The U.S. Justice Department declined to pursue a civil rights investigation of a federal agent allegedly captured on video placing his boot on the neck of a Latino worker at a Grainger County slaughterhouse, Tennessee Lookout reports. The department’s refusal to probe the actions of agent John Witsell in the April 2018 raid on Southeastern Provision was disclosed in a recent filing in U.S. district court. The motion states that the department’s Civil Rights Division was notified of the alleged excessive force but, within days, decided not to conduct a formal inquiry. The motion also reveals that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility declined to take disciplinary action against Witsell. Latino workers at the slaughterhouse have filed a civil rights conspiracy suit, arguing they were targeted solely because of their race or ethnicity. They claim they were handcuffed, detained without any proof of wrongdoing, mocked and brutalized. As part of their suit, they are seeking access to the video in question.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation has announced the process for applying for its grant awards for 2023. The grant application and additional instructions will be available on Aug. 17 on the foundation’s website. Though applicants will fill out the form electronically, only a hard copy of the completed application should be submitted. Applications must be postmarked no later than midnight on Sept. 14. New and current recipients of IOLTA grants are invited to participate. Read more in the attached announcement.

An item in Friday's issue of TBA Today was not clear about the groups holding a networking reception this Thursday in Nashville. The event at Pins Mechanical Company is being hosted by the Lawyers' Association for Women (LAW) - Marion Griffin Chapter and the Tennessee Stonewall Bar Association. The event will take place from from 5:30 to 7 p.m. CDT. Attendees will gather for games and libations and pizza will be provided. Discounted parking is available on the lower levels of the Broadway Whole Foods garage. Bring your ticket to the event for validation. PINS Mechanical is located at 1102 Grundy St., Nashville, 37203. RSVP here

Tennessee's school voucher program can go ahead for this school year, a three-judge panel ruled late Friday afternoon, the Tennessean reports. The judges — Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin, Blount County Circuit Court Judge Tammy M. Harrington and Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Valerie L. Smith, sitting as a special chancery court — heard arguments against the law earlier that day but ultimately denied a motion for an injunction. School started today in both affected jurisdictions, Nashville and Memphis.

The Tennessee Center for Civil Rights — a new social justice organization that promotes equality in Tennessee through impact litigation — is seeking a staff attorney and a legal director for its Nashville office. Both employees will litigate civil rights cases in three core areas: fighting discrimination, advancing voting rights and reforming the criminal legal system. The legal director also will develop cases and take a lead role in managing all aspects of the group’s litigation program. Applicants for the staff attorney position should have at least two years of experience litigating complex civil cases. Applicants for the legal director position should have at least eight years of experience litigating complex civil cases, with substantial experience with discrimination, voting rights, and/or criminal legal system cases. Read both job descriptions and get instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines yesterday on President Joe Biden's nomination of attorney Rachel Bloomekatz to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Courthouse News reports. Bloomekatz is a solo practitioner and adjunct professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. During her confirmation hearing, Republicans on the committee questioned her work on gun control issues and representation of a 15-year-old who was sentenced to more than 100 years for robbery, kidnapping and rape. The nomination is still expected to advance out of the committee, but the tie vote will delay the confirmation process, requiring the Senate to hold an extra vote, the news source explains.

Among the upsets in Shelby County yesterday, Memphis City Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon won over incumbent Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael and attorneys Dee Shawn Peoples and William Ray Glasgow. Michael, who inherited a 2012 agreement for U.S. Justice Department oversight of Juvenile Court, portrayed himself as a reformer during the campaign, but Sugarman argued he was not serious about reform given his efforts to end federal oversight. The victory breaks a chain of juvenile court judges that stretches back more than 50 years from the late Kenneth Turner, to his handpicked successor Curtis Person Jr., to Michael, who was first hired by Turner. The Daily Memphian has more on judicial races in the county.

The Lawyers' Association for Women (LAW) and Tennessee Stonewall Bar Association will hold a networking event on Aug. 11 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. CDT at Pins Mechanical Company in Nashville. Attendees will gather for games and libations. Pizza will be provided. Discounted parking is available on the lower levels of the Broadway Whole Foods garage. Bring your ticket to the event for validation. PINS Mechanical is located at 1102 Grundy St., Nashville, 37203. RSVP here

Davidson County lawyer Karl Emmanuel Pulley was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The court found that while engaged to represent a client, Pulley was suspended from the practice of law on another matter. He withdrew from representation and told the client he would resume his work after being reinstated, but did not do so. The court determined that Pulley had not fully earned the fee the client had paid. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4, 1.5 and 1.16 and Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 Section 28. The court imposed the censure on the condition that Pulley make a partial refund of $3,750 to the client within 90 days.

The American Bar Association today announced a newly formed Law, Society and the Judiciary Task Force to evaluate developments involving the state of the judiciary in the country. The group also named seven members to the task force, which will be chaired by former ABA President Linda Klein. Among its responsibilities, the task force will identify and recommend steps to be taken to educate the nation on what courts do and why judicial independence is critical to the protection of rights and institutions of government.