TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is new this week, featuring TBA lobbyists Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC, and Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin of Adams and Reese. This week, they discuss Gov. Bill Lee's budget amendment, funding for the indigent representation plan, a recap of TBA's Day on the Hill and a look ahead to upcoming bills this session. Tune in to the podcast on the TBA website or through this link.

The U.S. federal judiciary has launched the Judicial Security and Independence Task Force focused on ensuring the continued security and independence of the court. According to Reuters, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Judge Robert Conrad stated in a memo that the task force would be chaired by Baltimore-based U.S. District Judge James Bredar and would "identify, analyze and propose responses to ensure the continued security and independence of courts and judges ... Through its efforts, it is hoped that the security of individual judges will be enhanced and that judicial independence will be assured," Conrad wrote. The announcement comes after U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts last week issued a rare statement rebuking calls for impeaching judges. In his 2024 year-end report, Roberts reiterated concerns about judges’ safety and condemned elected officials who intimidate judges or defy court rulings. 

Utah is scaling back a four-year-old program that loosened rules for delivering legal services in the state, leading to the exit or elimination of nearly 30 businesses and law firms, according to Reuters. The move comes as reforms to law firm ownership rules in Arizona have sparked an influx of legal businesses there.

A federal judge has approved a settlement between Tennessee and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) over a lawsuit that sought to overturn name, image and likeness (NIL) recruiting rules, WBIR reports. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti had announced the deal on March 17. According to Skrmetti, student-athletes now will be able to negotiate NIL compensation before committing to a specific school. Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia and New York attorneys general, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2024, alleging that the NIL recruiting ban created anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes.

Mt. Juliet attorney Bethel Dean Robinson died Feb. 12 at age 84. He graduated from Belmont University with a degree in history and spent several years teaching there and at Panola Junior College (now Panola College) in Carthage, Texas. Robinson earned his law degree from Memphis State University College of Law (now University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law) in 1974. He began his practice as a general attorney, eventually focusing on property law. A highlight of his legal career was winning a federal civil rights suit for his client, who claimed she was wrongfully discharged in 1975 based on sex discrimination. Plans for a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 17 other state attorneys general announced today they have concluded their investigation into Wells Fargo & Company following the company's decision to abandon certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The coalition has been investigating whether Wells Fargo and five other American banks — Bank of America Corporation, Citigroup Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley — violated antitrust or consumer protection laws by implementing net-zero emissions policies and restricting financing. In a release, Skrmetti said, “I commend Wells Fargo’s pro-consumer decision to step away from utopian policymaking, and I look forward to the rest of America’s major financial institutions following its lead.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that Tennessee law does not prohibit a private employer from firing an employee for exercising the right to petition the government. In 2021, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee directed all employees to receive the COVID vaccine. One employee, Heather Smith, chose not to receive the vaccine. When Smith wrote to members of the state legislature to express her concern with the mandate, the company warned that the communication violated policy. When she sent a second email, the company terminated her. Smith then filed suit alleging that the company violated her right to petition the government under the Tennessee Constitution. The trial court dismissed the suit, but the Court of Appeals reversed. The Tennessee Supreme Court found that the state constitution’s protection of the right is enforceable only against the government, not private actors. Justice Sarah Campbell concurred but wrote a separate opinion. Read more in a press release or read the opinions.

Registration is now open for the next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits, set for April 17 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Register by April 14 to participate. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

Recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump include three directing the federal government to review large law firms. An order issued on Feb. 25 calls on the government to review security clearances for “all members, partners and employees" of Covington & Burling as well as all government contracts with the firm. An order issued on March 14, directs the government to review security clearances, contracts and federal building access for attorneys with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. On March 21, the president revoked the order after saying the firm “agreed to a number of policy changes.” An order on March 25 directs the government to review security clearances, contracts and federal building access for attorneys with Jenner & Block. In addition to orders naming specific firms, the president signed an order on March 22 directing the attorney general to investigate any law firm that engages in “frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation” against the federal government.

Mississippi lawyer Carlos Eugene Moore was suspended from the practice of law in Tennessee on March 27 after being suspended by the Supreme Court of Mississippi on Dec. 31, 2024. The reciprocal discipline was imposed after the Tennessee Supreme Court reviewed Moore’s response to its Feb. 25 order directing him to demonstrate why the discipline imposed in Mississippi should not also be applied in Tennessee.