| TODAY'S NEWS |
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Legal News
Passages
Election 2010
Disciplinary Actions
TBA in the News
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| Legal News |
| Judge: Suit against health care law can go forward |
| Judge Henry E. Hudson of Virgina's Federal District Court has refused to block a challenge to the Obama administration's health care law brought by the State of Virginia.
The administration had asked Hudson to dismiss the challenge by Virginia's attorney general, Ken T. Cuccinelli II. Cuccinelli had argued that Congress, in passing a law that requires people to buy insurance or face a penalty, went further than the Commerce Clause of the federal Constitution allows. |
Read it in The New York Times
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| Prosecutors discuss Christian/Newsom trials |
| Knox County prosecutors Leland Price and Takisha "TK" Fitzgerald have concluded four back-to-back trials in the brutal January 2007 murders of 21-year-old Channon Christian and 23-year-old Christopher Newsom, where they secured two life-without-parole sentences, one 53-year sentence and one death sentence.
For their work they were awarded the Homerun Hitters award from the National District Attorneys Association. Read this interview with them about their experiences with the trials |
in the News Sentinel
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| FEMA and SBA loan application deadline Aug. 5 |
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The deadline for FEMA and SBA loan applications is this Thursday, Aug. 5. All flood victims -- all individuals affected by the May 2010 disaster, not just business owners -- must complete their FEMA and SBA loan applications by Thursday. |
Learn more on the Disaster Legal Services in Tennessee Facebook page
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| Knoxville lawyers honored for pro bono efforts |
| The Legal Aid of East Tennessee Pro Bono Celebration was held recently, honoring the work of local attorneys.
This year's winners were Ian P. Hennessey for the Public Service Award, Brenda McGee for the Professionalism Award and Bryan Hathorn for the Donald F. Paine Law Student Volunteer of the Year Award. Cecilia T. Allen won the Donald F. Paine Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, William J. Carver and John W. Elder won the Pro Bono Partner Award, J. Scott Griswold won the Pro Bono Advocate Award, and Paine, Tarwater & Bickers LLP won the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award. |
The News Sentinel reported the news
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| Judges approved to fill in for suspended Judge Bell |
| The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder have approved a list of judges who will hear cases during Cocke County General Sessions Judge John Bell's three-month suspension. The list of substitute judges includes former Chancellor Jim McSween of Newport; former Circuit Judge Ben Strand; Senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood of Knoxville; Hamblen County General Sessions Judge Janice Snider; and other retired and sitting judges.
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The Newport Plain Talk reports
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| Drug court reaches 100 participants, saves money |
| This week
the Shelby County Drug Court reached a milestone with 100 participants currently in the program who otherwise would have been incarcerated in the Shelby County Jail.
Judge Tim Dwyer said the average cost per inmate is about $90 a day, while those released into custody of the Drug Court program have a cost of about $13 a day. |
Read more in the Commercial Appeal
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| Kiffen hires Nashville firm for facing the Titans |
| Former Vol and current University of Southern California coach Lane Kiffen has hired Nashville law firm Riley Warnock & Jacobson to defend USC against a lawsuit filed a week ago by the Tennessee Titans.
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NashvillePost.com has more
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| Passages |
| Services set for Nashville lawyer Bill Willis |
Services will be held tomorrow, Aug. 3, for Nashville lawyer William R. (Bill) Willis, who died Friday at the age of 79. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. Both will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, 900 Broadway, in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society, the National MS Society or the Nashville Humane Association.
A 1954 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Mr. Willis was a partner in the firm of Willis & Knight, and was a former president of the Nashville Bar Association and former chair of the Board of Professional Responsibility.
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The Tennessean has more
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| Election 2010 |
| Why do you have to choose a party? |
| State law requires voters to be "a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote." A new column called "Knox Know It All" explains why Tennesseans have to choose a party and stick with it during primary elections. |
Read the column
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| Early voting numbers set record |
| Tennessee has broken an early voting record with more than 540,000 people casting ballots before the Aug. 5 primary, according to Secretary of State Tre Hargett. |
WSMV reported the news
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| Disciplinary Actions |
| Disbarred attorney denied judicial diversion |
| Former Gallatin attorney Jocelyn D. Mims, who was disbarred in August 2009, has been denied judicial diversion by the Sumner County Criminal Court.
The court determined that she had not adequately accepted responsibility for her actions and had abused her powers of public trust. She may reapply for reinstatement in 2014. |
The News-Examiner has more
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| TBA in the News |
| 'Wills for Heroes' a success in Knoxville |
| Knoxville area firefighters, police officers, paramedics and EMT's brought their spouses along to receive free wills and basic estate planning from Knoxville-area lawyers on Saturday. The program, Wills for Heroes, is administered by the Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association.
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WBIR reports
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