The U.S. Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in a case that could have sweeping consequences for all Americans’ access to mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill. According to The Hill, the court is essentially being asked to uphold an appeals court ruling that overrides a series of changes made by the Food and Drug Administration over the past decade, including increasing the gestational age at which mifepristone can be used to up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, allowing the medication to be mailed to patients, lowering the dosage, allowing telehealth prescribing and permitting providers other than physicians to prescribe the drug.

Denton Loudermill, a Kansas City-area resident, on Monday sued U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett in federal court. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that after a fatal shooting at a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration on Feb. 14, Burchett tweeted a photo of Loudermill, falsely saying he was one of the shooters and was an illegal resident. Neither is true. Loudermill's suit alleges that the false tweet from the congressman caused him distress and he is seeking $75,000 due to the "highly offensive" nature of the accusations. Loudermill was arrested because he was suspected of being drunk in public; he was released and police never suspected he was connected to the shooting.

The Tennessee Senate on Monday passed SB2093, a bill that will allow records from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to be exempt from public records laws if the tourism commissioner and attorney general deem them “sensitive.” The Tennessean reports that the House passed a version of the bill in February, but the legislation has faced more debate in the Senate, where amendments were added to define how long documents could remain secret without being destroyed. The two chambers will have to work out their differences before the legislation can go to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.

Thank you for your support of the Federal Practice Section this bar year! It has been a busy year, led by section Chair David Garrison. In December,  Executive Committee member Brent Jones joined ATF Special Agent Thomas Waggoner for a webinar to firearm regulation in America. If you missed the program, no worries, it is currently available on demand in our CLE catalog. For more learning opportunities, register now for this year’s virtual forum on July 26, where speakers will cover a range of topics, including ADR in federal district court, ramifications of the Chevron decision, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act cases in Tennessee. Our annual forum is a great time to connect with others in your practice area, and remember, you can use your section discount for the CLE.

Thank you for being part of the Federal Practice Section. If you have thoughts or ideas for future section initiatives, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your support of the Communications Law Section this bar year! It has been a busy year, led by section Chair Amy Mohan. In February, Executive Committee member Jay Harbison joined the Tort & Insurance Law Section for a webinar to discuss Tennessee's Anti-SLAPP Act. If you missed the program, no worries, it is currently available on demand in our CLE catalog. The section also is gearing up for the 2024 Reporters Workshop coming up next month. We are excited to host the selected journalists in sessions that will help them develop a deeper understanding of media law issues that affect their everyday work.

Thank you for being part of the Communications Law Section. If you have thoughts or ideas for future section initiatives, don’t hesitate to reach out.

This year's TBA Entertainment & Sports Law Forum will be held in Nashville at Belmont College of Law on May 8. This four-hour program will offer attendees the chance to hear the latest hot topics in the sports and entertainment industries. Topics to be covered include an informational session on the ELVIS Act, a litigation update, an overview of the Corporate Transparency Act, a panel discussion on AI misuse of voice and personal property rights as it relates to voice, and finally a sports law session. Plans also are in the works for a networking reception, so watch for more details on that coming soon.

As a member of the TBA Entertainment & Sports Law Section, you always will receive a section member discount for all CLE programming produced by the section. We hope to see you in May!

Thank you for your support of the Dispute Resolution Section this bar year! It has been a busy year, led by section Chair Matt Haskell. The section sponsored a CLE in November featuring Larry Bridgesmith discussing ways the ADR community can responsibly utilize artificial intelligence. For more learning opportunities, register now for this year’s Dispute Resolution Forum on May 9, where speakers will cover a range of topics, including ethics grievance and arbitration demos, a discussion of community mediation centers and more! The event will be in-person for the first time since 2019 at the Tennessee Bankers Association in Nashville. Our annual forum is a great time to connect with others in your practice area, and remember, you can use your section discount for the CLE.

Thank you for being a member of the Dispute Resolution Section. If you have thoughts or ideas for future section initiatives, please do not hesitate to reach out.

As this year's chair of the Bankruptcy Section, I'd like to personally thank each of you for your membership in our group. Your support and participation allow us to continue to provide educational opportunities and valuable resources for our members. Each year, the Bankruptcy Section produces a one-of-a-kind, interactive CLE program for bankruptcy practitioners and judges from across the state of Tennessee (and beyond). These programs are a wonderful way to stay current on developments in bankruptcy law, meet (or reconnect) with fellow members of the bankruptcy bar, and gain valuable insight from the participating bankruptcy judges. Last year, our section held its annual forum in Gatlinburg, where we had three days of in-person learning and networking opportunities.
 
This year, the Bankruptcy Section is offering the same top-notch program in Chattanooga. From April 12-14, we will have three days of presentations devoted to recent developments in bankruptcy law and panel discussions from Chapter 13 Trustees Kara West and Deb Miller, as well as round-table discussions with four bankruptcy judges from the Western and Eastern Districts of Tennessee and the Northern District of Georgia. They include Hon. Denise Barnett, Hon. Suzanne Bauknight, Hon. Paul Bonapfel and Hon. Nicholas Whittenburg. These round table discussions are wonderful opportunities to debate and evaluate current issues faced by practitioners today and get real-time input from bankruptcy judges on these hot-button issues. Many thanks to our numerous executive council members who year after year write the hypotheticals that are used at the program. We would not be able to execute this program without their contribution! This year’s contributors from the executive council include Jeremy Jones, Joel Giddens, Greg Logue, John Newton, Cam Hillyer, Locke Waldrop and Mike McCormick. We also want to thank executive council member Larry Ahern who annually has led the efforts to produce the ever-popular case law update session that occurs on the Friday of the program. 

Thank you for being a part of our section, and we hope to see you in Chattanooga in April!

- Locke Houston Waldrop

On-demand videos from this bar year's Creditors Practice Forum are now available for purchase in the CLE Course Catalog. Topics covered include artificial intelligence and its application to law practice, charging orders and theories of successor liability, using contractual and statutory liens to increase likelihood of payment, and a tips and tricks session presented by a bankruptcy attorney.  As a member of the TBA Creditors Practice Section, you always will receive a discount on CLE programming produced by the section.

Check out the individual videos or purchase the convenient 1-Click package.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of the Solicitor has ordered Morristown manufacturer Tuff Torq Corporation to pay a $296,951 penalty for illegally employing children as young as 14 years old. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that the DOL's Wage and Hour Division confirmed several children worked for the manufacturer, which supplies parts for John Deere and Yamaha. Additionally, Tuff Torq will set aside $1.5 million from profits made during the children's employment, which will go to the children.