Four immigration bills sponsored by House Republicans are sparking outrage among supporters of immigrants and immigrant rights, Tennessee Lookout reports. The first bill, HB1648, would allow schools to deny enrollment to students based on their immigration status. Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, the bill would also deny state education funding for children who cannot prove their legal status. Opponents point out that the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled it is unconstitutional to discriminate against students on the basis of immigration status. The second bill, HB1994, also by Griffey, seeks to develop and implement a system to relocate undocumented people to somewhere outside the state. A third proposal from Griffey, HB1636, seeks to expand the state’s current mandatory e-verify program, which requires employers to verify their workers' identifications. Finally, HJR0652, from Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, urges the U.S. Congress to complete a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, Knoxville Bar Association and its Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law will hold a Faith & Justice Alliance Advice Clinic this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon EST at Cokesbury United Methodist Church’s North Campus, 9915 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922. Sign up here to volunteer.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is warning business owners about a scam incorrectly implying they need a Certificate of Good Standing, Chattanoogan.com reports. Hargett said a deceptive mailer from a company called Business Document Center asks business owners to pay $87.25 for the certificate. That fee is four times more than what the Secretary of State’s office charges for an equivalent document known as a Certificate of Existence. “These mailers imply that businesses must have a Certificate of Good Standing to operate in Tennessee,” Hargett said. “A Certificate of Good Standing is not even something that our office offers. What is called a Certificate of Good Standing in some other states is a Certificate of Existence in Tennessee, and neither are necessary to do business in our great state.” 

Leif Jeffers this week announced his intention to seek reelection to the office of 8th Judicial District Public Defender, The Independent Herald reports. Jeffers has served the district since September 2014 when he was first elected to the office. He began his career as a juvenile probation officer in 1989, and has served as an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and as an assistant public defender, assistant district attorney general and municipal judge for the town of Winfield. The district covers Scott, Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress and Union counties.

Municipal judge and assistant district attorney general Bradley Sherman has announced his candidacy for the 12th Judicial District Circuit Court, Part 1, Rhea Herald News reports. Sherman lives in Cowan in Franklin County and serves as the municipal judge there, but works for the 17th Judicial District attorney general in nearby Lincoln County. He represents the office on the Lincoln County Recovery Court Team and has assisted in developing training programs for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. The seat he is seeking covers Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe and Rhea counties. Sherman said in a news release that he appreciates the dedicated service of Judges Thomas W. Graham and J. Curtis Smith, both of whom are retiring from the court this year.

Health care executive Caleb Hemmer has announced his candidacy for state House District 59, the Nashville Post reports. Hemmer works at American Health Partners and serves on the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners. He previously was an aide to former Gov. Phil Bredesen. He will face public defender Jeff Preptit in the Democratic primary. Michelle Foreman is the only Republican in the race so far. The seat is currently held by Rep. Jason Potts, D-Nashville, who is retiring. The district was altered during redistricting, and now encompasses some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Davidson County, including Belle Meade, Forest Hills and Oak Hill as well as communities along the southern border of the county. Hemmer said his priorities in office would be affordable health care, sound fiscal management and high-paying jobs.

Sponsored by the TBA's Young Lawyer's Division, this webcast will provide a unique look at implicit bias, how it impacts lawyers and why it matters. Cultural Competency and Implicit Bias: Why it Matters also will feature real life examples of how these issues impact work in the courtroom and with clients. Join Professor Sherley Cruz with the University of Tennessee College of Law and Brentwood lawyer Julie Bhattacharya Peak on Feb. 22 from noon to 1 p.m. CST. Participants also have the opportunity to submit anonymous questions for the speakers. Just complete this form to add to the discussion!

New data from Wolters Kluwer’s ELM Solutions, a legal analytics company, shows that big billing rate increases last year often coincided with population gains, and ELM found “especially” high average billing rate increases in the following seven cities: Greenville, South Carolina (18%), Fresno, California (15%), Oklahoma City (13%), Seattle and Nashville (11% each), Phoenix (10%) and Miami (9%). Andrew Maloney writes in Law.com that population gains tied with billing rate increases indicate these cities could be among the next wave of markets for a Big Law boom.

Jonesborough attorney Michael Rasnake recently announced his candidacy for judge in Washington County General Sessions Court, Division III, the Johnson City Press reports. Rasnake attended the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and worked five years at the Public Defender’s Office in Jackson, followed by four years in private practice. He returned to Washington County in 2005 and joined the District Attorney’s Office. Rasnake is a founding member of the county’s Recovery Court, which he says will “ensure a smooth transition” when he transitions to Recovery Court judge. “My real dream is to take that same problem-solving model we use in Recovery Court and create a Family Treatment Court like other counties in our state,” Rasnake said.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has asked Gov. Bill Lee to seek a federal disaster declaration for Memphis after last week’s ice storm, the Daily Memphian reports. Cohen, in a letter to Lee, wrote that an estimate from Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division shows $13 million in preliminary damage. That number is already more than the required minimum to qualify for federal disaster assistance. Cohen says several relief funds administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be of specific use, including the Public Assistance Grant Program for help with “debris removal, repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged and publicly owned facilities.”