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.
In an editorial, the Jackson Sun urges Gov. Bill Haslam to sign legislation on his desk that makes state public officials ineligible for pretrial diversion for criminal acts committed in their official capacity. "Gov. Haslam can raise the ethics bar and improve the image and the reputation of Tennessee public officials by signing this legislation into law," the paper says.
The Knoxville News Sentinel is calling for legislators to support the proposal from Gov. Bill Haslam that would affirm by constitutional amendment the state's method of selecting justices for the Tennessee Supreme Court and appeals courts. In an editorial, the newspaper says that some lawmakers who "can't resist trying to fix things that are not really broken" should listen to the proposal's top supporters: Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell. "There are good reasons the Founding Fathers of our nation and the writers of many state constitutions focused on separation of powers and checks and balances to make republican government work," the editorial says. "In making decisions from the bench, justices must consider the law before them, not the special interests that bankrolled their election."
Thom Gray has formally announced his candidacy for State Representative from the Fourth District, representing Carter and Unicoi counties. The Elizabethton lawyer will seek the Republican nomination in the Aug. 2 primary election. The Elizabethton Star has more
The Tennessee Bar Association’s webcasting program has again been selected as a finalist in the national Rich Media Impact Awards competition. The TBA earned the top award for associations last year for providing timely educational programming following the 2010 flood that devastated much of Tennessee. This year, the TBA is being recognized for its new All Access Video Network, which provides free online mentoring for lawyers. The network now offers three channels of programming: Practice Points, Going Solo and Professional Development. The winner of this year’s competition will be announced in May at the Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite Users Conference.
The Tennessee Bar Association membership renewal program for 2012-2013 is now open online. Visit the TBA Online Membership page today to make sure you don’t miss a day of TBA member services or benefits. When you renew online, you not only save time, you also save your association the cost of printing and mailing your renewal statement -- and you save the trees that would go into making all of that paper. It's quick, and it's easy! Renew now and relax; your membership will be assured for another year.
Alabama author Harper Lee doesn't speak publicly very often, but she says she's honored President Barack Obama is taping an introduction to a special showing of the movie based on her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," which will air Saturday on USA Network. The 50-year-old film – a favorite of lawyers – tells the story of a small-town southern lawyer fighting for justice for a black man wrongly accused of a crime. The Finch character is based on Lee's father. Law definitely runs in the family. Lee's sister, who at 100 years old is still practicing law, recently was featured in a PBS documentary that aired this week.
The sponsor of Alabama's controversial immigration law has introduced legislation to remove two sections put on hold by the federal courts: one that prohibits illegal immigrants from attending college in the state and one that requires public schools to check the legal residency of new students. WDEF has more
Incoming students at Baylor University School of Law may know more than they should about their classmates this fall after school administrators accidentally sent out a spreadsheet detailing LSAT scores, undergraduate grade-point averages and scholarship awards for 400 accepted by the school. The data also included students’ names, addresses, telephone numbers, undergraduate institutions and ethnicities. After realizing the mistake, the school sent a second message asking recipients to act professionally and delete the information. Law.com has the story from The National Law Journal.
Chattanooga lawyer Hank Hill has pleaded guilty to a recent DUI charge in exchange for doing three days of pro bono community legal service instead of picking up litter or attending DUI school. The well-known defense attorney was found behind the wheel of a truck stuck in a ditch on Signal Mountain almost a year ago. He was given several breathalyzer tests at the time, but none produced sufficient samples for testing. When he declined to have a blood test done at a local hospital, he was taken into custody. Read more on Chattanoogan.com
The Cumberland County Building and Grounds Committee has approved a plan to divide an old courtroom at the justice center to provide greater privacy for judicial commissioners, who meet with members of the public, and those who are using telephone video monitors to visit with jail inmates. The panel originally considered moving the monitors into the lobby, but found it would be less expensive to build a hallway down the middle of the courtroom to divide the room in half. Learn more in the Crossville Chronicle
At its meeting Monday, the Shelby County Commission will consider a $250,000 upgrade to the county's jury commission space in the County Office Building at 157 Poplar Ave. The improvements would wrap up a two-year effort to renovate the building. One topic under discussion will be the number of electrical outlets in the space given the rise in the use of digital devices by those waiting to be called for jury duty. Other issues include whether to replace the seating and how to deal with flooring with asbestos adhesive that is coming loose. Memphis Daily News reports
Kentucky-based law firm Frost Brown Todd has plans to expand its Nashville office to 50 lawyers over the next two years and to nearly 75 attorneys in the next five years. That level of growth would make the firm the fifth largest in Nashville, up from 26th in 2012. The Nashville Business Journal has more
News from the Family Law Section
The 10th Edition of the Alimony Bench Book is now available from the TBA's Family Law Section. The new version, edited by the section's Alimony Committee, includes published and unpublished cases from August 2003 to December 2011. It is available for purchase in a loose-leaf format for $40 or in a three-ring binder for $50. You can order the book from the TBA's online bookstore or by contacting the TBA at (615) 383-7421.
Two Nashville-area CASA agencies have fundraisers scheduled in the next few weeks. On April 21, CASA of Nashville will host its 13th annual Red Shoe Party at the Pinnacle at Symphony Place. This year's event begins at 7 p.m. and features a silent auction, live music and food from Margaritaville. Tickets are available online www.casa-nashville.org or by calling (615) 425-2383. Then on May 1, Williamson County CASA will hold a benefit concert featuring Wynonna Judd at the Franklin Theatre. A silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. The concert will follow at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at FranklinTheatre.com. Read more about the event in The Tennessean
One of the most turbulent eras in Tennessee politics will be revisited Monday when Vanderbilt University's Central Library and Special Collections hosts "The Governor's Early Swearing-In: Was It the Right Thing to Do?" The panel discussion with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in the library's Community Room. Joining Alexander will be former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Koch, former U.S. Attorney Hal Hardin and Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper. John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center, will serve as moderator. For more information, contact Celia Walker at celia.walker@vanderbilt.edu or 615-343-4701. Read more from the school
State Rep. Gary Moore, D-Nashville, announced today he will not run for re-election this fall. Moore served eight years in the House and recently was elected president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council. He becomes the seventh Democratic member to retire this year. Metro Councilman Bo Mitchell, a Democrat, filed papers today to run for the seat. WPLN reports
The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development is seeking qualified candidates to handle benefit review for its Workers' Compensation Division. The position is located in Nashville and also includes policy development, planning, financial oversight and personnel development functions. Interested candidates should submit a resume, letter of interest and salary history to Jeff Francis, Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, 220 French Landing Dr., Nashville, 37243. Learn more on JobLink
President Barack Obama's remarks earlier this week about the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of the health care law continue to generate backlash from political opponents. In a speech today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., continued the GOP counteroffensive, telling the president to "back off" the court. "The President crossed a dangerous line this week. And anyone who cares about liberty needs to call him out on it. The independence of the Court must be defended," McConnell said. Read more on politico.com
Meanwhile, the Justice Department today made good on its promise to file a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit outlining the government's view of judicial authority to review laws enacted by Congress. The Blog of Legal Times has that story
Memphis lawyer Bill Robilio has been named the Stephenson Todd Volunteer Attorney of the Year by the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). Robilio, a member of the Shelby County Public Defenders Office, has been a volunteer mentor to fellow lawyers in crisis since TLAP was established in 1999. Prior to that, he worked with Lawyers Helping Lawyers, a similar service of the Memphis Bar Association. The award was presented to Robilio at TLAP’s recent retreat at Montgomery State Park. The Commercial Appeal has comments from Judge Robert Childers, while a press release from the chief public defender praises Robilio's work.
Shelby County judicial commissioners are out of the business of holding probable cause hearings for suspects arrested by Memphis police and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office by order of the General Sessions Court. An appeal is expected. The issue arose when the Criminal Court of Appeals called into question the way some suspects are held for 48 hours before they are formally charged. The ruling came in a decision to order a new trial for a murder defendant. Learn more in the Memphis Daily News
