The U.S. Department of Justice has found that two lawyer groups in Tennessee have violated federal disability bias laws. The allegations center around the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program, which reportedly denied a law license to an applicant based on his use of medication for opioid use disorder. According to the DOJ, the actions taken by these groups required the individual in question to pay significant fees for additional testing, despite no evidence suggesting the applicant could not meet the established standards for bar admission. For more details, you can read the full report on Bloomberg Law.
These findings have prompted the DOJ to recommend that the groups take corrective measures. Among these measures is the removal of any prohibitions or restrictions on bar applicants or attorneys who take medications as a part of treatment for substance use disorder. Failure to comply with these recommendations may result in federal prosecutors taking further action, including referral to the U.S. Attorney General.
This development signals a significant intervention by the DOJ in ensuring that professional regulatory bodies do not engage in practices that could unfairly discriminate against individuals with disabilities, particularly those managing substance use disorders with medical treatment.