Tennessee is the latest state to take action against the social media app TikTok, WKRN reports. In a statement to the station, the governor’s office said steps have been made to ban the app on all devices that access government networks. Cybersecurity professionals warn that the app, owned by a Chinese-based company, could access users’ personal information. Some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennesssee, have said the app should be banned in the United States.

A new agreement between the Knoxville Police Department and Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) formalizes interactions between the two entities for the first time, Tennessee Lookout reports. The new agreement reportedly gives PARC staff greater access to the department’s disciplinary process and the ability to refer complaints to third-party mediation. It also codifies a number of informal procedures, according to officials. PARC was created in 1998 following the deaths of four men (three of whom were Black) in confrontations with police. Officers were cleared of wrongdoing, but the Black community lashed out at what they perceived to be a culture of brutality and indifference. The committee is comprised of seven volunteers, a full-time executive director and an investigative manager.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Mock Trial Committee has released the case material for the 2023 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial competition. The case, Kat McNable v. Marty Bird, involves an accident between a scooter and open-air party wagon. The question centers on whether sand from the beach-themed, tractor-drawn wagon spilled onto the road and caused the scooter to spin out of control. McNable sustained serious injuries, including losing both front teeth. District mock trial competitions will take place in February 2023, with the state competition taking place March 17-18, 2023, in Nashville. The new problem, rules and other information can be found online. To volunteer click here.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) Mock Trial team recently hosted the fourth annual Kimsey Cup Mock Trial Competition. The internal competition provides students an opportunity to practice trial skills in a friendly competition with fellow students while receiving valuable feedback from local attorneys. The competition also serves as a try-out for upper-level students for membership in the Mock Trial Program. Ten teams competed with the team of third-year student Kha’Doe Crosby and second-year student Allie Jo Shankle winning the cup. First-year law student Michael Fields was awarded best witness and second-year student McKenzie Wilson was recognized as best advocate.

Dr. Michelle Fiscus is seeking a hearing to contest charges that led to her firing as medical director of Tennessee's Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program last year, the Times Free Press reports. Detractors had argued that during the COVID-19 pandemic she was allowing some children to get vaccinated without parental consent. 

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) Barristers today announced that Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zachary Walden will take office as president of the group after being elected on Dec. 7. Other officers named for the young lawyer group include Vice President Charles S.J. Sharett and Secretary/Treasurer Jimmy Snodgrass. New board members are Matt Knable and Isaac Westling. The Barristers also presented President’s Awards to Mariel Bough and Grant Williamson, co-chairs of the Diversity Committee.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its Annual Meeting this morning with the passing of the presidential gavel from Jason H. Long to Loretta G. Cravens, announcement of other officers and the presentation of awards. Cravens, an attorney with Cravens Legal, announced that she would focus on servant leadership, civility in public discourse and equipping members to serve their clients. Other officers elected were President-elect Carlos A. Yunsan, Treasurer Jonathan D. Cooper and Secretary Rachel Park Hurt. The KBA's highest award, the Governors' Award, was presented to Elizabeth B. Ford, while the Judicial Excellence Award was presented to Judge Steven W. Sword. Other award recipients were Brooklyn Sawyers Belk, who received the President’s Award and John E. Eldridge, who received the Outstanding Writing Award. Read more in a release from the association.

An investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Inspector General has found that the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence unlawfully retaliated against and then forced out an employee who blew the whistle about potential misuse of federal funding. Employee Veronica Quinonez was “constructively discharged” in 2019 after raising concerns about being forced to answer phone calls from victims, some who were in crisis. She said answering the calls violated the strict rules of the Centers for Disease Control grant that paid her salary. The investigation found she was also made to keep two timesheets – one for work she was supposed to be doing under the grant and the other reflecting what she was actually doing, which included handling calls from abuse survivors. A joint report from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout details the investigation and prior troubling findings about the nonprofit.  

An assistant district attorney in the Shelby County District Attorney's Office was last night charged with a DUI, the Commercial Appeal reports. According to the responding officers, Timmerman allegedly hit and knocked over a utility pole near Overton Park. The affidavit claims Timmerman’s speech was “very slurred” and she told officers she had previously been drinking at a restaurant. Timmerman was sworn in as an ADA in mid-November and was previously a defense attorney.

The Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission is again asking lawmakers for more support as it tries to navigate the implementation of a new state law, the Tennessean reports. The commission is tasked with issuing statewide guidance on the library materials law, including what is age-appropriate, which is not settled in state law, in addition to establishing an appeals process for local decisions on contested materials. The guidance is still in draft form despite a Dec. 1 due date. Commission members yesterday voted in favor of requesting a review from Tennessee's attorney general or the Department of Education's legal team. "We have gotten zero guidance from any attorneys, and we're just out here as volunteers doing this," said commission member and Tipton County Schools superintendent John Combs.