On March 20, the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered former Nashville attorney Brian Manookian to pay the Board of Professional Responsibility $30,251.50 in costs associated with his disciplinary proceedings. The court had notified Manookian of the assessment, allowing him to contest the amount. It said today that it had not received an objection from him in the time permitted. The court permanently disbarred Manookian on Feb. 16.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a Texas law allowing state law enforcement to arrest individuals suspected of entering the United States without documentation, Axios reports. The action comes just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state to enforce the law while the issue is appealed, but directed the appeals court to act quickly on a “stay pending appeal,” noting that the court previously had imposed only a “temporary administrative stay.” Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh wrote a separate opinion saying they would not have intervened in the case at this point. The Biden administration is challenging the law, arguing that immigration enforcement is solely the responsibility of the federal government. SCOTUSblog has more on the case.

The Lawyers' Association for Women Marion Griffin Chapter will hold a celebration to honor its longtime Executive Director Melanie Gober Grand, who is retiring at the end of the month. The event will take place Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CDT at the offices of Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella PC, 1310 6th Ave. N., Nashville 37208. Grand has served as director of the association for 24 years. Learn more or register to attend here.

Washington, Colorado and Minnesota are the latest states to transition to the NextGen bar exam, Reuters reports. Washington will begin using the overhauled bar exam when it first becomes available in July 2026. Minnesota will move to the test in 2027. Colorado will do so in 2028. They join 17 other jurisdictions that have announced plans to transition to the new test. In related news, Washington’s high court also approved “in concept” two new licensing pathways for law students, including a six-month apprenticeship program. The state joins New Hampshire, Oregon and Wisconsin in that approach.

U.S. News & World Report will release its 2024 law school rankings on April 9, amid predictions of possible methodology changes. According to Reuters, the publication is expected to modify its formula to make it more difficult for people to use publicly available American Bar Association (ABA) data to forecast results months in advance. U.S. News drastically altered its methodology in 2023 after nearly a quarter of law schools declined to provide any internal data, saying the publication's methodology hurt student diversity. As a result, the rankings were based primarily on ABA data such as employment rates and bar pass rates. That approach made it easier to project the rankings ahead of their official release and made it difficult to compare.

The 2024 TBA Leadership Law class met recently in Knoxville for its “Issues in Community Leadership” program. Class members heard from Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater, who spoke on “Leadership in 6 Words”; University of Tennessee College of Law Associate Professor and Clinical Programs Director Joy Radice, who spoke about pro bono efforts to expunge criminal charges and restore citizenship rights; LMU Duncan School of Law Professor Mohamed Akram Faizer, who presented on “Being Appreciative of Yourself and Others;” and Knoxville lawyer Robbie Pryor, with Pryor, Priest & Harber, who shared his experiences of navigating life as a lawyer. The group also heard from a number of community leaders, including Dr. Charles F. Lomax, president and chief executive officer of the Knoxville Area Urban League; Rev. Reneè Kesler, president of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center; and attorney Chloe Akers, president and founder of The Best of Tennessee Inc.

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Sullivan County lawyer Nicholas C. Cooper was reinstated to the practice of law recently after being on inactive status for more than five years. The Tennessee Supreme Court notes that Cooper was placed on inactive status on May 3, 2011. The Board of Professional Responsibility found the reinstatement petition to be satisfactory and recommended the court approve it. Cooper was reinstated as of March 12.

Victims of sexual assault in Tennessee will soon get more time to receive financial compensation, reports WPLN. Current state law allows a victim of sexual assault one year to pursue civil action. A recently passed bill would extend that time frame to three years and is on its way to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature. Two other bills recently passed the Senate. The Parental Accountability Act would allow juvenile court judges to require parents to pay restitution of up to $1,000 for every crime their child commits after being arrested, while the Juvenile Organized Retail Theft Act would allow juveniles 15 years of age or older to be transferred to criminal court for smash and grabs, or for stealing firearms from vehicles. These bills now have been assigned to a House subcommittee. Action News 5 has more.

The Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender and Social Justice, a student-run and edited publication, will host a symposium on March 21 at the University of Tennessee College of Law to explore the impact of recent U.S. legislation affecting health care and education resources for the LGBTQ+ population. Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and professor of law at Western New England University School of Law, will deliver the keynote address. Get more information and register here.