The Human Artistry Campaign has announced the launch of its “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” campaign, backed by nearly 800 American creators, including actors, authors and musicians. Many Nashville artists have signed on in support, The Tennessean reports. The campaign calls for authorization and licensing agreements so artists can be compensated if their work is used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. As generative AI evolves and competition grows, technology companies are accused of using copyrighted content to power AI models and boost profits. Without proper licensing, copying creative works is illegal and can financially harm artists, the group says. Last month, the Copyright Alliance reported more than 70 copyright infringement lawsuits by copyright owners against AI companies.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 1 in a case testing President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to redefine birthright citizenship under the Constitution, Bloomberg Law reports. The order challenged the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, which granted citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. The order directed federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of children born to mothers not legally in the country or here temporarily, and whose fathers were not citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of the birth. The court will take up a U.S. Justice Department appeal of a lower court ruling that blocked the policy saying it violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment as well as federal law.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) announced it will offer free legal advice for veterans through clinics held throughout the year. The first clinic will take place Feb. 11 from noon to 2 p.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender’s Office, WVLT reports. The clinics will provide legal advice, but wills will not be drafted. Veterans unable to attend in person may use a telephone clinic option and can preregister by calling Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865-637-0484. Additional clinics are scheduled for April 8, June 10, Aug. 12, Oct. 14 and Dec. 9. Learn more from the KBA.

As part of its ongoing effort to gather feedback from Tennessee attorneys on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order seeking public comment on seven areas of potential regulatory changes to the legal profession, the TBA’s Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force will host a series of virtual town halls this month. Each town hall will focus on specific issues outlined in the order, starting with a discussion about Alternative Education and Licensure Pathways on Feb. 10 at noon CST. Additional sessions will address Nonlawyer Ownership and Fee Sharing on Feb. 13 at 11 a.m., Paraprofessionals on Feb. 19 at noon,  ABA Accreditation on Feb. 23 at noon, and Interstate Mobility and Reciprocity on Feb. 26 at noon. All times are central time zone. There is no cost to attend but registration is required to receive the meeting link. Attorneys also are encouraged to review the TBA’s Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page before attending.

The TBA will host its 30th Annual Labor & Employment Law Forum on May 1 in Nashville, featuring a full-day program focused on key workplace and regulatory issues facing employers and practitioners. The forum, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT at the Tennessee Bankers Association, will include sessions on return-to-the-workplace challenges, Federal Trade Commission noncompetes and trade secrets, wage and hour issues, and ethics topics addressing sexual harassment and assault. Attendees may earn up to five general and one dual CLE hours. Participants will include Maha Ayesh of Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Heather Collins of HMC Civil Rights Law, Jason Ensley of Forward Air Corp., John Edwin Gerth of Epstein Becker Green and Greg Grisham of Fisher & Phillips. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. 

More than 400 people charged with driving under the influence in 2024 after being pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) troopers had bloodwork that tested negative for drugs and alcohol, the Daily Memphian reports. The report shows that 419 of 16,883 DUI-related blood samples submitted to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) crime labs last year — about 2.5% — detected no intoxicants. TBI officials said negative toxicology results do not necessarily mean a driver was unimpaired, noting some substances may not be detected. THP Col. Matt Perry told lawmakers the arrests were legal and based on observed signs of impairment, not quotas. The issue gained legislative attention after a high-profile Giles County arrest that was later dismissed, leading to a 2025 law requiring TBI to publicly report data on these cases.

Applications are being accepted for the TBA’s 2026 Reporters Workshop now through March 16. Sponsored by TBA’s Communications Law Section, the program will be held in person April 24-25 in Nashville. Organizers will select 15 print, online, television and/or radio journalists who want to develop a deeper understanding of media law issues that may affect their everyday work, including access to government information, defamation and privacy concerns in reporting, as well as other timely topics. Journalists interested in attending should apply online before 5 p.m. CDT on March 16. Student journalists also may apply. Class selection will be announced by March 23, and those selected for participation will be notified by email. Read more about the 2026 program. Tennessee lawyers are encouraged to share this opportunity with members of the media with whom they have relationships.

The TBA Mentoring Committee, in collaboration with the TBA Young Lawyers Division, held a special event — "Developing Lawyers, Developing Leaders: A CLE on Mentorship and Professional Excellence" — last week at Belmont University College of Law. Marshall County General Sessions Court Judge Lee Bussart; University of Tennessee Winston College of Law professor Joan Heminway; Amy Schmisseur, chair of Belmont University's Department of Communication Studies; Sean Aiello of Schell & Oglesby; Billy Leslie of Wilson Elser; and Toyin Edogun of Bass Berry & Sims explored topics of mentorship, leadership and communication across one's legal career. The day of learning was followed by a networking event and the opportunity for participants to mix mocktails together. Mentorship Committee Chair Ross Smith and Vice Chair Alix Rogers organized the event as a kick-off to the TBA's new approach to mentoring. Throughout 2026, the committee will be promoting monthly "mentoring meet-ups" in the hopes that relationships will form organically through participation in activities, rather than the previous approach of assigning mentors. See the committee's updated website page for a list of upcoming mentoring meet-ups as well as helpful resources for mentoring. Those interested in joining the Mentoring Committee to help plan meet-ups should email llabenberg@tnbar.org. See photos from the Jan. 30 event.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman today sent a letter warning law firms of “serious concerns” about their participation in a law incubator’s diversity program, Bloomberg Law reports. The group, Diversity Lab, has certified more than 360 law firms as having met standards for creating diverse hiring pools, according to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s letter to more than 40 of the firms. Ferguson said Diversity Lab may facilitate “potentially anticompetitive collusion” through the use of diversity, equity and inclusion metrics. The lab describes itself as “a team of talent experts, data scientists, and behavioral science scholars, including several former practicing lawyers, who architect and innovate processes, practices, and structures that create inclusive and equitable workplaces.”

The owner of a Hispanic cultural center in South Nashville was sentenced Thursday to three and a half years in prison, far below the 15 years prosecutors sought, following his fraud convictions, The Tennessean reports. Mark Janbakhsh, founder and owner of Plaza Mariachi on Nolensville Pike, was also ordered to pay $11 million in restitution after being convicted in August on 15 felony counts related to a $24 million bank fraud scheme at his former business, Auto Masters. Prosecutors said Janbakhsh and his brother, co-defendant Ron Janbakhsh, along with two other Auto Masters executives, falsified bookkeeping records to inflate the number of active car loans, allowing the company to secure additional bank financing. Some of the funds were diverted to Mark Janbakhsh’s other ventures, including Plaza Mariachi. Ron Janbakhsh, who pleaded guilty shortly after his indictment and testified against his brother, was sentenced to one and a half years in prison. Before sentencing, Mark Janbakhsh repaid about $10 million of the roughly $21 million he personally received through the fraud. The brothers were ordered to report to prison April 28 and will serve their sentences at separate facilities, while the other executives are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 29.