The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 26 attorneys on Tuesday for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 13 of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. One attorney was suspended just for IOLTA violations. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The 21st edition of the Alimony Bench Book is now available. Published by the TBA’s Family Law Section, the book provides a ready resource for dealing with alimony cases in Tennessee. Current Family Law Section members can access their copy at no cost on the Family Law eCommunity page, but must be logged into their TBA account. Others may purchase an electronic copy for $25, a hard copy in loose-leaf format for $40, or a hard copy in a binder for $50 from the TBA Store.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Gregory Tucker vs. Faith Bible Chapel International. The case will test if the “ministerial exception” to the First Amendment was properly applied in a lawsuit challenging the hiring decisions of a faith-based Colorado school. Read more in a press release.

U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday issued an executive order designed to reinforce gun sale background checks. The order calls for greater enforcement of existing background check laws, promoting awareness of red flag laws and gun safety, and developing more resources for gun violence survivors. Read a fact sheet on the order from the White House.

Tennessee Right to Life is supporting a measure that would add two narrow exceptions to the state’s abortion law, WPLN reports. The group announced support for the change after working with legislators and doctors to craft new language that would allow doctors to terminate ectopic pregnancies and provide treatment for miscarriages. The exclusions are narrower than what was included in a bill that stalled last month.

The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has extended the deadline for submitting nominations for the Sue Ann Head Award for Excellence in Workers’ Compensation. Nominations are now due March 22. Nominees should have contributed significantly to the success, overall fairness and efficiency of the workers' compensation system in one or more of the following areas: as an employer or employer’s representative, employee representative, service provider, claims professional, medical provider or legal professional. Read more or make a nomination on the bureau’s website.

Legislation to allow the public to understand how Tennessee buys lethal injection drugs is floundering as the state correction department lobbies against it behind the scenes, Tennessee Lookout reports. HB870 would remove an exemption in Tennessee public record law, which allows the state to hide how it procures drugs for lethal injection. The exemption allows the state to protect the names of pharmacists and the manufacturers of the drug cocktail used in implementing capital punishment. The bill comes on the heels of intense public scrutiny over Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol. Last year, the state halted executions because it failed to appropriately test the execution drugs.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee was scheduled to consider legislation today that would dissolve the independent Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who sponsored the bill, said it would distribute the responsibilities of the commission to other parts of the government. SB282/HB330 is sponsored in the House by Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, but has not yet been scheduled. Gov. Bill Lee supports the move, saying reorganization will “better serve Tennessee children by incorporating important services within child and family-serving state agencies, which includes DCS.” Opponents say the change would damage an already unstable child welfare system, Tennessee Lookout reports.

After three teens escaped Saturday from the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, lawmakers and juvenile justice reform advocates are calling for changes. This latest escape comes after more than a dozen residents have broken free in recent years. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done," said Tennessee Rep. Torrey Harris, D-Memphis, who toured the facility last year. Harris said the building felt more like a prison rather than a place to rehabilitate young people. Johnnie Hatten, an investigator with Disability Rights Tennessee — which published a critical report about the facility last year — said the facility needs additional and more attentive staff. They did not even know the kids were gone until the police called, she tells Local Memphis.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has introduced a chatbot service for its 4,000 lawyers, joining the ranks of professional services firms using artificial intelligence to boost productivity, Bloomberg Law reports. The project will be delivered through a 12-month partnership with AI startup Harvey. The firm said it is also looking to extend the service to its tax practice. “Harvey’s AI solution marks a huge shift in the way that tax and legal services will be delivered and consumed across the industry,” said Carol Stubbings, global tax and legal leader at PwC UK.