The University of Tennessee College of Law will hold the 24th Annual Julian Blackshear Jr. Scholarship Gala on March 2 at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event will honor civil rights leader and RBJ Campbelle Jr. Award recipient Dr. Harold Middlebrook. The event also will feature special guest speaker Teresa Wynn Roseborough, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Home Depot. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a reception followed by dinner at 6 p.m. EST. Individual tickets are available for $75 per person. Student tickets may be purchased for $20. Contact Ellen Cole at ecole@utk.edu with questions.

McKendree United Methodist Church in downtown Nashville will hold a free webinar on March 7 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CST about human trafficking and its realities in Middle Tennessee. The event, designed to raise awareness about the problem of human trafficking, will be conducted via Zoom. No registration is required. The meeting link can be accessed by scanning the QR code in the attached image. Speakers include Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Lynne T. Ingram; Brenna Filburn, a community engagement specialist with AncoraTN, and McKendree pastor Stephen Handy.

Serious threats to U.S. federal judges have more than doubled over the past three years, according to U.S. Marshals Service data reviewed and reported by Reuters. The service, which is responsible for the protection of 2,700 federal judges and more than 30,000 federal prosecutors and other court personnel, reports a sharp rise in threats since the 2020 presidential election. The data also showed that serious threats against federal judges that triggered an investigation by the agency rose to 457 in fiscal year 2023 from 224 in fiscal year 2021.

Tennessee High School Mock Trial District competitions will be occurring across the state over the next two weeks and volunteers are needed in several locations. The District 7 competition will take place this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST at the Rutherford County Judicial Center, 116 W. Lytle St., Murfreesboro 37130. To help with this event please contact Morgan Hanna. The District 14 competition will take place in Memphis Feb. 22-25 at the Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Memphis 38103. Volunteers are especially needed on Friday and Saturday. Complete this form or contact Faith Watson or Brande Boyd to help. The District 9 competition will take place in Nashville on Feb. 23-25 at the Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Nashville 37201. Scorers, judges and bailiffs are needed for this competition. Bailiffs do not need to be licensed attorneys. Dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday will be provided to volunteers. Register here to volunteer. Finally, the District 5 competition in Chattanooga will be held Feb. 24-26 at the Hamilton County-Chattanooga Courts Building, 600 Market St., Chattanooga 37402. Volunteers are needed on Saturday from 9-11 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m., Sunday 1:30-3:30 p.m., and Monday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. EST. Contact Alex McVeagh and Mary France DeVoe to volunteer for this event.

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, has announced he will not run for reelection when his term ends later this year, reports the Tennessean. Green, who is currently chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said it is "time for me to return home." He continued, "Our country — and our Congress — is broken beyond most means of repair," but said he would continue serving the country in a "new capacity." Green was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 to serve Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat, announced in December she would seek her party's nomination to challenge Green for the seat.

Stanford and Yale law schools, which share the number one spot on U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings, are moving up their summer associate recruiting programs to June, Reuters reports. Other top ranked law schools that supply the bulk of summer associates, including Harvard, Columbia and New York University, are waiting until July or early August for their primary interview program. The expedited process means that firms may have a single semester of grades to consider when extending offers to early recruits, making it tougher to gauge their potential. Law firms' rivalry for the very top law students historically has remained fierce, according to the news source.

Don’t miss the Black Heritage in Racing Exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, now through Feb. 26. This exhibit, which originated at the Kentucky Derby Museum, explores the significant contributions of Black Americans to the early success of the Kentucky Derby. The exhibit also addresses the impact of segregation and Jim Crow, which led to the exclusion of African Americans from the racing industry. The display also narrates the stories of Black individuals who served as primary caretakers for horses in the 20th century. The exhibit is free with the purchase of a ticket to Belle Meade Historic Site.

The TBA Corporate Counsel Section will host its annual forum virtually on April 19. Topics include how the Corporate Transparency Act and the FTC's proposed rule regarding no-poaching and noncompete agreements affect in-house counsel, guiding a company through a government investigation, and what in-house counsel needs to know about parent/subsidiary relationships. Find out more and check back as more details are announced!

A pair of legislative measures that would reshape the bail system in Tennessee moved forward in a state House of Representatives subcommittee Tuesday with near unanimous "aye" votes for both, the Tennessean reports. The first measure, filed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, would enable Tennessee judges to deny bail for a broader set of charges, including acts of terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape and grave torture. The measure was amended to also include any offense that requires the convicted individuals to serve at least 85% of their sentence. The second measure would prohibit judges from considering a defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail and expand the discretion judges currently have to approve or deny bail for the crimes covered by the 2022 “truth in sentencing” law. Both measures now move to a full committee vote. 

Plan now to take part in the Tennessee Bar Association’s Day on the Hill on March 20. The event gives TBA members an opportunity to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession, including funding for indigent representation. Activities begin with a luncheon, followed by meetings with legislators in the afternoon and the annual Big Shrimp legislative reception that night. Sign up now to take part.