A new law that took effect Jan. 1 will make it easier for TennCare recipients to access contraceptives. According to Fox 17 news, SB1919 allows patients to receive a 12-month prescription for birth control and pick up the medication directly from a doctor's office instead of a pharmacy. Tennessee joins 24 other states that have adopted similar legislation designed to streamline access to contraceptives.

Beginning this Friday, new or returning Tennessee residents with a driver license from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Vermont or West Virginia must present a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) from their previous state when applying for a drivers license. According to The Tennessee Tribune, all other states, including Tennessee, participate in the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service, which allows participating states to electronically access the complete Driver History Record of anyone applying for a driver license. Individuals moving from one of those 41 states do not need to obtain an MVR to qualify for a Tennessee driver's license. For more information on the required documents, visit the state's Department of Safety & Homeland Security website.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is hosting its annual King Day Celebration on Jan. 20, with free museum admission all day and special activities in person and virtually. The event also marks the launch of the museum's yearlong observance themed "Community Over Chaos," highlighting pivotal anniversaries in civil rights history, including the 60th anniversary year of the Selma March and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As part of the celebration, the Memphis Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee and law firm Butler Snow are sponsoring an onsite legal information table and are requesting information from legal service providers to share with attendees. Materials, updated brochures or flyers, including those with substantive legal information or announcements about clinics or other services, can be shared digitally or in hard copy. Please contact TBA Access to Justice Chair Linda Seely to share materials or for more information.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division's Mock Trial Committee is seeking sitting judges and attorneys to serve as volunteers at the 2025 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition, which will take place March 21-22 in Nashville. The 2025 case material was released in December and district mock trial competitions will take place in February. Teams will argue the civil case of Lee Jasper v. Reece Witherfork, which takes place at a rodeo. Teams prevailing at the district level will advance to the state competition. The problem, rules and other competition information can be found on the TBA website. Those interested in helping at the state competition should indicate availability on this form. This year also marks the inaugural Artist in the Courtroom Competition, which invites student artists to interpret mock trial courtroom scenes during the district competition. The first, second and third place entries will be announced at the state competition award ceremony. The top student artist will join the state championship team in representing Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8-10.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has amended Rule 17 of its rules to update the uniform judgment document that must be used in all cases falling within the Tennessee Criminal Sentencing Reform Act of 1989. Rule 17 provides for a uniform judgment document to be used in all trial courts of record in all cases brought under the act. The new form must be used beginning Jan. 15. It can be accessed in today's order.

Belmont College of Law is looking for volunteers to help with a power of attorney (POA) clinic at Casa Azafran on Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST. Morning and afternoon shifts are available, and lunch will be provided. Lawyers who volunteer will be helping clients fill out POAs for care of a minor child alongside two Belmont law students. Translators will be provided. To sign up to help, please email Ginny.Blake@belmont.edu.

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming its voice-activated Siri assistant violated users' privacy, Reuters reports. A preliminary settlement was filed Tuesday in a California federal court and requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Mobile device owners alleged that Apple routinely recorded their private conversations after unintentionally activating Siri, and then disclosed the conversations to third parties, including advertisers. The class period runs from 2014 to 2024, starting when Siri incorporated the "Hey, Siri" feature, which allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings. Class members, estimated to number in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

The TBA will host "The Bill Show" webcast on Feb. 4 from noon to 1 p.m. CST. Join Nashville lawyer Bill Ramsey for this always-popular session that will showcase the latest gadgets and technology for both lawyers and non-lawyers. This year, Ramsey will focus on the fun, inane and interesting innovations he discovered at CES 2025, the Consumer Technology Association's annual tech showcase. While artificial intelligence-based tech will be featured, the webcast also will highlight a range of tech trends beyond AI. For more information and to register, visit TBA’s website.

Do you have questions about how Tennessee's system of indigent representation works? Have you had experience as an appointed attorney that you would like to share? There are several ways to connect with TBA to share questions and experiences. Attorneys interested in learning more about TBA's grassroots advocacy efforts can sign up for TBA Grassroots Advocacy Updates, which will highlight related policy content across all of TBA's communication platforms. Attorneys with experience working with clients who are indigent or vulnerable are invited to complete this survey, which includes specific questions about court appointed representation. The TBA's continuing efforts to provide education and resources related to the state's system of appointed counsel also includes the Indigent Representation Primer series, which shares background and updates about indigent representation in Tennessee. More information is available on the TBA's Indigent Representation Resource page.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) hosted a virtual panel of city officials and local leaders to discuss findings from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) report on the Memphis Police Department, Action 5 News reports. The panel included former police director Toney Armstrong, judicial commissioner Zayid Saleem, and veteran attorneys Damon Griffin and Deborah Godwin. The discussion addressed the DOJ’s 72-page report, which found that Memphis police used unconstitutional practices. Last month, the city of Memphis declined to enter into a consent decree with the DOJ.