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 Sixth Circuit Judicial Council is soliciting applications from persons interested in appointment as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee at Jackson. This position will become vacant upon the retirement of United States Bankruptcy Judge G. Harvey Boswell on July 8. Applications must be received by July 18. Download more information
Rutherford County Chancellor Robert Corlew's decision last week that county officials violated Tennessee's Open Meetings Act regarding plans to build the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has thrown open the issue of whether government officials have a special duty to tell constituents about matters that might upset them — even if there have not yet been any complaints. The ruling also could fan an ongoing debate in the legislature over whether paid advertisements in newspapers, particularly those with low circulations, should continue to be the main way local governments tell the public what they're doing. Read more from the News Sentinel
Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood removed motions from a court file, ordered prosecutors to make no public mention of them, used email communication in lieu of orders and hearings and favored meetings in chambers over public hearings — all to avoid public scrutiny of his handling of the Christian-Newsom torture-slaying cases, documents reviewed by the Knoxville News Sentinel suggest. Blackwood's efforts to keep proceedings from the public eye are detailed in emails made public as part of an effort by Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols' office to request that Blackwood step down from the case, the News Sentinel reports.
Former attorney Matthew Kluger was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison for his role in a massive insider trading scheme that netted a combined total of more than $37 million and spanned nearly two decades. Prosecutors say the crimes were made possible in large part by his position as an associate with a series of Am Law 100 firms. In handing down what she acknowledged was a harsh sentence, U.S. District Judge Katharine Hayden in Newark said that Kluger's crime warranted such a stiff penalty because "it allows greedy, arrogant people to make money off others." The AmLaw Daily reports
Former Hawkins County judge James "Jay" Taylor was served Monday with 12 new theft-related charges, bringing the total charges against him to 53. Last week he was indicted by the Davidson County Grand Jury on 41 counts of theft related to fraudulent payment claims he made to the state while serving as judge. These new charges handed down by the Hawkins County Grand Jury are related to alleged thefts that occurred in his private practice. Taylor, 41, of Rogersville, remains held in the Davidson County Jail on $175,000 bond. The Times News has details
Employees at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building & Courthouse Annex in downtown Nashville were allowed back into the building at about 9:30 a.m. today after a caller said that a bomb would go off in it at 9 a.m. Homeland Security was called in with bomb-sniffing dogs to search the building, but did not find anything. NewsChannel5 reported
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has recognized more attorneys within the firm for their commitment to pro bono service. Tennessee lawyers honored are Marlene J. Bidelman, Chattanooga; Jennifer P. Keller, Johnson City and LeAnn Mynatt, Knoxville. Five in the Memphis office were honored earlier as the firm's Pro Bono Attorneys of the Year. Read more about each winner's work
Morristown attorneys will host a free legal clinic, called Hamblen Legal Link, on Thursday (June 7) from 5 to 7 p.m. This is the first in a series of clinics to be held on the first Thursday of each month. "The mission is to connect residents with local lawyers and social service organizations that are willing to provide free informatin and basic guidance to those who need it," Aaron Chapman says. Chapman and fellow Morristown attorney Dale Darby have organized the events, with the help of Beth Boniface who is providing her office for the clinics, at 1125 West First North Street. For more information visit facebook.com/HamblenLegalLink or email hamblenlegallink@yahoo.com
Speculation on the future direction of Miller & Martin Nashville office continues to grow, the Nashville Post reports, following the recent departure of Todd Presnell — a former partner and head of the firm’s litigation department — who left Miller & Martin for the offices of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Last week, firm spokesperson Frederick Strobel told the Post that “a number of attorneys” were leaving. (Subscription required for Nashville Post access.)
In an interview with the Nashville Post, Aubrey B. Harwell Jr. talks about the city’s legal community, including salaries of entry-level attorneys, the Nashville School of Law's 100th anniversary and how he feels about local law firm mergers. He also predicts that in the next five years there will be more national and international firms establish a presence in Nashville.
A motion filed late Friday afternoon in Knox County Criminal Court reveals that Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood is planning to enter an order granting new trials in the January 2007 torture slayings without holding a hearing and despite a recent state Supreme Court ruling faulting his legal reasoning. Assistant District Attorney General Leland Price, in turn, is asking Blackwood to recuse himself from the case, accusing the special judge of "all manner of judicial misconduct," the News Sentinel reports.
A New York state appeals court has overturned decades of precedent and ruled that calling someone gay is not slander per se. Prior rulings, the court wrote, were all "based on a false premise that it is shameful and disgraceful to be described as lesbian, gay or bisexual." Such a conclusion is "inconsistent with current public policy," particularly in light of New York's anti-discrimination and marriage equality laws. Read the Reuters story
Officials say a new law that requires Tennessee's doctors to use a drug-monitoring database and pharmacists to upload prescription information more often will allow state officials to determine which doctors are prescribing the most painkillers. Bill Gibbons, commissioner of the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, who helped craft the bill, says he hopes the changes will make doctors more aware of the number of prescriptions they write and allow them to spot patients who are "doctor-shopping" to buy pain medication for an addiction or to resell. But some critics, including doctors, say the law puts a burden on all doctors rather than targeting the few who are careless or over-prescribe. Other critics say the law doesn't go far enough. The Times-Free Press has more
Gov. Bill Haslam used his veto powers for the first time in his administration to kill one piece of legislation that passed after debate and discussion in the waning hours of the Tennessee House of Representatives’ final session, while others simply died in committees in the last days of the session that ended last month. The Murfreesboro Post shows you the bills
The Rutherford County Commission's Steering Committee last week recommended extending a general legal services agreement with County Attorney Jim Cope and his firm. The recommendation will include a resolution to contract with Cope for a flat fee rate of $259,000. Cope is currently paid a retainer and hourly rate, which causes fluctuation in costs, the Murfreesboro Post reports.
State Rep. Eric Watson, R-Cleveland, announced this weekend that he is seeking re-election to the House of Representatives' 22nd district, which is composed of Meigs, Polk and Bradley counties. Read his statement in the Cleveland Daily Banner
The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge in Washington to keep sealed illegal wiretap recordings rooted in the Watergate scandal. It is not opposing release of some court papers sealed in the 1972 prosecution of G. Gordon Liddy. That information, DOJ lawyers said, includes bench conferences about evidentiary disputes and pretrial meetings in chambers. The agency is responding to a history professor's request seeking access to materials he believes could help answer lingering questions about the burglary that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. DOJ lawyers argue that there is no First Amendment or public right of access to illegally obtained wiretaps, The Blog of Legal Times reports.
Ninth District congressman Steve Cohen opened his Memphis headquarter Saturday, casting himself not only as a candidate for reelection but as an organizing figure in local Democratic politics. The Memphis Flyer has more
Construction of a controversial mosque in Murfreesboro can continue according to a ruling out today. Earlier this week, Chancellor Robert Corlew III found that county commissioners did not give proper notice before approving the new Islamic center, but a footnote in the order issued today said that does not mean work has to stop on the mosque, and that such a matter would have to be taken up separately. WPLN reports
