State legislative committees met recently to consider special session proposals. Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025 (SB6001/HB6004) passed out of the House and Senate Education Committees as amended and is expected to be on the House and Senate floors on Thursday, the Nashville Post reports. The move came after President Donald Trump spoke publicly in support of the initiative. During committee consideration, an amendment was added to specify that $77 million in the bill for school infrastructure would first be used to bolster the HOPE scholarship if a shortage occurs in that fund. The amendment also specifies that infrastructure funds would go first to schools in economically distressed or at-risk counties, followed by those that are high-performing and then those in fast-growth areas. House and Senate committees also considered immigration legislation (SB6002/HB6001). Funding for local governments that agree to crack down on undocumented immigrants was reduced from $20 million, as proposed by the governor, to just more than $5 million. In addition, state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, split from his party to oppose a provision charging local elected officials with a felony if they support sanctuary city laws. Gardenhire called the provision a slippery slope and argued that elected officials should not be punished for taking a political stance. The amended bill passed the Senate with a vote of 26-7; the House is scheduled to vote tomorrow. The Nashville Banner has more on this bill.

The American Bar Association (ABA) 2025 Midwinter Meeting kicks off tomorrow in Phoenix, Arizona. On Saturday, the TBA will host a reception honoring Belmont College of Law Dean Alberto Gonzales. On Monday, the ABA House of Delegates will consider over two dozen policy matters, including resolutions on judicial security, lawyer well-being, antisemitism education and wrongful convictions according to a news release. Among the proposals are resolutions urging bar associations to support enhanced judicial security, protection for government officials' personal information and limiting alleged "judge shopping" in federal cases. The meeting will be presided over by Tennessee lawyer Jonathan Cole, chair of the House of Delegates, with remarks from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, ABA President Bill Bay and others. The ABA Young Lawyers Division also will meet and consider resolutions promoting lawyer well-being, prosecutorial efforts to correct wrongful convictions, Holocaust studies in schools and efforts to narrow the scope of questions during the bar admission process.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, paving the way for the full Senate to vote on confirming the former Florida attorney general as soon as this week. The panel approved her nomination in a 12-10 vote, Reuters reports. Bondi, who has spent decades as a prosecutor, previously represented Trump during his first impeachment trial. During her confirmation hearing earlier this month, she vowed to maintain the Justice Department’s independence, telling lawmakers she would not inject politics into criminal or civil investigations.

KPMG’s bid to become the first Big Four accounting firm to launch a law firm in the U.S. is on hold after the Arizona Supreme Court requested more information on its application to practice law in the state, Bloomberg Law reports. Earlier this month, KPMG Law U.S persuaded a court committee to recommend approval for the firm to practice law in Arizona. "The KPMG application remains under review," the court's communications director said in an email after the court met Tuesday to review the application. KPMG is seeking to launch a U.S. legal venture through Arizona’s alternative business structure program, which was created in 2021. The court did not provide specifics or a timeframe for a final decision. In related news, Reuters reports that the market for legal services outside traditional law firms has hit a record $28.5 billion, with law firm subsidiaries or affiliates claiming a growing share.

The city of Columbia has announced the swearing-in of Richard Matthews as its new city judge, according to Maury County Source. Matthews, a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, has served as a member and former board member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and was inducted as a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation in 2016. "Judge Matthews is continuing a family tradition, becoming the third generation to serve in the judiciary. The City of Columbia looks forward to the leadership, integrity, and expertise he will bring to the role," the city tells the news outlet.

An agreement to temporarily transfer administration of Shelby County's juvenile detention center from the sheriff's office is awaiting approval from Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., The Daily Memphian reports. According to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, if the sheriff agrees, the county corrections division and mayor’s office would take over operations on an interim basis, subject to the Juvenile Court judge’s authority. This would include transporting minors for court hearings and providing training for correction guards transitioning from handling adult prisoners to managing juvenile detainees. The agreement would end a court dispute stemming from Bonner’s 2024 announcement that he would cease operating the Youth Justice and Education Center and stop transporting juveniles to court for hearings. In response, Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon filed two lawsuits against Bonner.

Knoxville lawyer Debra Ann Poole died at the age of 70. Poole, a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, was a founder of the Smoky Mountain Planned Giving Council and was active in the nonprofit community, serving as a board member and foundation staff. A celebration of life will be held in her memory at 10 a.m. EST Feb. 15 at Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Rd., Knoxville, TN 37919. Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, P.O. Box 1660, Kodak, TN 37764-7660.

TBA's Indigent Representation Primer series recently featured an item focused on appointed counsel for minors facing criminal charges. In Tennessee, juveniles charged with delinquency are guaranteed a right to counsel, and if they cannot afford to hire an attorney, the court will appoint a public defender or private attorney. Tennessee law mandates that juveniles must be provided with counsel in cases where the child faces the possibility of incarceration or other serious consequences. Judges also have the discretion to appoint counsel in cases where a juvenile is not at risk for incarceration but is facing fines or court-ordered services. Juvenile delinquency cases present a unique set of challenges in the legal system and the role of appointed counsel is critical to ensuring fair treatment for youth in the justice system. Attorneys appointed to represent a juvenile charged with a crime in Tennessee play an essential role in providing legal defense, ensuring the juvenile’s rights are protected, advocating for rehabilitation and working toward a favorable outcome for the child.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board recently held its winter meeting in Nashville. YLD President Sean Aiello presented Stars of the Quarter to Nashville attorney Darius Walker Jr. for his role as treasurer, Nashville attorney Alix Rogers for her role as Middle Tennessee Governor and Lewisburg attorney Savannah Oliver for her role as chair of the Public Service Committee. The board also welcomed the Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2025 for its first in person meeting. Special thanks to YLD Board members Ginny Blake, Grace Burnett, Billy Leslie, Alix Rogers, Jennifer Safstrom, Darius Walker Jr. and Rod Watson who held programming for the students. The DLI class will join the board again at the Mock Trial Competition in March and the TBA's Annual Convention in June. See photos from the event.

Make the Road New York, an immigrant advocacy group, last week sued the Trump administration to block fast-track deportations of people in the country illegally. The lawsuit claims that the policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security, known as "expedited removal," violates the constitutional right to due process as well as immigration and administrative law since people facing fast-track deportations do not have access to an attorney and are unable to present evidence against their removal. Additionally, Quaker groups sued on Monday to prevent U.S. immigration agents from carrying out arrests and searches in houses of worship, after the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a Biden administration order that limited immigration enforcement in "protected areas" such as hospitals, shelters, playgrounds and food pantries. Reuters reports on both lawsuits.