The Energy, Environment and Land Use (EELU) Program at Vanderbilt Law School will host the second annual State of the Environment Conference on Feb. 12 in the law school's Flynn Auditorium, 131 21st Ave. S., Nashville 37203. The conference brings together faculty, policy makers and other experts for a state of the environment report followed by panels led by EELU faculty members. Panelists will discuss current work and research and answer audience questions. The conference includes a cocktail hour and a box lunch is available. Registration is not necessary. Learn more about the conference and see the full agenda.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today declined to reconsider a ruling that only the U.S. government, not private parties, can sue under a landmark civil rights law barring racial discrimination in voting. Reuters reports that the court rejected a request by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP to reconsider a 2023 ruling holding that private plaintiffs cannot bring cases enforcing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. For decades, the majority of Voting Rights Act lawsuits have been filed by private parties.

The University of North Carolina agreed to pay $4.8 million to cover fees and expenses of Students for Fair Admissions (SFA), an anti-affirmative action group founded by Edward Blum that won a challenge to the school's consideration of race in student admissions, reports Reuters. The disclosure was made in response to a public records request by Reuters seeking information on the fees accrued by the Virginia-based nonprofit. According to tax filings, SFA has spent about $8 million on legal expenses during the course of its various lawsuits since 2015, with nearly $6.9 million going to its primary law firm, Consovoy McCarthy.

State Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, has filed HB1661 to create a petition process for removing content from public and school libraries that is accessible to minors and considered contrary to “contemporary community standards.” According to the Commercial Appeal, the bill would affect content that includes “nudity,” “excess violence,” “sexual conduct” or content that is “patently offensive” or of “a prurient interest.” The filing comes two years after lawmakers passed the Age Appropriate Materials Act, which created restrictions and enforcement of what is accessible to children in public school libraries. There is no Senate counterpart to the new proposed bill yet.

Lawyers representing the board of the Lone Mountain Shores Owners Association and a handful of homeowners whom the board sued over short-term rentals made their cases before a judge in Claiborne County Chancery Court on Jan. 25, reports KnoxNews. The case centers on whether a house rented on Airbnb or Vrbo should be considered a single-family home or a hotel. Short-term rentals are defined by the state as rentals shorter than 30 days. The Lone Mountain Shores homeowners' association board allows long-term rentals, which the board says falls under single-family residential use. Both sides have filed for summary judgement. Chancellor Elizabeth Asbury could rule by Feb. 25 according to the paper.

The city of Memphis has released hours of additional video footage and audio of police radio communications from the night Tyre Nichols was beaten by five now-former Memphis Police Department officers, reports the Commercial Appeal. Nichols would die in the hospital three days later. The former officers have been charged with second degree murder among other offenses. Additional documents related to Nichols' killing, the internal Memphis Police Department investigation into the incident, and the officers charged in state and federal court are expected to be released at a later date.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has issued a warning to all Tennesseans about a scam involving Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) documents. According to Chattanoogan.com, as part of the scam, citizens receive an official-looking mailer from TN UCC Statement Service, incorrectly implying businesses or individuals must obtain a copy of a UCC-1 financing statement filed against them. Hargett says that the mailing is intended to “trick borrowers into paying excessive costs to obtain a document they will likely never need.” The UCC is a comprehensive set of laws governing sales or other commercial transactions. A UCC-1 financing statement is a legal form that creditors use to give notice that they have a lien on an asset of a debtor. Hargett is encouraging anyone who receives this mailing to report it to the Division of Business and Charitable Organizations and the Tennessee Attorney General’s office.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson were in Memphis on Friday to announce a new legislative effort to expand the criminal charges for which bail would not be an option. The Commercial Appeal reports that currently, only those charged with capital murder can be denied bail in the state. The bill, which is not yet drafted, would amend the state constitution to add other violent crimes. Sexton, who says the measure is intended to "allow the judicial branch to have more discretion," was joined at a press conference by Memphis Mayor Paul Young, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, a number of state legislators representing Memphis and Shelby County, and local law enforcement officials. Mulroy says he supports the idea so long as the language specifically states that judges retain discretion in setting bail. State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, said his constituents support the legislation because they want a safer community. State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, appeared to support the amendment, but called for gun reform. The bail reform nonprofit Just City said it opposes the idea, arguing it will not tackle the crime problem in Memphis.

A Wilson County woman has reached a settlement with Rutherford County and members of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office after she sued for being forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo at the county detention center. The Tennessean reports that the county has agreed to update its booking and jail policies to accommodate religious attire, delete Johnston’s booking photos and all video footage in which she was depicted without wearing her hijab, and pay her $100,000. The updated booking policy states that “arrestees and citation recipients are not required to remove religious head coverings for booking photos as long as the view of the face and profile are not obstructed by religious attire.”

Anderson County Chancellor James “Jamie” Brooks Jr. has announced he will run in the special March 5 Republican primary. Brooks was appointed to the Seventh Judicial District seat by Gov. Bill Lee on April 18, 2023, following the retirement of Chancellor Nichole Cantrell. The primary will determine the candidates who will run to fill the remainder of Cantrell’s term. Prior to joining the court, Brooks practiced law 37 years. He says he is committed to listening courteously, answering wisely, considering soberly and deciding cases impartially. Read more about his campaign at chancellorjamiebrooks.com.