The TBA Administrative Law Section is accepting submissions for its annual writing competition for law students. All students enrolled in a Tennessee law school during the 2023–2024 school year are eligible to enter. Submissions are due March 27. The section offers this yearly competition to promote an interest in and understanding of both state and federal administrative law, and to strengthen the relationship among administrative law professors, law students and practitioners in Tennessee. The winning submission will be published in the Administrative Law Section newsletter and the winner will be awarded $1,000. Get more information and competition rules in this handout.

A story in Friday’s issue of TBA Today included reporting from the Memphis Commercial Appeal that the University of Memphis School of Law was considering former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland as its next dean. The paper also indicated that current Dean Katharine T. Schaffzin had not announced her intention to step down from that post. The paper has now corrected its story to clarify that although the school has not announced Schaffzin’s exit, Schaffzin emailed the law school community of her intention in August 2023. In that email — which until now has not been publicly reported on — she wrote, "My family and I have made Memphis our home for the past fourteen years and plan to remain Tigers. I will continue my service as dean throughout this academic year and, after a sabbatical, plan to return to the classroom preparing competent litigators for the practice of law."

The TBA Young Lawyers Division's Rookie's Guide series continues next week with a session focused on estate planning. Join Memphis attorney Danielle Woods on March 28 at noon CDT to learn more about this practice area. Topics will include drafting a will, creating a trust and protecting assets. Register here.

Diversity Law Week in Memphis and Nashville concluded with impactful presentations at the University of Memphis School of Law and Vanderbilt University Law School. The final events offered students insights from the deans of admission, a college primer, a mock law school class and a panel discussion with experienced attorneys. Over the course of the week, 100 diverse high school students across the state had an opportunity to shadow attorneys, explore courtrooms and immerse themselves in law school for a day. Diversity Law Week, a project of YLD President Quinton Thompson, was designed to help these students — particularly those who expressed an interest in the legal profession — chart their career paths. Thanks to Thompson and Diversity Law Week Chairs Ariel Anthony, Erin Shackelford and Kevin Christopher for their exceptional leadership and dedication to making this program a success. See photos from the event.

The second annual Raising the Bar series, produced by TBA's Women in the Profession Committee, centered on the theme of "Advocating for Each Other and Ourselves." All eight sessions are now available online as webcasts. Learn from attorneys across the state as they discuss the roadblocks that diverse women lawyers face, how to effectively advocate for raises and project assignments, how to maintain a solid work-life balance, recent rule changes and new laws affecting women attorneys.

Frederick Agee, district attorney for Tennessee’s 28th Judicial District and who is prosecuting Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd’s criminal case, said Thursday he would file an amended motion to revoke Boyd’s bond after she tested positive for cocaine and alcohol on March 12. According to the Daily Memphian, Boyd has been out of custody on a $5,000 bond since Dec. 13, 2023. If her bond were revoked, she would be held in custody until trial, which is set to start on April 24. Agee’s office had previously moved to revoke Boyd’s bond after she tested positive for marijuana on Jan. 3.

The U.S. Supreme Court today set a new standard for determining if public officials acted in a governmental capacity when blocking critics on social media — a test to be applied in lawsuits accusing them of violating the Constitution's First Amendment. Reuters reports that the justices, in a pair of unanimous rulings, threw out decisions by lower courts in cases from California and Michigan involving lawsuits brought by people who were blocked after posting criticisms on the social media accounts of local officials. The justices directed the lower courts to revisit the cases based on the new standard. First Amendment protections for free speech generally constrain government actors, not private individuals. Under the new test, officials are considered engaging in governmental action if they had "actual authority to speak on behalf of the state on a particular matter" and "purported to exercise that authority in the relevant posts."

Diversity Law Week high school students in Memphis today observed a motion docket in Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Gina C. Higgins' courtroom. Afterwards, they were able to discuss what they observed with the judge and ask questions about her life and career. Thanks to Judge Higgins and YLD President Quinton Thompson for leading today's activities.

Join the Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter for its 2024 inaugural symposium "Capitalism & The Carceral State," focused on bridging academics, practitioners and impacted individuals. 2023 MacArthur Fellow Andrea Armstrong will be the keynote speaker. The event will take place March 21 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT in Flynn Auditorium at Vanderbilt University Law School, 131 21st Ave. S., Nashville 37203. Learn more and register here.

Former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland is the "preferred candidate" to be the next dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, according to an email obtained by the Commercial Appeal. David J. Russomanno, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Memphis, said in the email to faculty, "We have reached an extraordinary moment with a tremendous need for a collaborative dean who will demonstrate exemplary leadership and focus on initiatives and priorities to significantly increase enrollment, bar passage rates and philanthropic support to our law school to ensure its continued viability and vitality." The current dean and the first woman in the law school's history to hold the position, Katharine T. Schaffzin, announced in an August 2023 email to the law school community that she will step down at the end of this academic year.