Stay current with legal news in Tennessee. This page features the latest news for and about the Tennessee legal community, either produced by the Tennessee Bar Association or collected from news sources.
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has announced new technology grants to increase access to Web-based resources, enhance pro bono, expand websites for veterans and disaster recovery, and -- a new category this year -- improve data collection and analysis. Through its Technology Initiative Grants program, LSC plans to award 43 grants in 2012, totaling more than $3.4 million. The grants will fund LSC grantee programs in 25 states and the territory of Guam. Learn more
The Bly Roll Race for Justice will take place Friday on the campus of University of Tennessee Knoxville and will support students pursuing work in public interest law. The 5k event is named in memory of Roll, a member of the 2012 College of Law class. Read more or register for the event at The Informant.
Knoxville lawyer William Preston Snyder's law license was transferred to disability inactive status pursuant to Section 21 of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 on Sept. 24. He cannot practice law while on disability inactive status, but may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing of clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and he is fit to resume the practice of law. Download the BPR release
The Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on the UT campus in Knoxville will host a group to watch the upcoming presidential debate and discuss it via videoconference with crowds gathered statewide. DebateWatch begins at 8 p.m. Central Time on Oct. 3, with a viewing of the first of the 2012 presidential debates, moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS NewsHour. After the debate concludes, those attending will connect with other college campuses statewide by videoconference. Schools confirmed to participate with UT are the University of Tennessee-Martin and East Tennessee State University. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more from UT
The U.S. Supreme Court today added six new cases to its docket, including a case asking whether the litigation exception to the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act protects lawyers who use car buyers' personal information for a potential class action. The new term officially begins on Oct. 1, but as has been the practice in recent years, the justices released an orders list of newly granted petitions the day after meeting in their summer conference. The National Law Journal looks at the upcoming cases
Responding to questions of why a Tennessee State trooper and his family were charged in the death of his grandchild, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office and the 10th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office issued a joint statement Monday. In part, the statement said "Every death by any weapon is investigated by law enforcement. After the investigation is finished often cases are submitted to the grand jury for their review. While all of us regret the suffering of those who loved [the 3-year-old], we respect the findings of 12 Bradley County citizens who returned an indictment." The statement went on to say it was now their duty to evaluate the case and "search for justice." The Cleveland Daily Banner has the story
U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton joined Latino leaders in Memphis Monday to announce a partnership to attack crime against the Hispanic community, the Commercial Appeal reports. Regional Mexican Consul David Manuel Preciado Juarez came from Little Rock to express his support for strengthening relations between law enforcement and the region's more than 700,000 Hispanic residents.
The FBI laboratory has reduced its backlog of forensic DNA cases by 87 percent in two years, from 3,211 cases to 403 cases, the Associated Press reports. The Justice Department's inspector general attributes most of the decline to increased staffing and use of automated technology. Also, the FBI is focusing on cases where DNA testing of biological evidence is more likely to yield useful information.
More criminal charges may be coming in the Tennessee Walking Horse case that has already seen the conviction of famed trainer Jackie McConnell. The Jackson Sun reports that 25th Judicial District Attorney Mike Dunavant is looking at state charges related to soring eight horses seized March 1 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from McConnell’s stable. Along with additional charges against McConnell, Dunavant is also investigating how much owners knew and whether they participated in the alleged soring of their horses.
Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes has placed the 10 Commandments on display in the county's courthouse, making him the 25th sheriff in Tennessee to request the framed document from a conservative activist, WBIR.com reports. The religious document is accompanied in the frame by copies of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. Under a new Tennessee law that took effect this spring, cities and counties can display the Ten Commandments as an historical document alongside other historical documents.
The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services will present awards to Margaret L. Behm and Adrienne Kittos on Wednesday at the annual Equal Justice University. The 2012 B. Riney Green Award will be presented to Behm, who was the first chair of the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission. The 2012 New Advocate of the Year Award will be presented to Kittos from Justice for Our Neighbors-Tennessee. Equal Justice University, co-sponsored by the Tennessee Alliance of Legal Services and the Tennessee Bar Association, is the annual gathering of about 250 lawyers, advocates, professionals and pro bono attorneys involved in providing civil legal assistance across Tennessee. The event is at at Paris Landing State Park through Friday. Learn more about the awards
A forum on the tensions between free speech and civility will take place in Nashville on Oct. 16. The event, sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA), the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and Lipscomb University, will take place in Lipscomb's Ezell Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and free parking is available in front of the Ezell Center as well as in the P2 garage (view parking map). Following the program, attendees are invited to stay and watch the second presidential debate scheduled for that night beginning at 8 p.m. Central. A panel of three experts will discuss civility in interacting with the courts and take questions from the audience. Panelists include the Hon. Lyle Reid, retired chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court; Frank Sutherland, former editor of The Tennessean; and Phyllis Hildreth, academic director at the Institute for Conflict Management and adjunct professor at Lipscomb University. Memphis lawyer and former TBA President Bill Haltom will moderate the discussion. Learn more
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cumberland County will have a demolition derby Oct. 6 to benefit its work. According to program director Lee Chiomos, it costs $950 per child per year to have a CASA volunteer. In 2011, the group had 13 advocates working with 41 children in Cumberland County. Chiomos said that number could be doubled if there were enough volunteers, but funding is needed to provide the extensive training necessary. Donations of food for concessions and sponsorships are needed, as are volunteers to work at the event, which will be at the Cumberland County Community Complex at 6:30 p.m. Learn more from CASA and The Crossville Chronicle
The Nashville Bar Association's Annual free member picnic is Thursday at the Hall of Fame Park. This year the picnic has a Country Western theme, and a local Nashville band, The Western Swingers, will perform. A barbeque dinner and open bar will also be provided. Register online
Panelists named; time changed to include presidential debate watch party
NASHVILLE, Sept. 25, 2012 -- A public forum on the tensions between free speech and civility will take place in Nashville on Oct. 16. The event, sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA), the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and Lipscomb University, will take place in Lipscomb's Ezell Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and free parking is available in front of the Ezell Center as well as in the P2 garage (view parking map). Following the program, attendees are invited to stay and watch the second presidential debate scheduled for that night beginning at 8 p.m. Central.
Barry Staubus looks back on his first year as Sullivan County district attorney general in this profile. He says he views the job as a calling, and talks about his work to battle synthetic drugs, his increased administrative responsibilities, and moving the office toward using electronic case files. Last year, when Greeley Wells retired, Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Staubus as the county’s top prosecutor until the next election. Last month with no opposition, he was elected to fill out the remainder of Wells’ term, which ends in 2014.Read more about him from TriCities.com
On Oct. 4, about 12 United States Attorneys from around the country, along with representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securites and Exchange Commission, will host a Regional Investor Fraud Summit at Vanderbilt University Law School (Flynn Auditorium). The morning session is open to the public and anyone interested in learning more about schemes that threaten the investing public, and law enforcement’s efforts to combat fraud is welcome to attend. The public portion of the summit will be 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To attend, RSVP to Darlene.Danielson@usdoj.gov
A 13-year-old Cleveland girl visited Circuit Court Judge Michael Sharp's courtroom recently and was surprised by the process. Read what she learned about the judicial system in the Cleveland Daily Banner.
The Senate confirmed two non-controversial judicial nominees for federal district courts early Saturday, part of the last scheduled business until after the presidential election. The Senate confirmed Gonzalo Curiel for the Southern District of California and Robert Shelby for the District of Utah, the Blog of Legal Tmes reports The posts are considered judicial emergencies because of the workload faced in the districts. Both men had the support of both of their state's senators and were approved by a voice vote.
