Earlier this summer, President Joe Biden announced a new pathway to citizenship for immigrant spouses. The plan, an expansion of a current program known as “Parole in Place,” was designed to allow certain undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens to stay in the country and work legally. The new “Keeping Families Together” program began accepting applications last week but is now in limbo after a federal judge in Texas blocked it, the Associated Press reports. The plan is being challenged by 16 states, including Tennessee. The government says it will continue to accept applications and fight to reinstate the program.

State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, was transported to a hospital in Nashville on Wednesday after experiencing a brief health episode. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Gardenhire, 76, was taken from the Cordell Hull State Office Building "out of an abundance of caution." A spokesperson for the senator says he "was awake and alert when he left the building and is presently in good spirits." Gardenhire, who has represented Chattanooga in the Senate since 2013, said in a text he is recovering.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined without comment the Biden administration’s request to reinstate its new student debt relief as legal challenges to the plan proceed, SCOTUSblog reports. Two groups of Republican state attorneys general challenged the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, arguing the administration does not have legal authority to implement it. In those cases, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the plan to go forward while the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals effectively blocked it. The conflict in the appellate courts led the administration to seek the Supreme Court’s emergency intervention. The Hill also reports that the court turned down an alternative idea proposed by all sides that it consider the case on the merits during its upcoming term.

The Hamilton County Commission has named Tori Smith as its new General Sessions Court judge, Chattanoogan.com reports. She will replace Judge Alex McVeagh, who recently was elected as a circuit court judge. Smith currently is a supervisor in the public defender's office. She will be sworn in Sept. 4 at 9:30 a.m. EDT. McVeagh will be sworn in the next day at 2 p.m. EDT. Smith will serve until the August 2026 general election. The winner of that election then will serve until 2030, which is when McVeagh’s term would have expired.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments from Tennessee families and physicians later this year in a case challenging the state’s ban on transgender medical care for minors. This week, a group of families and physicians filed a brief with the court urging it to block the law, WPLN reports. Failure to do so would set a legal precedent for discrimination against transgender people, they argue. The ACLU of Tennessee has a copy of the filing. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the law to take effect last year. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says the case “will bring much-needed clarity to whether the constitution contains special protections for gender identity.”

The University of California’s Berkeley School of Law will begin offering an AI-focused master of laws (LLM) degree next summer, Bloomberg Law reports. Applications are now being accepted for the program, which was created with the assistance of leaders from within the AI industry, including Meta Platforms Inc. and Anthropic. A spokesperson for the school says the program is ideal for attorneys “seeking to future-proof their practice.” Courses will include AI ethics, the fundamentals of AI technology, and current and future efforts to regulate AI at home and abroad. The program is structured to be completed over two summers or over a year by working remotely in combination with a summer on campus. Read more from the school.

It has been more than a year since Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) notified 174 transgender patients that their medical information had been provided to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in response to a probe into possible fraudulent billing practices. Three patients are suing the hospital. One is seeking class action status for patients who had records disclosed. VUMC argues that plaintiff lacks an adequate class representative. The other two patients are seeking class action status for those who were misinformed about having records disclosed. VUMC argues they lack standing. The Nashville Banner has more on the cases.

The Shelby County District Attorney's office has filed an emergency writ of certiorari against General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson's decision to release on his own recognizance a man who allegedly shot four people. In the unusual legal filing, the office is looking to reinstate bail for the defendant, the Commercial Appeal reports. Detawn Gunn was charged with shooting four at the Memphis entertainment district known as Railgarten. Anderson allowed Gunn out of jail without posting monetary bail, but did set conditions on his release. The district attorney’s office had proposed $500,000 in bail. WREG also reports that State Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, has weighed in on the matter, alerting the Board of Judicial Conduct to Anderson’s decision. He also says the judge's actions may violate a new state law requiring the safety of the community to be the first consideration of bail.

The 21st Annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program has launched its annual call for nominations for the 2025 class. Nominees should have from five to 15 years of experience in practice. Nominations are due Oct. 4 and should be submitted using this online form. Last year, 35 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. The new class will kick off in January 2025 with an opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park and end next June with a commencement ceremony during the TBA Annual Convention in Franklin. Email TBALL coordinators Tanja Trezise or Jarod Word with any questions.

Newer practice management systems have features unimaginable 20 years ago, particularly for solos and small firms. Want to integrate your phone system with a practice management program or access your data from anywhere? These and other cool features make it essential to prioritize your “needs” and “wants” before you shop around. Use this checklist in conjunction with “Moving to a New PM System” for a full 360-degree picture of options and possibilities. Find more in the Managing a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.