideration has been set. The bill, if enacted, would establish a state-appointed board to assume control of school systems in four specific situations: when 30% of student grades are D or F, when the district falls into the bottom 5% of statewide performance, when there is 25% chronic absenteeism rate for students or when a vote of no confidence is taken by the local government body. Sponsor Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, says he has been working on the proposal for two years and believes the move is in the best fiscal interest of the state due to the amount of money provided to MSCS.

The Metro Nashville Council adopted legislation this week to add guardrails to Fusus, a camera surveillance system that will allow the Nashville Police Department to access businesses’ private security footage with the owner’s consent to address calls for service. The proposal had failed by one vote last year. This year, the legislation received eight additional votes. Debate on the measure centered on whether the cameras could be used for government overreach or target marginalized communities. Supporters argued that the system will not be used to target immigrants or specific groups. “It is just a photo of a criminal leaving a business,” said council member Bob Nash. He has supported the system from the beginning. Read more from the Nashville Post.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI this week announced the launch of Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7), an initiative that will "seek justice for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel and address the ongoing threat posed by Hamas and its affiliates." According to the department, 47 U.S. citizens were killed that day and eight were taken hostage. The task force will focus on “targeting, charging, and securing for prosecution in the United States” the individual perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attack as well as take responsibility for pending charges against Hamas leadership. In addition, the group will investigate “acts of terrorism and civil rights violations by individuals and entities providing support and financing to Hamas, related Iran proxies, and their affiliates, as well as acts of antisemitism by these groups.” Read more in a release from the department.

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall recently announced changes in how county correctional facilities will handle legal mail sent to inmates. Hall says the change is necessary to protect against drug overdoses and related deaths. Several years ago, the process for personal mail was changed after finding that senders were soaking paper in a liquid form of opioids. Inmates then would lick or eat the paper to get the desired high. Now letters are scanned and inmates are provided an electronic version on tablets. At the time, processing of legal mail was left unchanged with letters being opened in front of the inmate. Now Hall says there is “direct knowledge” that envelopes and documents that appear to be legal mail are being used in the same way. Effective May 5, facilities no longer will provide the actual mail but, in the presence of the inmate, will make a photo copy and provide that version. Additionally, no legal mail will be allowed to go directly to inmates in court, at the courthouse or any other location. All mail from attorneys and court staff must be left in the Birch Building mailbox marked “DCSO Legal Mail,” or taken to the Downtown Detention Center or Correctional Development Center lobby.

The Vanderbilt University Law School’s AI Law Lab (VAILL) will hold a hacking event on April 12 to identify new solutions to the challenge of addressing the unmet legal needs of Americans. “Hacking Pro Bono: Innovating Legal Help with AI” will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT. Legal professionals of all backgrounds are invited to participate. Technical skills or knowledge of coding are not needed! Individuals or team members can register online. There is no charge for students and faculty. Others are asked to pay a nominal fee of $25 to cover food and materials. The AI Lab reports that more than 50% of legal problems in the country go unresolved. It is dedicated to finding ways through events such as this one to use technology to expand the reach and impact of pro bono legal services. Learn more.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold its annual Law Day Luncheon on April 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville, 401 W Summit Hill Dr. SW, Knoxville 37902. The event will showcase the work of the Knoxville Barristers, including presentation of the 2025 Law & Liberty Award and recognition of high school mock trial teams. Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander will provide the keynote address. Learn more and register online. This year’s Law Day theme — Out of Many, One — celebrates the constitution’s ability to bridge differences and unite Americans.

On March 12, the Tennessee Supreme Court dismissed a petition for discipline without prejudice against Hawkins County lawyer Terry Risner and struck a notice of submission filed by the board. The court reports that the Board of Professional Responsibility filed a notice to dismiss and withdrawal of notice of submission on March 11. The board had filed a petition for discipline with the court on July 31, 2024. Risner remains suspended based on a March 22, 2024, order.

The Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday passed HB0064/SB0472, which would require any educational institutions housing minors overnight to segregate restrooms, changing areas and showers “by immutable biological sex.” Bill sponsor Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, told the Nashville Post that the bill aims to protect young girls in Tennessee. The bill passed 74-18 without debate after Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, made a prevailing motion to put it to an immediate vote. Dahron Johnson, co-chair of the Tennessee Equality Project Nashville, told the Nashville Post that the group is concerned about the bill's vague language and potential for overreach. The Senate Education Committee passed its version of the bill last week. The full Senate is expected to consider the bill on March 20.