An executive order signed April 23 by President Donald Trump directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to assess whether to suspend or terminate the American Bar Association (ABA) as the government’s official law school accreditor. The order claims that some accreditors engage in “discriminatory practices” by using “diversity, equity and inclusion … standards of accreditation.” It also states that such standards and “similar unlawful mandates must be permanently eradicated.” In addition, the order directs the attorney general and education secretary to “investigate and take appropriate action to terminate unlawful discrimination by American law schools” that is taken “under the guise of accreditation standards.” The move comes after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the ABA earlier this spring to immediately repeal its law school diversity rule and scrap a planned revision of the standard. That letter also stated that the government could revoke the group’s accreditation status. According to reporting by Reuters, removing the ABA from its accreditation role — which it has held since 1952 — could impact student loans, lawyer licensing and attorney mobility.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has announced its intention to amend the local rules of court effective May 15. Comments on the proposed changes are being accepted and should be emailed to localrules@tnmd.uscourts.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on May 1. The court says it will consider any comments received and make further amendments or orders as necessary. View the proposed changes in both a clean and redline version.

Former Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons, who now serves as executive director of Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, is calling for a clearinghouse of data that gives a clearer picture of how the local court system operates. The commission, an independent nonprofit that is funded through private donors, is looking at ways to improve the system. Gibbons says that data is the key to determine where bottlenecks are in the system, including why it takes so long to dispose of cases. Gibbons is being assisted by Jonathan Bennett, associate director of the University of Memphis Center for Community Research and Evaluation. Bennett says it is difficult to get reliable data because of the number of agencies involved in the system. The Daily Memphian has more on the effort.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was in Knoxville recently to discuss lawsuits against Knox County and the University of Tennessee Medical Center over the deaths of two Black men following encounters with law enforcement. Crump is representing the families of Daevon Saint-Germain and David Batts, both of whom died after altercations with Knox County law enforcement. Tennessee Lookout has specifics on each case. Over the years, Crump has represented a number of families following the deaths of individuals who interacted with law enforcement, including high profile clients such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Tyre Nichols.

Within 10 months of leaving campus, more than 82% of 2024 law school graduates had landed jobs that require bar admission. That percentage, representing the highest rate ever recorded by the ABA for bar admission jobs, was up from 80% in 2023, Reuters reports. The figure is especially notable, because the class of 2024 had nearly 11% more graduates than its predecessor, meaning there were 3,722 more new lawyers competing for jobs. The new data defies predictions that a double-digit enrollment surge would weaken job prospects, the news source reports.

Philadelphia-based law firm Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld has opened an office in Nashville. Law firm partner Hope Hammer will lead the office and chair the real estate practice group. Hammer has been with the firm since its inception in 2012 and is a member of its executive committee. Prior to joining the firm, Hammer served on the women's steering committee for the Urban Land Institute's Nashville chapter and co-chaired its professional development series. Hammer earned her law degree from Temple University School of Law. Joining her in the Nashville office is Frank Toub, a graduate of Belmont University College of Law, who handles construction, transportation and health care matters. Toub made news as a law student when he won the 2022 ABA Journal Ross Writing Contest. Finally, firm partner Jennifer Tintenfass will have some involvement in the office. The firm has 71 attorneys with offices in New York and in suburban Philadelphia. The Nashville Post has more.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned its 114th session yesterday, following the passage of a $59.8 billion state budget that received bipartisan support, including reallocating approximately $180 million of funding from Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed budget amendment in order to fulfill their own legislative priorities.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 that passed the General Assembly included $78 million for TennCare, $4.5 million to expand staffing and raise salaries within the attorney general’s office, and $37.5 million to replace the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) campus in Robertson County. The budget also committed an additional $35.6 million to the Rainy Day Fund and $597 million in disaster-related expenditures, including funds for Hurricane Helene relief and local Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) match requirements. Lawmakers also established a $42.5 million grant pool to support essential community organizations and services such as volunteer fire departments, EMS providers, senior centers, museums and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The final budget preserved key initiatives from the governor’s original proposal, including $17 million to overhaul the state’s Indigent Representation Program, $1 billion for transportation infrastructure, $62.7 million for K–12 facility upgrades and $25 million in grants to attract new businesses and grow the state’s workforce, and $145.9 million in Education Freedom Scholarships. A controversial proposal that would have allowed Tennessee school districts to deny enrollment or charge tuition to noncitizen students has stalled for the year. HB793/SB836, which sought to challenge the landmark 1982 Supreme Court ruling Plyler v. Doe — guaranteeing all children access to free public education regardless of immigration status — was paused after lawmakers raised concerns about possible violations of federal law and financial consequences. Additionally, legislation seeking to implement a takeover of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board will be taken up next year, as House and Senate leadership could not reach an agreement on the bill.

Gov. Bill Lee thanked the General Assembly “for its partnership and continued commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and innovation to improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Some Hamilton County residents are expected to be selected as sequestered jurors for the trial of three former officers accused of second-degree murder in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols. About 150 people were seated for possible selection Wednesday morning in the lobby of the Hamilton County Courthouse, the Times Free Press reports. Those selected for jury service will begin their duties Sunday, and the trial is expected to last about two weeks. Former Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith are set to stand trial starting Monday in connection with the beating death of Nichols.

The winners of the seventh annual Chattanooga Civics Essay Contest will be honored at a ceremony May 1 at 5 p.m. EDT at the Joel W. Solomon U.S. Courthouse in Chattanooga. This year’s divisional winners are Emma Hornsby, first place; Eliza Perryman, second place; and Victoria Matthews, third place. Each will receive cash prizes. Open to public, private and homeschool students across 17 East Tennessee counties, the contest is co-sponsored by the court’s Civics and Outreach Subcommittee and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. The 2025 prompt asked students to explore what factors courts should consider when determining whether a police officer’s use of deadly force was reasonable under the 14th Amendment.

Two Texas men have been convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a 2022 phishing scam that cost the City of Memphis $773,695.45, according to the Daily Memphian. The scam involved impersonating a local construction company with an active city contract, submitting fraudulent invoices that were subsequently paid by the city. The case was part of a broader criminal conspiracy investigated by the FBI. “The FBI and our partners are committed to holding accountable those who seek to line their own pockets through business email compromise, romance and money laundering schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI's Nashville Field Office.