A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing portions of an executive order designed to punish the law firm of Perkins Coie. The Associated Press reports that U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell granted a temporary restraining order sought by the firm one day after it filed suit over the executive order. The judge said the executive order sends a chilling message that lawyers can be punished for representing clients or advancing views unfavorable to the government. Under the ruling, the government may not enforce portions of the order blocking the firm from seeking government contracts for its clients and banning firm employees from federal buildings.

Rhonda L. ("Mother") filed a petition in the Juvenile Court for the City of Bristol ("the Juvenile Court") to modify a parenting plan granting Mark K. ("Father") sole custody of Kendin L. ("the Child") and Mother at least four days of parenting time each month.' Father filed a motion for injunctive relief seeking the suspension of Mother's parenting time based upon Mother's persistent inappropriate behavior and psychological evaluation results. The Juvenile Court entered an ex parte order granting the motion for injunctive relief. After trial, the Juvenile Court dismissed Mother's petition for her failure ot prosecute and ordered that the suspension of Mother's parenting time remain in full effect until Mother engaged in therapy and treatment for her personality disorder. Mother appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

This appeal concerns termination of parental rights. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (“DCS”) filed a petition in the Juvenile Court for Humphreys County (“the Juvenile Court”) seeking to terminate the parental rights of Tabitha P. (“Mother”) and Cody T. (“Father”) to their minor child Gabriel T. (“the Child”). After a hearing, the Juvenile Court entered an order terminating Mother’s and Father’s parental rights on several grounds. Mother and Father appeal, arguing mainly that DCS failed to assist or communicate with them. The Juvenile Court determined that Mother and Father were not credible witnesses, a determination we leave undisturbed. We find that each ground for termination found by the Juvenile Court was proven by clear and convincing evidence. We find further by clear and convincing evidence, as did the Juvenile Court, that termination of Mother’s and Father’s parental rights is in the Child’s best interest. We affirm.

This is an appeal of a denial of unemployment benefits. The issue presented is whether, under Tennessee’s unemployment statutes, an employee who gives her employer notice of her resignation as of a certain date and is terminated by the employer prior to the effective resignation date is disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits on the ground that the employee voluntarily quit. The trial court affirmed the agency’s decision denying benefits. Based upon the plain language of the relevant statutory provision, we conclude that the employee’s actions do not constitute a voluntary decision to quit. Therefore, we reverse the trial court’s decision.

Longtime Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn has announced that she will retire at the end of May. She has held the position for 29 years, having been originally appointed by the late Gov. Don Sundquist in 1996. Blackburn, whose current term is set to end in 2030, is the longest serving criminal court judge in the county, having presided over tens of thousands of criminal matters and hundreds of trials. Blackburn earned her undergraduate and master's degree in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University. While working in the mental health field, she attended Nashville School of Law at night. Upon graduation, she was hired as an assistant district attorney in Nashville and later was appointed one of two deputy district attorneys. She says that serving on the bench has been the greatest honor of her professional career. The Tennessean has tributes from lawyers and judges who have worked with Blackburn over the years.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation has launched a new IOLTA Capital Improvement and Technology Enhancement (CITE) Grant, a one-time grant to help legal aid and civil legal services providers strengthen operational capacity and technology. Funding can be requested for capital improvements, projects that enhance efficiency and improving client service with technology, or projects that drive innovation through technology. Applications should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CDT on April 23. The foundation will hold webinar on March 20 at 2 p.m. CDT to demonstrate the application portal and answer any questions. Sign up for the webinar. Read more in a press release from the foundation or access detailed guidelines — including eligibility requirements, application standards and evaluation criteria — and frequently asked questions on the foundation’s website.

The Washington County Bar Association is asking for volunteer lawyers to help residents of northeast Tennessee with legal needs following Hurricane Helene. The Advocacy Committee of the Washington County Long Term Recovery Group is a group of volunteers continuing to assist residents affected by the hurricane. Those interested in helping with intake or assisting with pro bono representation should contact Melissa Reading, 423-794-4009. The next meeting of the committee is March 19 at noon EDT via Zoom.

The U.S. Senate last week confirmed President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general, the number two role at the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ). Blanche was confirmed on a party line vote of 52-46, Reuters reports. The Senate also approved Gail Slater to lead the department’s antitrust division. She was approved on a bipartisan vote according to Bloomberg Law. The Senate Judiciary Committee also recently advanced the nominations of three to key roles at the department. The panel approved D. John Sauer to be U.S. solicitor general, Harmeet Dhillon to lead the Civil Rights Division and Aaron Reitz to head the Office of Legal Policy. Bloomberg Law reports on those votes.

The TBA’s Immigration Section will host a one-hour webcast on March 31 exploring what attorneys need to know in this period of enhanced immigration enforcement to counsel clients and be on the look out for notario fraud, which can be prevalent in immigrant communities. Make plans now to join Edith Johnson with Catholic Charities of East Tennessee in Knoxville to learn more. The webcast will run from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Immigration Section members get registration discounts. Not a section member? Join here.

According to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), law firm summer associate hiring hit an all-time low in 2024. Reuters reports that it appears that law firms are taking a "conservative" recruiting approach and new figures show that on-campus interviews are no longer the primary means of summer associate hiring. The median number of second year law students hired as summer associates dropped to six in 2024 from seven the year prior — the lowest since NALP began tracking that figure in 1993.