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 University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is seeking applications for up to two tenure-track faculty positions. Current needs fall in the areas of evidence and civil procedure, as well as other subjects. Interested individuals should submit applications online at workforum.memphis.edu, by email to to kusmani@memphis.edu or by mail to Katharine Traylor Schaffzin, Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, Attn: Karol Landers, The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, 1 N. Front Street, Memphis 38103. The screening of applications may begin as early as August and will continue until the positions are filled. Read more about the school
The state on Tuesday filed a new motion asking Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood to recuse himself from retrials in the Christian-Newsom murders case. The state made its first recusal motion on June 4. It has based its arguments on concerns about Blackwood’s impartiality, citing reports that he demonstrated "remarkable anger" in a June 14 hearing on the first recusal motion, and admitted he had become an advocate instead of a judge in the case of several defendants whose trials may have been tainted by the unethical conduct of former Judge Richard Baumgartner. WATE has more
If a federal judge had not overturned a partial injunction barring the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro from opening, Chancellor Robert Corlew III would have halted completion of the mosque, according to court documents filed last week. According to these documents, Corlew said he was preparing to order officials with the Rutherford County Building Codes Department to immediately stop construction of the center “for the reason that the structure is being built without a valid site plan…” Now that the federal court has asserted jurisdiction, the local court has suspended its involvement. Learn more in the Murfreesboro Post
The Tennessee Supreme Court disbarred Sumner County attorney John Pierce Brownlee Jr. earlier this month for participating in a fraudulent business that encouraged clients to avoid paying taxes. Now news has surfaced that Brownlee’s clientele included action movie superstar Wesley Snipes, who is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for failure to file income tax returns. Brownlee was convicted in January 2008 for conspiring to defraud and interfere with the Internal Revenue Service, which caused tax losses of up to $10 million. The Tennesseam has more
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed Wednesday it has launched a probe into whether Rhea County election officials illegally stopped several individuals from voting in the 31st House District Republican primary. The county election administrator said she and other officials did nothing wrong when they blocked known Democrats from voting in the primary, suspecting an orchestrated campaign for crossover voting in the race. The TBI investigation comes at the request of District Attorney General Mike Taylor. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee law provides an "open primary" system but allows officials to exclude a voter if the person is “deemed not to be a ‘bona fide’ member of the party.”
U.S. District Court Judge Kevin H. Sharp yesterday shot down an attempt by the City of Memphis to force the Shelby County Election Commission to accept library photo ID cards as valid identification for voting. The election commission, at State Election Coordinator Mark Goins' direction, has refused to accept the library cards. Sharp said he agreed with Memphis officials' concerns that the new photo ID requirement makes it more difficult to vote but said he's "not convinced that the city fixed the problem" by having the public library issue photo ID cards. A full hearing on the issue is set for Aug. 2 before U.S. District Court Judge Aleta A. Trauger. Read more in the Commercial Appeal
Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Cornelia Clark joined three other state chief justices yesterday on a panel at the University of Michigan Law School to discuss the role legal aid plays in safeguarding the fair administration of justice. The event was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Board of Directors. The meeting continues through the week with sessions on innovative solutions to domestic violence and a keynote address by former ABA President Dennis W. Archer. Read more from the LSC
A newly established veterans' court in Shelby County will help veterans navigate the criminal justice system if they find themselves facing charges, says county mayor Mark Luttrell. According to the Commercial Appeal, the court will provide a comprehensive approach that coordinates criminal justice processes with services from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Only non-violent defendants will be referred the program, which the county will spend $60,000 a year to support. Shelby County officials will discuss the new court and how it will work at a session tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in the Division 7 General Sessions Courtroom, located at 201 Poplar.
Money unaccounted for at the 24th Judicial District Drug Task Force at the beginning of the year still remains missing, according to a report from the state comptroller’s office. The current task force director says the group has exhausted all steps to locate the funds and cannot continue to search for the missing cash. Former task force director Steve Lee was indicted on theft charges in January and earlier this month was given a deferred probation of 11 months and 29 days. If he complies with requirements during the probation, charges will be dropped, authorities say. Meanwhile, charges remain pending against two other task force employees. Read the latest in the Jackson Sun
The Memphis office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC is helping entrepreneurs in a variety of business accelerator programs in the city, the Memphis Daily News reports. A spokesperson for the firm says it is committed to developing an emerging companies practice and has developed an online video service to offer entrepreneurs tips from the firm’s lawyers. Check out the service
More than 21 states have simplified how they collect taxes in hopes of recovering an estimated $20 billion in sales taxes that go uncollected by out-of-state online merchants every year. But the nation's governors say they still need help from Congress. Speaking on behalf of the National Governors Association, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that it is not fair to local businesses that online sellers are not always required to collect and distribute state sales taxes. Read more of his remarks in the Bristol Herald Courier
Knoxville lawyer Johnathan Kenneth Borsodi was suspended from the practice of law on July 25 after failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a complaint of misconduct. Download the BPR notice
The Nashville School of Law announced this week that it has added two attorneys to its faculty. The first, former Tennessee Attorney General Paul G. Summers, will teach administrative law, estate and business classes. The second, attorney Andra J. Hedrick, a former clerk for the Tennessee Court of Appeals, will teach estate planning. Summers is currently a partner at the Waller firm. Hedrick practices at Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin. Both are in Nashville.
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today on her work with iCivics, civics education and judicial independence. She also called recent criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts’ vote to uphold the health care law as “unfortunate” and said presidential comments on pending cases are “not ideal.” Read more from Fox News or watch a video of the hearing
An article in the News Sentinel by Robert J. Booker, former executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, details the history of the Knox County Courthouse, which was first established in 1792. According to Booker, at the laying of the current building’s cornerstone in 1885, the keynote speaker recounted how the original courthouse was burned to the ground by a lawyer “resolved to hasten the end of the unworthy structure.” Booker also provides details about subsequent structures used to house the court, and ultimately the construction of what at the time was called "the finest building of the kind in East Tennessee.”
Knox County commissioners on Monday approved a written policy for how prayers are conducted in its public meetings. Commissioners voted 10-1 for the policy, which solidifies a long-standing practice to hold a brief prayer before the start of commission meetings. "You don't have to pray to our God if you don't [want] to, but this [is] our choice, and I'll defend that to my dying day," Commissioner Mike Brown said during the discussion. The policy has drawn criticism from groups like the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, which sent a letter to commissioners. "We're not trying to quash prayer in public," said Jeff Gubitz, with the alliance. "We just think prayer is personal and need not to be invoked to in order to bring decisions in government." WATE reports
Knoxville lawyer Lisa Belle Hatfield received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court today. Her license was suspended for continuing legal education noncompliance and she practiced law for two months while her license was suspended, which constitutes the unauthorized practice of law. Her license was later reinstated when she fulfilled her CLE requirements. Download the BPR release
Lou Ann Zelenik may not have to face a contempt of court citation if she testifies in a state senator's lawsuit before Aug. 8. The ruling came down Monday from Wilson County Judge C.K. Smith who said in the order he's "not inclined to punish" the Republican Congressional candidate if she were to give her deposition by the August date. Zelenik was accused last week of criminal contempt for not appearing for a July 12 court deposition. She was subpoenaed in an ongoing lawsuit brought by State Senator Mae Beavers and her husband Jerry against a Macon County newspaper. WKRN reports
The Georgia Supreme Court stayed Monday's scheduled execution of a man convicted of killing a fellow prison inmate, saying it would consider a defense challenge to the state's recent adoption of a single-drug injection method. The court also said it declined to review a separate defense appeal that claimed Warren Lee Hill is mentally disabled and shouldn't be executed for that reason. The Associated Press reports
