The fourth annual Oye Vecino LIVE, set for Sept. 21, will include a panel discussion on immigration and a presentation by former civil rights attorney turned writer and performer Irma Herrera. The event will begin at 5 p.m. CDT in the auditorium of the Main Nashville Public Library. All proceeds will benefit Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, which provides free or low-cost legal services to immigrants, educates the public about issues related to immigration and advocates for immigrant rights. Get tickets here.

Two Davidson County clerks allegedly have hired relatives for taxpayer-funded jobs without considering other applicants, WSMV4 reports. The news station says Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry gave his daughter a part-time job handling social media and outreach to those needing expungements without advertising the job or collecting applications. When asked about the decision, Gentry said, “The position was there. We didn’t ask for new money. It was an open position.” The station also reports that three relatives of Davidson County Clerk Brenda Wynn received paid internships in her office. Both Gentry and Wynn say they are not violating nepotism rules because they do not directly supervise their relatives. Watch their responses in interviews with the station.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society will host a reception on Oct. 4 from 5:30-7 p.m CDT to honor the current, outgoing and new members of the court. Retiring Justice Sharon Lee and incoming Justice Dwight Tarwater specifically will be honored. The event will take place at the Nashville office of Holland & Knight, 511 Union St., Ste. 2700, Nashville 37219. For more information contact Stacie Beishuizen. The society was founded in 1995 to ensure the preservation and accessibility of the records of the court.

Longtime Monroe County Clerk & Master Judith “Judy” Ann Burris Lee of Madisonville died Aug. 6. Lee, mother of Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, served in the role for 38 years from 1963 to 2001. When she retired in 2001, she was one of the longest serving clerk and masters in the state. She then went on to serve eight years on the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners. Lee was active in the state clerk’s association and her community, serving on the Hiwassee College Board of Trustees and the American Legion Auxiliary Tennessee Chapter, American Ex-Prisoners of War Smokey Mountain Chapter, Madisonville Kiwanis Club and Sequoyah Trail Garden Club. She also was active in politics, serving as chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party and Monroe County Democratic Women. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

State House members have filed 15 bills so far for consideration during the special legislative session, including two from House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland. His first proposal, HB7007, would block the release of sensitive county medical examiner and autopsy reports of minor children who are victims of violent crime. WKRN reports on that bill. His second, HB7012, would require the state to provide free firearm locks and lessons on safe gun storage. In addition, Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, has introduced HB7005 to clarify that private schools serving students in any of the grades of pre-kindergarten through 12th can permit handgun carry on their property.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from two conservative groups seeking to halt the Biden administration’s latest plan to cancel student loan debt. Ludington said the groups did not have standing to bring a complaint, and even if they did, their alleged injuries were not sufficient, The Hill reports. The administration announced a plan to provide $39 billion in student debt relief for 804,000 borrowers in July after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a larger effort to forgive $400 billion in loans.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) is partnering with The Hub, which provides services and resources to Memphians experiencing homelessness, to host a free legal clinic next Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. CDT. The clinic, which will be held monthly on the fourth Wednesday, will take place at 590 Washington Ave., Memphis 38105. Sign up to volunteer here or contact Heather Staggs, 901-255-3421 with any questions.

For the fourth time in 2023, a Memphis-area family has retained the legal services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, a lawyer who routinely represents families of victims who have died in interactions with law enforcement, the Commercial Appeal reports. The family of Courtney Ross, a 19-year-old who died in Memphis police custody on Friday, has retained Crump as an investigation into the teen's death begins. Crump also represents the surviving family members of Tyre Nichols, Jarveon Hudspeth and Gershun Freeman. All three men died in the custody of or during interactions with local law enforcement agencies or the county's corrections department.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced today that is awarding $19.8 million to 14 legal services organizations to support the delivery of legal services to low-income people impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, floods and severe storms that occurred in 2022. Among the recipients is West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS), which will use $849,009 to provide legal services to those impacted by severe winter weather in 2022, including two storms that were FEMA-declared disasters. WTLS also may use the funds to hire additional staff to educate affected populations on disaster-related issues and strengthen disaster-response networks.The money was made available by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

The abortion pill mifepristone will remain available to patients but with restrictions, a three judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. By a vote of 3-0, the panel blocked changes made by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016 to make the drug more accessible, but noted that its decision is subject to a prior U.S. Supreme Court order, which “stayed the district court’s order pending resolution of this appeal.” In addition, it ruled 2-1 to overturn a lower court ruling that suspended overall approval of the drug. Read more from Reuters or read the ruling.