Stuart Delery, President Joe Biden's top lawyer, will step down from his post next month, the White House announced today. Reuters reports that no replacement has been named. Delery, who has worked at the White House since July 2022, advised the president on advancing his legislative agenda and defending against Republican-led congressional investigations. Delery’s departure comes as U.S. House Republicans escalate probes into the business dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter.

A federal appellate panel unanimously ruled today that a lawsuit filed by the families of victims of the 2016 fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can proceed, reports Knox News. The ruling overturned last year's district court decision that tossed out the lawsuit over the omission of specific language concerning the National Park Service’s responsibilities to warn the surrounding community in the event of an out-of-control fire. The blaze, which left 14 dead, overran firebreaks and burned large parts of Gatlinburg. A previous story in Knox News reported that park officials were aware that high winds posed a danger to spreading the blaze but failed to notify city or county officials in time.

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., today asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate YouTube into possible violations of tracking and targeting children on its channels, reports The Hill. The bipartisan bill followed the release of a report from Adalytics, an ad quality and transparency platform, that YouTube set “long-lasting cookies” that allowed ad targeting and tracking on browsers of YouTube videos labeled for children. The report found that brand websites were harvesting and sharing metadata from viewers with data brokers.

Grand jurors who voted to indict former President Trump in Georgia on Monday are facing threats after their names were listed publicly within the indictment as required under Georgia law, reports The Hill. A review of social media platforms and far-right forums found users posting numerous racial slurs and the jurors’ addresses. On Tuesday, a Texas woman was arrested after threatening to kill a Democratic member of Congress and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing a criminal case against Trump. Chutkan warned Trump’s lawyers that his defense should be mounted in the courtroom and “not on the internet.”

The Georgia Supreme Court last week removed a state appeals court judge from office after an investigation found that he broke campaign finance rules and took advantage of an elderly client, reports Reuters. The court upheld a hearing panel's findings that Christian Coomer, a former state legislator, had acted in bad faith for his own financial benefit. Coomer has been suspended from office with pay since January 2021, after Georgia's Judicial Qualifications Commission filed disciplinary charges against him.

The Biden administration on Monday issued new guidance to colleges and universities on how to legally encourage racial diversity on their campuses, reports Reuters. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that colleges can no longer consider race as a factor in college admissions. The guidance, released jointly by the departments of Justice and Education, noted that universities may still consider how race has affected an applicant's life such as in an applicant’s essay, as well as consider factors such as geography, financial resources and family background.

Retiring Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee will be honored on Aug. 24 at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Knoxville with an unveiling of her portrait in the courtroom. The ceremony is open to the public and will be live streamed on the court’s YouTube page. In addition, Lee will be honored Aug. 25 at a dinner hosted by the Bradley County Bar Association at the Museum and Cultural Center at in Cleveland. A limited number of tickets are available from the Bradley County Bar Association. And on Aug. 29, the Nashville School of Law, the Nashville Bar Association, and the law firm of Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella will host a retirement celebration at the Nashville School of Law. Lee will retire Aug. 31.

The Metro Nashville Council on Tuesday approved settlements for property owners who sued the city over an ordinance requiring them to construct a sidewalk or pay a fine, reports the Tennessean. The ordinance was struck down by a federal appeals court in May. The council ruled that to be eligible for a settlement, costs to comply with the ordinance must have been incurred on or after May 10, 2022, one year prior to the ruling. More information and claim forms can be found at the Metro website.

Join your colleagues Nov. 30 for the second annual "Raising the Bar" program at Baker Donelson's office in Nashville. Produced by the TBA Women in the Profession Committee, the in-person program is applicable to all attorneys, male and female, as well as those in law firm management positions. This CLE addresses the importance of being an advocate for yourself and each other. The program will begin with a session focused on effectively soliciting raises and project assignments, making partner, receiving your fair share of credit on cases, scheduling needs and more. The second session will discuss frequent barriers impacting diverse women in the legal industry and best practices for supporting them and encouraging their success. The program continues with a session that will review notable legislation that can bolster efforts to advocate for yourself and those around you. We have a practical session for attorneys of all ages that will cover the financial aspects of preparing for retirement, and we will end the day with a presentation on maintaining work-life balance today to ease the transition into retirement. In addition to a networking breakfast in the morning, there will be a networking reception immediately following the program from 4:15-6 p.m. CST.

Visit the course page for details.

The Board of Judicial Conduct today issued an interim suspension for Hawkins County Juvenile Judge Daniel Boyd. In its order, the board says it took the action after Boyd was indicted on three counts of forgery. It also notes that Boyd was charged with one count of criminal simulation and one count of bribing a witness. Tennessee law allows for the immediate interim suspension of judges upon the filing of an indictment. The board said it determined that it was in the public interest and proper administration of justice to take that action. While suspended, Boyd may not exercise any judicial power or authority.