Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao was sentenced Tuesday to four and 3/4 years in prison for aiding and abetting manslaughter in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, Reuters reports. The sentence will run concurrently with the three and 1/2 years Thao previously received on a federal conviction of violating Floyd's civil rights. Thao, a nine-year veteran of the police force, was the fourth and final officer sentenced in the killing of Floyd. He held back a small crowd of bystanders while then-officer Derek Chauvin and two others subdued Floyd, who police suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a nearby store.

American Bar Association leaders briefed the Tennessee delegation to the ABA House of Delegates during a breakfast Monday morning in Denver. Among those speaking at the meeting were current ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross, House of Delegates Chair Gene Vance, ABA President-elect Bill Bay and incoming Board Secretary Marvin S.C. Dang. Later in the day, TBA Delegate and Belmont Law professor Lucian Dervan presented Resolution 502 before the House, and former TBA President and American Bar Endowment President Howard Vogel led a meeting of that body. See photos from the events. In other news from the ABA Annual Meeting, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke to the House of Delegates today and the ABA Task Force on Law, Society and the Judiciary issued its final report with specific recommendations for improving public trust and understanding of the judiciary. Read more about the programs being offered and proposals being considered by the House of Delegates this week in Denver.

President Joe Biden's new regulation restricting asylum access at the U.S.-Mexico border can remain in effect for now, a U.S. appeals court ruled yesterday. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold a district judge's ruling that the regulation violated U.S. law by cutting off asylum for some migrants caught crossing the border without documentation. The appeals court allowed the restrictions to remain in place pending the outcome of the government’s appeal. The court also said it would expedite the appeal, Reuters reports. A challenge to the regulation was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that argued it mirrored Trump-era restrictions that were blocked in court.

Edward Blum, the activist behind the U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down affirmative action, set his sights on two new targets this week, Reuters reports. Students for Fair Admissions, Blum’s group behind the high court case, has a new campaign to end an affirmative action exemption at military schools. The group launched a website called "West Point Not Fair" and is asking those denied acceptance at military schools to contact it. Earlier this week, the nonprofit American Alliance for Equal Rights, founded by Blum, sued an Atlanta-based venture capital fund that supports Black women who own small businesses. The group says the Fearless Fund is violating a law barring racial bias in private contracts by allowing only Black women to participate in a grant competition.

The U.S. legal services sector lost 1,200 jobs in July, new Labor Department data released today shows. Legal sector jobs totaled 1,182,500 last month as scattered layoffs continue at large firms, Reuters reports. At least two firms – Katten Muchin Rosenman and Armstrong Teasdale – said this week they are laying off lawyers and professional staff in the wake of reduced demand. Today’s jobs report also revised numbers for June legal employment, reducing the total from 1,185,100 to 1,183,700 jobs.

A Davidson County judge is under scrutiny following a report from the State Comptroller's Office that found the judge created a "potential conflict of interest" by funneling federal grant funds to a for-profit business. The report does not name the judge, but the business in question is owned by General Sessions Court Judge Rachel Bell and her wife Dr. Dorsha James Bell, the Tennessean reports. NewsChannel 5 reported in May that Bell received a $200,000 federal grant to establish a restorative justice diversion program and used part of the funds to rent office space for Solutions Now in a building owned by her parents. Bell did not disclose her ownership ties to the company on the initial grant documents. She has said it was "always understood” that she owned the company based on discussions during the grant application process. The comptroller said the expenses were legitimate but her failure to disclose her association with the company “created an appearance of impropriety.”

Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice said this week they are "just getting started" in their pattern or practice investigation of the Memphis Police Department. According to the Commercial Appeal, officials from the department held their first meeting via a Zoom call to explain the investigation to Memphians, introduce themselves and allow residents to pose questions as they prepare for the investigation.

White County General Sessions Court Judge John Meadows now can hear adoption cases thanks to a private bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Paul Sherrell and Sen. Paul Bailey, both of Sparta. The legislation was approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee during the last session, Sparta Alive reports. Under Tennessee law, only chancery and circuit courts have jurisdiction, power and authority to hear and decide adoption cases. The change was enacted to expedite adoption proceedings in the county, where residents often had to wait to be scheduled on a crowded docket and then travel to Cookeville for court appearances. According to the Department of Children’s Services, the change will “accelerate child placement, namely allowing for a judicial waiver to speed adoption finalization from six to three months if a court sees fit.”

After 28 years on the bench, Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge L. Marie Williams will retire as of Jan. 3, 2024, due to family concerns, the Times Free Press reports. Williams indicated her plans in a letter sent to Gov. Bill Lee on July 27. "Needs of my family, which were not anticipated when I sought re-election, now require me to retire," Williams said. Whoever is appointed to fill Williams' seat will have a quick turnaround for campaigning, with primary elections set for March 5 and general elections in August.

Florida-based Unbottleneck, a provider of remote staffing services, is growing its offerings in the legal sector, naming Nashville-based attorney Larry Bridgesmith as a strategic adviser. Services provided by the company include virtual legal receptionists, legal administrators, legal transcriptionists, legal operations managers and legal project managers. Bridgesmith has taught at Vanderbilt and Belmont universities and is a co-founder of the International Institute of Legal Project Management, the Nashville Post reports.