The U.S. Department of Justice announced today it is opening a civil rights investigation into the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law, reports the Commercial Appeal. The investigation will focus on MPD’s use of force and stops, searches and arrests and whether it engages in discriminatory policing. The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee. The investigation will include riding with city police officers and holding community meetings. The announcement comes six months after Memphis police officers beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who died from his injuries three days later. Read Ritz's statement.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission next month will consider applicants for two court openings. Five applicants for a vacancy on the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court will be reviewed when the commission meets on Aug. 30. They are: Terry A. Fann, Stephen E. Grauberger, Derek R. Howard, R. Michelle Howser and Micheal A. Jones. The commission will meet in the Historic Courthouse’s Rutherford County Commission Meeting Room in Murfreesboro at 9 a.m. CDT. The vacancy is being created by the upcoming retirement of Judge J. Mark Rogers on Sept. 1. Then on Aug. 31, the commission will meet in Franklin to consider four applicants for the 21st Judicial District Circuit Court. They are: Russell D. Gill, B. Todd Martin, Erin W. Nations and David H. Veile. The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. CDT in the Mayor and Aldermen Board Room at Franklin City Hall. This vacancy is being created by the upcoming retirement of Judge Michael W. Binkley on Sept. 29. The commission is expected to vote immediately following each of the meetings and forward three names for each district to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration.

Former House Speaker Glen Casada has filed a motion to dismiss federal corruption charges against him, Tennessee Lookout reports. A federal trial for Casada and his former aide Cade Cothren is scheduled to begin Oct. 3. In the motion, Casada argues that the charges against him are inflated and that the lawmakers who did business with a vendor called Phoenix Solutions received the services they requested. Prosecutors accuse Casada of concealing Cothren’s identity as the vendor and directing House business to Cothren in return for kickbacks.

President Joe Biden signed a proclamation yesterday to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, the Associated Press reports. The monument will cover three sites in two states. The first of the sites will be at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Till’s open-casket funeral took place. The other two will be in Mississippi: one at Graball Landing, where Till’s body was believed to be pulled from the Tallahatchie River, and one at the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse, where Till’s killers were acquitted. Till, who would have turned 82 yesterday, was killed in 1955 after a 21-year-old woman accused him of whistling at her. The killing, and the acquittal of the killers, helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement.

State health officials recently disqualified Nashville CARES — a nonprofit sexual health clinic that connects low-income HIV-positive individuals with federally subsidized medical care — from receiving grant funds under the federal Ryan White Insurance Assistance Program, Tennessee Lookout reports. Nashville CARES is now suing, alleging that decision was “illegal" and "arbitrary" and involved an "unlawful procedure.” The nonprofit’s lawyers are asking that state officials be ordered to restart the process of vetting organizations for the funding. The state argues that the nonprofit is effectively a pass-through to a for-profit subcontractor that provides the bulk of the service. Nashville CARES disputes that characterization.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s strike against affirmative action is expected to be a boon for U.S. law firms as they respond to a rise in demand for advice about how to comply and guard against new legal challenges, Reuters reports. Firms with higher education, anti-discrimination and employment practices tell the news source they have seen an uptick in business since the court ended consideration of race in college admissions. While the case had no direct effect on employers, attorneys told Reuters that corporations also have been seeking advice on diversity policies given their concerns about lawsuits being filed in the wake of the ruling.

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA), the state’s largest teachers union, is suing in federal court to block the “prohibited concept” law of 2021, the Tennessee Journal reports. The suit, brought against the state education commissioner and members of the state board of education, challenges the constitutionality of the law for its vague language and subjective enforcement. The suit also claims the law interferes with “instruction on difficult but important topics” included in state standards, which were “developed and approved by Tennesseans.” The TEA is asking the court to issue a permanent injunction against enforcement of the law and declare the law unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.

A federal judge in California has blocked a new Biden administration rule limiting access to asylum, reports WKRN-Nashville. The decision will take effect in two weeks. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Justice Jon Tigar referenced U.S. asylum law, writing that the new policy undermines the clear intent of Congress in establishing a safe haven for those fleeing persecution and danger. The ruling is a loss for the Biden administration, which had required that asylum-seekers must first seek the protections of another country along their route to the U.S.

President Joe Biden says his administration is moving forward with new regulations meant to push insurance companies to increase their coverage of mental health treatments, the Associated Press reports. The new rules would require insurers to study patient outcomes to ensure mental and physical health benefits are administered equally. The proposed regulations still need to go through a public comment period,

The attorney general’s office of consumer protection is advising student loan borrowers that due to a Department of Education announcement on June 14 automatically discharging certain qualifying student loans, borrowers should be on the look out for companies offering relief that they cannot provide. For information about your federal student loan or to learn if you qualify for the Department of Education’s loan programs, visit the Federal Student Aid website.