A Tennessee-based cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in civil penalties after federal investigators found the company employed at least 24 children at two slaughtering and meatpacking facilities, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced. Under the agreement, Fayette Janitorial Service LLC also must hire a third party to implement company policies to prevent the illegal employment of children and create a program for reporting concerns about child labor violations. The Labor Department obtained a preliminary injunction against the company in late February after an investigation discovered at least 24 children, including those as young as 13, were working overnight sanitation shifts at facilities in Iowa and Virginia. The Commercial Appeal has more from USA Today.

TikTok has sued to block a new law that requires it to divest from its parent company ByteDance or cease operations in the United States. The case likely will “spark a landmark clash over free speech, government power and the balance between open commerce and national security,” Reuters reports. The legal complaint argues broadly that the new law, which passed with bipartisan support, reflects an “extraordinary and unconstitutional assertion of power” that unfairly singles out TikTok. It also argues that the law puts all media at risk by circumventing free speech protections. U.S. officials have accused the company of sharing users' data with the Chinese government. The company has denied those claims.

The TBA’s Court Square Series is back with stops planned in Jackson, Cookeville and Chattanooga this spring and summer. The Jackson program will take place the afternoon of May 22 and feature Judge Christy Little discussing courtroom best practices, John Day covering law office management and ethics and Nancy Choate talking about estate planning. The Cookeville program will take place the afternoon of May 30 and feature a panel of three judges, Beverly Sharpe with the Board of Professional Responsibility and a legislative update with Nathan Ridley. The Chattanooga program will take place June 7 and feature Judge Marie Williams talking about courtroom best practices, Judge Barry Steelman discussing criminal law and Rob Malin providing an update on estate planning. The Court Square Series is intended to bring top speakers to local legal communities and foster relationships and collegiality among lawyers across the state.

Day three of Well-Being Week in Law focuses on career and intellectual well-being with the goals of finding personal satisfaction, professional growth and financial stability. Lawyers are encouraged to engage in creative or intellectually challenging activities that foster ongoing development. These include picking an area for personal growth and making a specific action plan for the next three months; building breaks into the work day to maintain focus, brain health and mental well-being; and swapping TV-watching for activites that foster growth. Get resources to help with each of these.

E-signature vendors offer legally-binding signing services clients can execute from anywhere. Use this chart to compare the vendors on key features. Find this and more in the Building a Firm section of TBA’s Law Practice Management Center.

The annual Robert Ballow Excellence in Writing Awards were presented to Nashville School of Law (NSL) 4L students in April. Seven students were recognized for their performance in the Rigorous Writing Exercise (RWE) program. The RWE is a project all NSL students embark on as a requirement of graduation. Working with a volunteer mentor from the legal community, students research and write a 15-20 page paper on the topic of their choice. See the list of winners and read their work.

University of Memphis School of Law Professor Jennifer Brobst is featured on the school's newest episode of the podcast Show Cause. The episode focuses on space tourism, the massive and rapidly growing space industry, and ways to protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage of space. Listen here or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) and pro-Palestine demonstrators are on either side of a First Amendment debate. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that UT administrators have reminded demonstrators about a Tennessee law banning late-night camping on state property, a measure enacted by the legislature in the wake of the George Floyd protests to limit the scope of long-term demonstrations. Demonstrators have called their gatherings “spontaneous study sessions," in part a strategy to overcome restrictions on their activities. "We believe we have the right to free speech, the right to address grievances peacefully," Palestinian student demonstrator Hasan Atatrah recently said. "And we believe that right exists even at nighttime."

Gov. Bill Lee earlier this year ended an expedited clemency program for those sentenced under a previous version of the state's drug-free school zone law. The change was posted to the Tennessee Department of Corrections' website sometime after the program was ended in January, but reportedly was not publicly announced. According to the Tennessean, under the old law, those convicted of a drug crime within 1,000 feet of a school, library, park, day-care center or recreational center were subject to mandatory minimum sentences even for first-time drug offenses. The Tennessee General Assembly changed the law in September 2020 to reduce the radius of a "school zone" to 500 feet. Ending the program means offenders convicted under the old law, and sentenced to longer prison terms than they would be today, have lost what may have been the most viable option to adjust their sentences.

The Shelby County Criminal Justice Center was found to have "deficiencies" in two inspections over the last six years conducted by the Tennessee Corrections Institute. Action News 5 reports that inspectors noted noticeable deterioration of the facility and buildings with outdated doors, locks, showers and security systems. Inspectors also repeatedly noted the need for more staff. In a 2019 inspection report, the inspector stated the building was outdated, more signs of wear were seen than before and the maintenance department could not keep up because there were so many issues.