The Tennessee Attorney General’s (AG) Office reportedly is investigating Deloitte, the contractor managing TennCare’s eligibility system, over potential “unlawful discrimination” tied to its hiring practices and former diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Tennesseean reports that the AG's office ordered Deloitte to turn over records related to applicant evaluations, compliance with anti-discrimination laws and its decision to end DEI initiatives earlier this year. Deloitte, which holds a nearly $1 billion contract with TennCare, has not commented. Critics argue the probe is politically motivated and a misuse of taxpayer resources.

Kentucky-based Cornbread Hemp has sued Tennessee over new hemp regulations set to take effect in 2026, arguing they unfairly discriminate against out-of-state businesses by requiring wholesalers and retailers to be physically located in Tennessee and banning direct-to-consumer shipping. The Tennessean reports that the company, which made nearly $1 million in Tennessee sales last year, says the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Interstate Commerce Clause and also infringes on the First Amendment by banning all health-related claims in marketing hemp-derived products. Cornbread Hemp is represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, which argues the rules force companies to either abandon customers or incur costly in-state operations.

Law firms are increasingly adopting generative AI tools and law schools are under pressure to prepare students for this shift. Cat Moon, professor and founding co-director of Vanderbilt Law School’s AI Law Lab, tells Inside Higher Ed: “Law schools have to prepare students to be intentional users of this technology, which will require them to have foundational knowledge and understanding in the first place. We have to preserve that core learning process so that they remain the human expert and this technology complements and supports their expertise.” About 30% of law offices now use AI, while 62% of law schools have integrated AI into first-year courses and 93% are considering further updates, though many programs remain basic. Experts stress that lawyers need not just access to AI but training to use it responsibly, since early misuses have shown the risks. Reuters reports that some schools, including Suffolk University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of San Francisco, have embedded AI instruction into required introductory legal writing and research courses.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2025 Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum this fall. The primer will take place Nov. 12 at Barnes & Thornburg in Nashville. Designed for those new to health practice, that program will provide a general health law overview and practical tips to identify and avoid the pitfalls of real-life situations in the heavily regulated health care industry. Then on Nov. 13 and 14, the forum will take place at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Hear from keynote speakers Adam Herbst, former deputy commissioner at the New York State Department of Health, now at Sheppard Mullin; Dr. David Reich, chief clinical officer at Mount Sinai Health System; and Aidoc CEO Elad Walach. Get more information and register here.

Henry Ford said customers could have any color so long as it’s black. At least you have two choices when it comes to core email, communication and office productivity applications. This comparison chart highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Google and Microsoft’s bundled, subscription offerings. Find this and more in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

The 2025 TBA Animal Law Forum will take place Friday, Oct. 3, at the Nashville Zoo. This unique opportunity provides updates on trends and advancements in animal law while allowing participants to network and enjoy the fun and activities the zoo offers. Topics at this year’s forum include practicing animal law, development in sensitive habitats, equine concerns, conservation, a case law update, ethics and more. Zoo admission, breakfast and lunch are included with the program. Do not miss this event; you never know who is going to show up! Register now.

The frame of Nashville's new juvenile justice center off of Brick Church Pike was completed last week, marking a milestone celebrated by city leaders. The Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment is designed to reimagine how the city cares for young people in trouble with the law, News Channel 5 reports. Organizers said the trauma-informed campus will focus on healing, restoration and rehabilitation. “What we’re going to have here is something more restorative. We will be able to house up to about 64 youth if we need to. Hopefully, we will not have to need that many. They will have space where they can do job training. They will do their schooling in an actual building part that looks like a school. They will have counseling services,” Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway said. The campus also will provide resources for families, with partner organizations operating on site. The facility is expected to open in 2027.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed John Squires, a former chief intellectual property attorney at Goldman Sachs, to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under President Trump. Squires was confirmed as part of a push by the Senate to approve dozens of Trump nominees at once. The USPTO is responsible for issuing U.S. patents and trademarks and advising the government on intellectual property policy. The office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the validity of existing patents. Squires will head the USPTO as it faces increasing competition with China on innovation and questions about the role of artificial intelligence in inventing, Reuters reports. Trump nominated Squires in March to lead the office. He succeeds Kathi Vidal, who served as director during the Biden administration.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced last week in a press release that it had dismantled an MS-13 cell operating within Nashville. After a nine-month investigation, a series of court-authorized search warrants were conducted in the metropolitan Nashville area, resulting in the arrests of at least 17 members and associates of MS-13 across three states, including Tennessee, California and Oklahoma. In addition, investigators also seized bulk quantities of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin and multiple firearms, including assault rifles. DEA officials said the operation, carried out with local, state and federal partners, marked a significant step in efforts to disrupt MS-13’s drug trafficking and violent activities.

A Tennessee state legislative committee voted last week to remove references to women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans from the state's equal employment opportunity plan. Under the proposal, Tennessee will no longer formally track or publicly report on the demographics of individuals interviewed, hired or promoted to jobs in the executive branch of state government as of Oct. 7. According to Tennessee Lookout, the Joint Government Operations Committee also lifted a requirement for state agencies to specifically recruit, hire and promote underrepresented women and minorities. The rule change was necessary to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order ending affirmative action in government employment and recent state laws according to a deputy general counsel for the state’s Department of Human Resources. According to the paper, the state will continue to track employment of veterans and those with disabilities to comply with separate federal laws.