The Secretary of State’s Division of Elections announced Monday that 3.08 million Tennesseans voted on Nov. 5 in the presidential election. Over 2.13 million cast their ballots early and in person, breaking turnout records this election season. The numbers for both overall voter turnout and early voting turnout beat last year’s totals. “For months, we have prepared for what was expected to be a robust voter turnout for the Nov. 5 Presidential Election,” said Secretary Tre Hargett. “We are encouraged by the record number of voters who cast a ballot and let their voices be heard.” Fox 17 reports on the data. Earlier reports had noted that this year's turnout was closer to 2020 numbers.

A federal judge in Texas has issued a nationwide injunction blocking enforcement of the 2021 Corporate Transparency Act, which requires corporate entities to disclose the identities of their real beneficial owners to the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant sided with the National Federation of Independent Business and several small businesses and nonprofits in concluding that the act was likely unconstitutional. Mazzant called it an "unprecedented" attempt by the federal government to legislate in an area traditionally left to the states. The law, which is touted as an anti-money laundering tool law, directs the Treasury Department to collect and analyze submitted data to combat crime.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board on Tuesday approved a six-month contract for virtual instruction amid ongoing struggles to fill teacher vacancies, Chalkbeat Tennessee reports. The board unanimously approved a $4.6 million contract with the Texas-based program Proximity Learning to provide 100 teachers for live online classes for middle and high school students. Superintendent Marie Feagins told the board the district had 312 vacant teaching positions as of Tuesday’s meeting. A report released this fall by the Tennessee Department of Education showed that Southwest Tennessee, which includes Memphis, had the highest vacancy rate in the state for the 2023-2024 school year, the paper reports. Feagins told the board the contract would not resolve the underlying issue of vacancies but would help fill some gaps until positions are filled.

A nonprofit has filed a lawsuit against Tennessee’s new law requiring those attempting to access certain material online to verify their age. According to WSMV 4, the Free Speech Coalition’s lawsuit claims that the “Protect Tennessee Minors Act” violates the First and 14th Amendments by imposing “substantial burdens on website operators, content creators, and countless others who use the internet” by requiring websites to age-verify every user before granting access to “content harmful to minors.” The group also argues that the definition of "harmful to minors" is not well defined. The law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee in May, is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

As part of its year end CLE event, the TBA is offering the Ultimate Ethics Package, a convenient way to fulfill annual CLE requirements. The package includes a variety of ethics-related courses, including ethics updates, law practice management and attorney wellness. Take advantage of this opportunity to earn eight dual hours of CLE credit before the end of the year. Interested in something else? See all package options or build your own any time by visiting cle.tba.org to access more than 200 on-demand courses.

The TBA's International Law & Practice Section will host a webcast on Dec. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. CST to discuss how the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service assists U.S. companies with exports and foreign direct investment. The webcast will explore the agency's global network and its role in promoting U.S. economic interests and addressing unfair trade practices. Hear from Brie Knox, who manages the Commercial Service's three Tennessee offices in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. For more information and to register, visit TBA’s website.

Tomorrow’s Criminal Law Forum will feature Fox 17 News anchor Scott Couch. Couch, a four-time Emmy winner and Midsouth journalist for nearly 30 years, brings an interesting perspective to this "ripped from the headlines" approach to CLE. He will be joined by former reporter-turned-lawyer Amy Mohan, criminal defense expert David Raybin and communications expert Eric Kowalczyk, who will provide insight on media relations for lawyers using real cases and hypotheticals. The forum will cover common pitfalls, ethical obligations and effective communication strategies. Criminal Justice Section members enjoy a discounted rate. Learn more and register here.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board recently held its winter meeting in Nashville. YLD President Sean Aiello presented Stars of the Quarter to Nashville attorney Darius Walker Jr. for his role as treasurer, Nashville attorney Alix Rogers for her role as Middle Tennessee Governor and Lewisburg attorney Savannah Oliver for her role as chair of the Public Service Committee. Aiello also expressed appreciation for all board members and their outstanding effort in their roles. Judge Lee Bussart, the YLD Fellows liaison to the board, selected Sean Aiello as the recipient of the disco gavel.  Several board members joined Health and Wellness Coordinator Patrick Morrison for a brisk walk down Broadway in the morning. In addition, the board welcomed the Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2025 to the retreat. This was the first time the class met in person. Special thanks to YLD Board members Ginny Blake, Grace Burnett, Billy Leslie, Alix Rogers, Jennifer Safstrom, Darius Walker Jr. and Rod Watson who held programming for the students. The Class of 2025 will join the board again at the Mock Trial Competition in March and the TBA's Annual Convention in June. See photos from the event.

The Nashville law firm of Stranch, Jennings & Garvey PLLC has announced that its suit against Gerber Life Insurance Company has been granted national class action certification. The suit, which alleges the company used deceptive naming and marketing to push its Grow-Up Plan and College Plan, seeks damages for all individuals who purchased plans dating back to April 2014. Specifically, the suit alleges that the company lead parents and grandparents to believe the plans were affordable ways to build a nest egg for their child or grandchild, but really locked consumers into a guaranteed loss, only providing any net value if the child died. According to the firm, the entire class includes over two million people who paid Gerber more than $700 million in premiums.

The Defendant, William Swafford, was convicted by a Hamblen County jury of especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, and rape, for which he received an effective sentence of fifty-five years’ imprisonment. On appeal, he argues that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction of especially aggravated kidnapping and that the trial court erred by admitting the preliminary hearing testimony of the Defendant’s late wife. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.