A government contracting document outlines plans to open a national call center in the greater Nashville area to coordinate the tracking and deportation of unaccompanied immigrant children, according to the Nashville Scene. The request for information, issued by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describes a 24-hour operation expected to handle 6,000 to 7,000 calls per day. The call center is part of the Trump administration’s push to expand 287(g) agreements, which allow state and local agencies to cooperate with ICE and exercise limited immigration enforcement authority. Nashville ended its participation in the program more than a decade ago, but this year Tennessee lawmakers created incentives for communities to join, and a special session approved a centralized immigration enforcement division.

On Friday, Chancellor Russell T. Perkins partly granted and partly denied a petition filed by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) against the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, according to the Nashville Banner newsletter. TIRRC is seeking access to public records, including video footage, from an operation in May that involved more than 600 cars and nearly 200 arrests. The lawsuit alleges that the state has delayed providing video footage and should not have redacted badge numbers, officers’ names and other information in dispatch reports. The state argued that the disclosure would reveal “operational vulnerabilities." Perkins found that the state did not meet its burden of proof to withhold or redact documents, but he also said that identifying information not already disclosed should not be publicly revealed. Per his order, another hearing will be necessary to address disputes around the scope of the redactions.

Shelby County Juvenile Court has appointed Qur’an Folsom as its new chief administrative officer (CAO), the court announced Nov. 5, according to the Commercial Appeal. Folsom previously served in the same role for the Shelby County Commission, and worked with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners. “I am profoundly grateful to Judge Sugarmon for the trust and confidence he has shown in appointing me as the next chief administrative officer,” Folsom said in a news release. She replaces Stephanie Hill, who joined the PURE Academy — a nonprofit residential school working with at-risk youth — in September.

A new bill that would increase penalties for animal cruelty charges in Tennessee, SB1475, was introduced Tuesday. The bill would raise the penalty for aggravated cruelty to animals from a Class E felony to a Class D felony, WSMV reports. The proposal also adds that juveniles who commit aggravated animal cruelty could be classified as “serious youthful offenders.” The bill is sponsored by Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, while the House version, HB1444, is sponsored by Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis.

Enrollment is now open for the Tennessee Bar Association’s BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee group health insurance plan, available exclusively to TBA members. The plan offers guaranteed issue coverage with no health questions or pre-existing condition exclusions and may deliver savings compared to your current health plan. Don’t wait! Enroll today and give your firm the benefits it deserves. Watch this Q&A with Buck Orrison with TBA Member Insurance Solutions to get answers to your questions about coverage in the coming year. Not part of a group? TBA also offers a dedicated health plan for solo attorneys.

The Trump administration on Friday asked an appeals court to immediately block an order requiring full November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be paid to states by the end of the day. According to The Hill, the emergency request to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals calls the lower court’s order “unprecedented.” On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled the administration’s plan to provide partial SNAP benefits for November during the shutdown was insufficient and that it was obligated to use other funds to issue full payments. “Courts are charged with enforcing the law, but the law is explicit that SNAP benefits are subject to available appropriations,” the Justice Department’s new filing reads.

New lawyers recently were welcomed to the legal profession at swearing in ceremonies in Knoxville, Nashville, Jackson and Memphis. Representatives from the TBA and local bar associations were on hand to congratulate the new admittees. See photos from the events.

A national group that seeks to end affirmative action is threatening to sue Knox County. According to Knox News, the American Alliance for Equal Rights emailed each member of the county commission on Nov. 4 saying the county’s “supplier-diversity program” violates the U.S. Constitution. The county program helps develop small businesses and minority, women-owned and disadvantaged businesses. The alliance cited contract language encouraging vendors to include minority-owned businesses and argued such provisions amount to “race- and sex-based preferences.” County officials note the program’s language is largely drawn from federal policies established under Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. The group's founder Edward Blum, who also founded Students for Fair Admissions, has previously led successful legal challenges to race-based programs.

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and nonbinary individuals from choosing passport sex markers that match their gender identity, SCOTUSblog reports. The ruling halts a lower court order that required the government to let people select "male," "female" or "X" on new and renewed passports to reflect their gender identity. It permits the administration to continue enforcing its policy while a lawsuit over the issue moves through the courts. The lawsuit argues that listing the sex assigned at birth on passports could lead to harassment or violence against transgender people. The court found that the State Department’s policy does not appear to discriminate against transgender individuals and “attests to a historical fact.”

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, reportedly received calls from President Donald Trump on Thursday offering them full pardons for their convictions, according to the Nashville Post. No official paperwork has appeared on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney's website. The two were found guilty in May of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering in a mailer fraud scheme. In September, Cothren was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, while Casada received a three-year federal prison sentence. Legal counsel for both men had requested a mistrial, which was denied, and were pursuing appeals of their convictions. Former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who was also involved in the scheme, is seeking a pardon from the president as well.