Nearly six months after he was cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the appointment of Memphis attorney Andre B. Mathis to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals remains stalled in the U.S. Senate, the Daily Memphian reports. Mathis, a partner at Butler Snow, would replace fellow Memphian Bernice Donald, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2010 and plans to take senior status. He is one of 17 judicial nominees of President Joe Biden awaiting a floor vote by the Senate.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law, Tennessee Lookout reports. The Respect for Marriage Act would require state governments to recognize marriages from other states regardless of the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of those involved. The 267-157 bipartisan vote stemmed from concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month overturning the constitutional right to an abortion may impact other protections previously upheld by the court. Those opposed to the legislation cited Justice Samuel Alito’s pledge that nothing in the abortion decision “should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.” Supporters cited Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion that the court should reconsider cases dealing with contraceptives, same-sex marriages and private consensual sexual relationships. On Thursday, the House is expected to take up a bill that would codify the use of contraception.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills today aimed at protecting access to abortion, The Hill reports. The first bill seeks to ensure access to abortion nationwide by codifying the right into federal law. The second would protect those who travel to another state to receive an abortion if their home state prohibits the procedure, make it illegal for facilities to limit access for individuals who arrive from out of state, protect those who assist others in receiving an abortion in a state where they do not reside, and shield the interstate transportation of abortion drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. House Democratic leadership also today announced that the body will consider legislation next week to protect access to contraceptives.

The White House held a ceremony today to celebrate the passage of new gun safety legislation, which makes it harder for young people and domestic abusers to possess firearms, encourages states to pass so called “red-flag laws” and provides billions of dollars in mental health funding. Though he lauded the rare bipartisan agreement, President Joe Biden said more needs to be done, Bloomberg News reports. Specifically, the president called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, expand background checks, and enact laws making gun owners liable for not securing their firearms.

President Joe Biden has signed into law the most wide-ranging gun violence prevention bill passed by Congress in nearly 30 years, The Hill reports. The bill, known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, enhances background checks for gun purchasers between the age of 18 and 21, makes obtaining firearms through straw purchases or trafficking a federal offense, and clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer. It allocates $750 million to help states administer red flag laws, which seek to keep guns away from people deemed a threat to themselves or others, and includes funding for mental health treatment. Finally, it closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by barring individuals from possessing a firearm for at least five years if they are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence involving a current or former romantic partner.

U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Rachel Bloomekatz, an Ohio public interest lawyer, appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee this week. She has been nominated to replace retiring Judge R. Guy Cole Jr. on the court, which hears federal appeals from several states, including Tennessee. Some Republicans questioned her past advocacy on behalf of a gun safety group and her views on youth offenders, Reuters reports. Bloomekatz told the members she would follow the U.S. Supreme Court's precedents supporting gun rights and defended her representation of criminal defendants. Bloomekatz has earned support from a number of conservatives, including members of the Federalist Society in Ohio and former Republican Supreme Court clerks who worked with her when she clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer. Cleveland.com has more on the hearing.

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a bill that extends security protections to Supreme Court justices' immediate family members. The bill — the Supreme Court Police Parity Act of 2022 — was passed by the House earlier this week and the Senate passed the measure last month, CNN reports. It allows the families of Supreme Court justices to be covered by the security currently provided to the justices if the marshal of the Supreme Court "determines such protection is necessary," according to the text of the legislation.

An attempt to unanimously pass a bipartisan bill to shield the personal information of federal judges online failed after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked it for a third time, the Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports. The Thursday motion for unanimous consent was the second time this year that Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has attempted that maneuver to pass the measure introduced after the murder of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas’s son at their home almost two years ago.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Supreme Court security bill yesterday, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature, Bloomberg Law reports. The vote on the bill was 396 to 27. The Senate passed the Supreme Court Police Parity Act in May. The measure would authorize police protection for families of Supreme Court justices and for staff of the court if the court’s marshal decides it is necessary. Today, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department supports the legislation and the White House said the president would sign the bill into law, according to Reuters.

Congress will tonight begin its committee hearings on the events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, WPLN reports. Nearly 20 Tennesseans have been charged for their part in the insurrection against certifying the 2020 presidential election. Several are still awaiting sentencing. Most of those who have been sentenced are facing three years of probation after pleading to a misdemeanor. One man, Nicholas Brockhoff, who was seen spraying officers with a fire extinguisher before entering the Capitol through a broken window, has remained behind bars since May 2021. WPLN has the status of each Tennessean who has been charged.