The White House announced this week that several ticket brokers, including Live Nation, will be changing their ticketing policies to disclose fees upfront, Axios reports. In addition, Ticketmaster will add a feature to give consumers the option to receive all-in upfront pricing for tickets sold on the platform, and Seat Geek has committed to all-in pricing features this summer. The announcement comes after Tennessee passed first-of-its-kind legislation to ensure ticket brokers disclose fees in advertised prices. Those requirements go into effect on July 1.

At today’s Lawyers Luncheon, outgoing TBA President Tasha Blakney presented a number of awards. Chattanooga lawyer Russell Fowler received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for two voting-related articles in the March/April 2022 issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. Rutherford County attorney Mary Bonita Tucker received the Fourth Annual Claudia Jack Award for her work as a court-appointed private practitioner for involuntary commitment proceedings. Blakney presented her President’s Award to Knoxville lawyer and former TBA President Jason Long, who chaired the search committee responsible for hiring TBA’s new executive director Sheree Wright. In addition, Nashville lawyer and TBA Communications Section member Jay Harbison presented the Fourth Estate Award to Elk Valley Times general manager and editor Lora Scripps and reporter Wanda Southerland for their reporting on Jack Daniels' exemptions from regulations while locals complained about a “whiskey fungus” created by unregulated barrel houses. Finally, former TBA President Buck Lewis presented Knoxville attorney and University of Tennessee College of Law Dean and Professor Emeritus Douglas A. Blaze with the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows. See photos from today's event.

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, have both won their special primary elections after being ousted from the state House of Representatives in April for their roles in gun violence protests. WKRN caught up with Jones after he voted. “Quite frankly, it’s a waste of taxpayer money," Jones said. "But it is part of the process to undo what happened on April 6th.” The general election will be held in August.

The TBA offices will be closed Monday for Juneteenth, a federal and state holiday in the United States commemorating emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The TBA will reopen on Tuesday.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold two clinics next week. On Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. EDT, the group will hold a clinic at its Oak Ridge office, 575 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Ste. 201, Oak Ridge 37830. On Saturday, a general advice clinic will be held from 8:30-10:30 a.m. CDT at Belmont University, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. To volunteer for these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all June clinics.

The Petitioner, Courtney R. Logan, appeals the Hardeman County Circuit Court’s summary dismissal of his fifth petition for writ of habeas corpus relief. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the habeas corpus court pursuant to Rule 20 of the Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. The modernization of Michigan’s process for identifying fraud in unemployment benefits, according to four residents of the State, came with a cost: It undermined their due process rights. The four residents all obtained unemployment benefits, and the State’s new software for identifying unemployment fraud targeted them but did not immediately deprive them of any benefits. They sued two Unemployment Insurance Agency supervisors, among many others. In the first stage of this case, the complaint and proffered class action covered claims in which the State terminated welfare payments without adequate notice and a hearing. But at this stage in the case, after the denial of a motion to certify a class and with just four plaintiffs remaining, the lawsuit covers only claims in which the State offers several procedural protections before any elimination of benefits. Because the remaining plaintiffs have failed to show that these procedures violate any clearly established law, the supervisors are entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Suzette Heathcote separately appeals the denial of her motion to intervene in the case. Because the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding her motion untimely, we affirm that order.

Five Memphis education advocates have filed suit against the Shelby County Board of Education and the district’s chief safety and security officer, alleging their First and 14th Amendment rights have been violated after they were banned from attending school board meetings. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the group, known as the “School Board Five,” was prohibited from school board meetings following a May 9 meeting focused on the search for a new superintendent of Shelby County schools. Banning the group members for an indefinite time period without giving them the opportunity to appeal violates their constitutional rights, lawyers for the group say.

Two main candidates are emerging to succeed the late state Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, who died earlier this month. The Nashville Post reports that former Metro Council Member Anthony Davis could be appointed by the council as soon as next week to temporarily fill the vacancy, a move deemed necessary in the event that a special legislative session on gun control moves forward as planned in August. Davis also will run in the special election to fill the remainder of the term while Nashville organizer Aftyn Behm also has declared her candidacy. The Democratic primary is scheduled for Aug. 3, on the same ballot as the mayoral and Metro Council elections. The general election will be held Sept. 14, when Metro runoffs are scheduled. The qualifying deadline for the race is June 22.

The process of decertifying Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill for his role in the death of Tyre Nichols has been suspended, but he may not serve as an officer in Tennessee in the interim. According to the Daily Memphian, Hemphill, one of the officers involved in the Jan. 7 traffic stop that led to Nichols’ death three days later, appeared before the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) Thursday. The panel was considering decertifying Hemphill at the request of the Memphis Police Department, but put the matter on hold pending completion of a federal investigation.