A swearing in ceremony for Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, originally planned for Monday, has been canceled. Skrmetti’s office issued a statement saying, “In the wake of the unfathomable tragedy at The Covenant School on Monday, General Skrmetti and his family have decided to cancel the ceremonial swearing in scheduled for [April 3]. He is thankful and overwhelmed by the encouragement from family and friends who planned to attend in support.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission has kicked off its annual Help4TNMonth celebration, which will feature expungement and general civil legal advice clinics throughout April. Help4TNMonth, celebrated each April, highlights the need for free and reduced fee legal services in Tennessee and spotlights organizations that provide these services throughout the year. Check out next month’s calendar of events, submit an event to be added or sign up to volunteer at clinic.

Davidson County lawyer Melissa June Anderson was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday after it found she failed to take reasonable steps to protect a client’s interests when withdrawing from representation. The court also found that Anderson failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure that her firm had measures in place to provide reasonable assurance that all lawyers in the firm conformed with Rules of Professional Conduct. According to the court, Anderson knew of the conduct at a time when its consequences could have been avoided or mitigated, but failed to take reasonable remedial action or provide training and oversight. Her actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 5.1 and 1.16.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. next week on the 55th anniversary of his death, the Commercial Appeal reports. Special events planned for Tuesday, the anniversary of when he was shot at the Lorraine Motel, will include a mid-day virtual symposium and an afternoon hybrid event with speakers, performances and fraternal tributes. The museum is normally closed on Tuesdays but will be open regular hours on April 4 for the commemoration. Get the full line up of activities.

A federal judge in Texas has blocked requirements for insurers to provide some preventive-care services for free, the ABA Journal reports. Under the ruling, insurance companies no longer have to provide drugs for HIV prevention or screenings for depression, high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases and some kinds of cancer as required under the federal Affordable Care Act. The ruling came in a challenge from six individuals and two businesses. Plaintiffs wanted the option to purchase health coverage that did not include services they did not use, while others in the group objected to HIV-prevention coverage on the ground that it promoted behavior that was against their beliefs. Judge Reed C. O’Connor ruled last year that coverage mandates were not valid because the task force charged with adopting them had been constituted in violation of the appointments clause.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberland recently launched a new free monthly legal clinic in Antioch, Main Street Media reports. The clinic will be held on the first Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at the southeast branch of the Nashville Public Library, 5260 Hickory Hollow Parkway, Ste. 202, Antioch 37013. It is scheduled to run through June. The clinic will assist clients with civil legal matters, such as landlord/tenant disputes, family law, estate planning and debt collection. Those in need of assistance should register online. Contact Kendra Cheek at 800-238-1443 or kcheek@las.org to volunteer.

A Memphis LGBTQ theater company has filed the first legal challenge to Tennessee’s drag restrictions, WPLN reports. The group, known as Friends of George’s Inc., alleges that the law violates the First Amendment and will have a chilling effect on the state’s LGBTQ community. Read the filing here. Meanwhile, in Nashville, a protest planned to oppose recent legislative restrictions on drag shows and events for this weekend has been postponed. According to WPLN, Nashville Pride and Inclusion Tennessee decided to postpone the gathering citing the threat of anti-LGBTQ violence. The march had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, the day the new state law restricting drag in public spaces is set to go into effect.

TBA's Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin are out with a new Legislative Update podcast today. In this week's episode, they discuss the Tennessee Domestic Relations Arbitration Act (HB1177/SB710); Tennessee Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (HB1162/SB775); TBA's adoption law bills, one which makes substantiative changes to law (SB919/HB854) and one that makes technical changes (SB921/HB855); and two bills dealing with the cost of electronic medical records in disability claims: HB1071/SB1393 and the Trial Lawyers/TBA bill HB647/SB1313. Finally, the episode looks at three bills targeting the professional privilege tax for attorneys: HB586/SB640 and HB580/SB1122, which would eliminate the tax, and HB585/SB641, which would phase out the tax over three years. The program airs each week during the legislative session on TBA’s Facebook page. It is also posted on the TBA’s website and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) will hold three legal clinics in April. The “Attorney of the Day Clinic” will take place April 6 and 20 from 1-3 p.m. CDT at the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Room 134, Memphis 38103. The monthly clinic at the Benjamin Hooks Library will take place April 8 beginning at 10 a.m. The library is located at 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111. For both clinics, clients will be served on a first come, first served basis. For questions or to volunteer contact Heather Staggs or Walter Casey. See all clinics planned through the end of the year.

A new course from the TBA seeks to expand the group of legal advocates certified to serve Tennessee veterans, who are underrepresented in the Veterans Affairs Department’s (VA) claims and appeals processes. Introduction to the Practice of Veterans Law — a live virtual event on April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT — will cover information about claims procedures, basic benefits eligibility, right to appeal, disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions. Presenters will be James R. Drysdale with the VA Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., and VA certified lawyers Seth Ogden and Rita Gibson Rayford.