Students from the Nashville School of Law surprised Dean William C. Koch, Jr. with a Senate Joint Resolution honoring his leadership. Dean Koch teaches U.S. Constitutional Law and Tennessee Constitutional Law at NSL and is also an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt School of Law and Belmont College of Law. Read SJR 0334.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed into law House Bill 833, which allows doctors to legally perform abortions in cases of ectopic and molar pregnancies where there is “reasonable” medical judgment an abortion would prevent the death or “prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.” Previously, doctors who performed an emergency abortion in Tennessee could argue an “affirmative defense” and were required to prove the procedure was a lifesaving medical necessity or face criminal charges. Read more in the Tennessean.

Belmont University College of Law student Kayla Mathews is the winner of the school's fourth annual Legal Fiction Workshop. Mathews, a third-year law student, won with her entry “100 Small Choices,” which follows an attorney on an emotional journey when a client reminds her of her younger self. The winning story was chosen through an anonymized review process. Belmont’s Legal Fiction Workshop has produced the past two winners of the American Bar Association’s Legal Fiction Contest. Read more from Belmont News.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper on Thursday unveiled a 2023 budget proposal that features an additional $100 million for Nashville schools and $15 million to bring the Nashville Fire Department to full staffing for the first time since 2001. The budget, presented during Cooper's annual State of Metro address, also includes a 7% pay increase for Metro employees. Cooper also offered support for Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed order of protection law, which is to be debated at an upcoming special session. "We want those families to be the last in Nashville to know that unimaginable pain," said Cooper. Read more in the Tennessean.

The Metro Nashville Office of Conservatorship Management (OCM) is seeking volunteers for its Conservatorship Assistance Program. A joint venture with the TBA Public Education Committee and state legal aid organizations, the program serves to assist applicants in obtaining conservatorship for their special needs children upon turning 18. The goal is to obtain a list of lawyers across the state willing to assist when needed. Learn more on the TBA Public Education portal.

The Chattanoogan reports that Hamilton County Public Defender Steve Smith asked the county commission for $741,423 in salaries for 22 lawyers. Smith said the starting salary for a Hamilton County assistant public defender (APD) is about $55,000, about the same as a jailer’s salary, and he noted that starting salaries at local private law firms are six figures. Smith outlined the heavy caseload of the public defenders, which he said is only getting heavier as law enforcement is reformed with better structure and better pay, resulting in more cases for the APDs.

The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new law that bans transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care. According to the Associated Press, the federal government is seeking to invalidate the statute because “no person should be denied access to necessary medical care just because of their transgender status,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. The DOJ said the law violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of both sex and transgender status. The federal lawsuit comes after Clarke sent a letter to all state attorneys general last month warning them that federal law protects transgender youth against discrimination. The Justice Department also intervened last year in a lawsuit challenging a similar ban on transgender medical care for young people.

The American Bar Association (ABA) published the 2023 ABA Survey of Civic Literacy, which is released annually to mark Law Day, observed on May 1. The survey finds that social media and the media generally are to blame for the nation’s growing incivility. The survey also asks what issues respondents would be willing to compromise on and how much they know about how American government works.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section announced today that it will honor Nashville attorney Sam H. Poteet with the James K. Carroll Leadership Award on May 4. The award recognizes an attorney or judge who has demonstrated leadership qualities in service to the section. Poteet is a principal at Manier & Herod.

Just in time for next week’s Law Day celebration, TBA member benefit partner Clio has information and resources on the history of Law Day, how to participate in marking the day and ways to write and speak about this year’s theme “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.” Read more here to get involved.