A bill that would have prevented state courts from hearing challenges to legislative rules failed to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee, effectively shelving the measure this year, the Tennessee Journal reports. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, and Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, was filed in response to Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin‘s injunction blocking a House rule that would have banned members of the public from holding signs during a special session last August.

The U.S. Marshals Service has asked Congress for $38 million to fund two new programs aimed at bolstering judicial security, Reuters reports. According to the service, the request is in response to a rise in threats against federal judges and U.S. Supreme Court justices. The funding request comes as the U.S. Supreme Court included $19.4 million in its federal budget request to use its own police force rather than the U.S. Marshals Service to protect the nine justices.

Nashville area legal services provider Latitude has opened an office in Tampa, joining the firm’s existing Florida presence in Miami. The Nashville Post reports that Kyle Robisch, formerly a partner in the Tampa office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, will serve as office founding partner and leader. Robisch spent 10 years litigating cases and serving as outside general counsel to Bradley clients. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. Latitude’s Miami office was founded in 2020. The new office joins locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis.

The comprehensive set of data on bar passage rates released by the American Bar Association (ABA) this week included some additional findings not previously reported in TBA Today. According to Reuters, Vanderbilt University Law School placed third in the nation for its first-time bar pass rate of 96.97%, coming in behind the University of Michigan Law School (97.27%) and the University of Chicago Law School (97.1%). Reuters also reports that longstanding racial disparities in the rates of passage continued in 2023. White exam takers had the highest first-time pass rate at 84%, followed by Asian test takers at 74%, Hispanic examinees at 71% and Black examinees at 58% — continuing an ongoing trend that has fueled criticism of the bar exam as biased.

A free legal advice clinic will be held in Memphis on March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon CDT. The event will take place at the Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Ave., Memphis 38104. Volunteer lawyers are needed. Those who are willing to participate should email midtownlegalclinic@gmail.com.

TBA's Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp Legislative Reception will be held next week in Nashville on March 20. The events give Tennessee lawyers an opportunity to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession, including funding for indigent representation. The TBA Day on the Hill will include a luncheon and meetings with legislators in the afternoon, followed by the annual Big Shrimp reception that night. Sign up today to take part!

A bill that would change the way the Tennessee Legislature handles sexual harassment claims against members failed Tuesday when the House Public Service Subcommittee could not muster the votes necessary to consider the proposal. The legislation, sponsored by Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, and Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, would have moved claims from legislative leaders to the state attorney general. Former Rep. Scotty Campbell, who left the legislature last year after lawmakers determined he violated workplace discrimination and harassment policies, was on hand to testify for the measure but was not given the opportunity. The Tennessean has more on the story.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is seeking session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU), set for Aug. 28-30 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Topics of interest include employment law, family law, health and benefits, housing and consumer, special education and juvenile justice, as well as professionalism. See all topics and submit proposals online by April 17.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection recently met to consider claims from clients alleging financial loss due to the illegal actions of their lawyers. The fund approved one claim against Montgomery County attorney Kevin William Teets in the amount of $4,500. It also directed Teets to reimburse the fund for the expense. The Fund for Client Protection was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases also are posted online.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the federal judiciary to grant minors greater privacy in criminal cases by requiring prosecutors and defense lawyers to refer to them in public court filings by pseudonyms rather than by their initials, Reuters reports. The change, according to the department, is designed to better protect the identities of children who are victims and witnesses of crimes, particularly in sexual exploitation cases. A DOJ official said that in recent years, some people accused of exploiting children track court filings and take other measures to uncover the identity of child victims, who they then contact and harass further. The request has been referred to the Judicial Conference's rulemaking bodies.