Chattanoogan.com will begin offering legal notice publication services on July 1 under an amended Tennessee law that now requires public notices to appear in both print and qualifying online news outlets. According to the Chattanoogan, publisher John Wilson said the online news site, which has maintained a legal notice section in anticipation of such legislation, meets all requirements under the new law. While foreclosure and election notices are exempt, other legal notices must now run in established online sources if available in the county. Legal notices placed with Chattanoogan.com will cost $1.50 per word, capped at $75, and include up to four weeks of publication.

Metro Nashville Council members are reviving the legislative body's Black Caucus, which has been inactive since 2011. According to Axios Nashville, the Black Caucus traces its roots to 1951, when the city's first Black council members, Z. Alexander Looby and Robert Lillard, were elected. Metro Council member Jennifer Gamble will now chair the caucus, which includes 11 members. According to a news release, the Black Caucus “recognizes that there are issues unique to Black Nashvillians that require a more targeted focus.”

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled along ideological lines Friday to curtail judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions, The Hill reports. The ruling allows the Trump administration to partially enforce the president’s executive order limiting the U.S. Constitution’s “birthright citizenship” provision to children with at least one parent with permanent legal status. “These injunctions — known as ‘universal injunctions’ — likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the majority. The decision narrows the lower court rulings blocking enforcement of the order to the 22 states, expectant mothers and immigration organizations that challenged the order. It does not resolve the underlying issue of whether restrictions on birthright citizenship are constitutional. Three justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented, arguing that “No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates.” According to The Hill, the administration may resume developing guidance to implement the order, though it must wait 30 days before attempting to deny citizenship to anyone.

Sessions from the TBA's recent Immigration Law Forum are now available for purchase as on-demand courses, both individually and as a convenient 1-Click Package. Sessions include "Hot Topics & Policies in Immigration Law," "Past, Current & Future Immigration Bills in the Tennessee General Assembly" and "Promoting Economic Inclusion and Immigrant Integration." In addition, the section has held three webcasts so far this year, and all of those are available on demand. Check those out here.

Attorneys for Byron Black, a man on Tennessee’s death row, are asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to order a lower court to consider whether he is mentally competent to be executed. Black was sentenced to death in Nashville in 1989 for the murders of his girlfriend and her daughters. He is scheduled to be executed on Aug. 5. In court filings, Black’s attorneys have said he has an intellectual disability, progressive dementia and brain damage, which leave him incapable of grasping why he is being put to death. They argue that the trial court and Court of Criminal Appeals erred when they declined to consider competency. Nashville Public Radio has more on the story. In 2022, Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk agreed that Black should be removed from death row.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance to the full Senate President Trump's nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. During the committee hearing earlier this month, Hermandorfer faced questions about her experience and the president’s interpretation of the birthright citizenship issue but won praise from Tennessee's congressional delegation and state Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. Most recently serving as director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in Skrmetti’s office, Hermandorfer would replace Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch if confirmed. The committee also approved four other trial court nominees today, the first of Trump’s second term. Reuters has more on the action.

On June 25, Davidson County lawyer Robert Greene received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. While representing clients in defense of a lawsuit, Greene made an error in calendaring the trial date, which led him and his clients to not appear for trial and the court to enter a default judgment. The Supreme Court found that Greene was not forthright in subsequent communications with the clients about the trial date was missed. He then filed a motion to set aside the default judgment. The court found that the motion was frivolous as it was untimely filed and did not recite any legal authorities to support tolling of the statutory deadline. In an affidavit, Greene falsely claimed that the trial date was missed due to confusion with opposing counsel. He later filed a motion to withdraw that falsely claimed the clients had failed to provide certain documentation. He then paid a significant portion of the judgment out of personal funds, without prior notice or consent from his clients. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.2(a), 1.3, 1.4, 1.8(e), 1.16(d), 3.1, 3.3(a)(1) and 8.4.

On June 26, the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Samuel Ervin White from the practice of law for five years, with two years to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The court also ordered White to pay restitution to clients and engage a practice monitor. Complaints against White alleged that he failed to reasonably communicate with his clients, act in a diligent manner, expedite client litigation, timely respond to discovery requests and withdraw from representation following suspension. He also was accused of charging non-refundable fees, comingling client assets and misappropriating client funds. He agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4(c), 4.1 and 8.4(a)(d).

Several new state laws will take effect on July 1 that cover public safety, youth protections, health care, consumer rights and transportation, with several designed to address evolving concerns around substance abuse, road safety and emerging technologies. House Bill 995 expands Tennessee’s good Samaritan Law to offer legal immunity from certain alcohol-related misdemeanors — including underage drinking and public intoxication — for those who call 911 or assist someone in need. House Bill 72 imposes mandatory jail time and fines on anyone convicted of selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products — like THC gummies — to individuals under 21. Similarly, House Bill 751 increases penalties for exposing children to fentanyl, creating a felony offense for endangering a child in such a way. If the child is younger than 8 years old, the offense is upgraded to a Class B felony. The Tennessee Ledger looks at all the upcoming changes.

The Fourth Annual John Lewis Way March will be held July 19 beginning at 8 a.m. CDT at the corner of John Lewis Way and Jefferson Street in Nashville and end with a performance outside the National Museum of African American Music on Broadway. Evening activities will include a reception at 5 p.m., followed by a panel discussion. Visit the event website for more information.