In addition to compelling CLE, social events and networking opportunities, the 2024 TBA Annual Convention will include meetings of TBA's governing bodies. On June 12, the House of Delegates will meet in the afternoon, while new section chairs will meet to make plans for the 2024-2025 bar year. On June 14, the TBA Board of Governors and its Executive Committee will meet after the Lawyers Luncheon. Later that afternoon, the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation (TLCF) and TBA Member Insurance Solutions (TBAMS) will hold their respective board meetings. Wrapping up the day, the Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Long Range Planning Committee will meet and all young lawyer members of the TBA will gather for the division's annual meeting. On June 15, members of the YLD Board will meet for committee breakouts and their summer board meeting. Check out the full convention schedule and make plans to be in Memphis June 12-15!

A lawsuit brought over the 2022 death of Landon Eastep will go forward after U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. declined for now to grant immunity to police officers and state troopers accused of using excessive force while interacting with Eastep. Instead, Crenshaw reserved the issue until there is "further factual development" in the case. He did throw out one claim of failure to protect Eastep and all claims against the Metro Nashville and Mount Juliet governments. Nine law enforcement officials opened fire on 37-year-old Eastep after a 30-minute standoff on Interstate 65 when he pulled a metal object, later determined not to be a weapon, from his pocket. The Tennessean has more on the decision.

Two open positions on the TBA Board of Governors will be filled by the body when it convenes on June 14 at the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis. During its spring meeting this past weekend, the board declared the vacancies in accordance with Article 47 of the TBA Bylaws. The openings are for a West Tennessee Grand Division Governor and a Middle Tennessee Grand Division Governor, each of which will serve a one-year term. To be considered for either position, email TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright with your interest by June 1. Please include a resume with your submission as well as any other information you would like the Board of Governors to consider.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed three bills into law in the last few days. HB2124/SB2576 requires local police to work with ICE whenever an undocumented person is detained. The Associated Press reports on that measure. HB2169/SB1738 prevents the Department of Children’s Services from requiring foster parents to support LGBT rights, meaning the parents in question do not have to accept a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity to become the caregiver. Courthouse News has more on that bill. Finally, HB1726/SB2359 prohibits the Department of Children’s Services from requiring an immunization for foster parents. Before this change the families had to be vaccinated against the flu and whooping cough in an effort to protect medically fragile children, according to The Nashville Scene.

The Tennessee Republican Party has finalized the candidates for the Aug. 1 primary. Of those who sought to run for various positions, the party removed 14 and restored eight after those individuals paid their party dues. Among those blocked from running were three candidates for Congress, two for the state Senate and nine for the state House, Tennessee Journal reports. Party leaders said these individuals failed to meet “bona fide” standards, which require Republican candidates to have voted in at least three of the last four statewide GOP primaries. With that move, U.S. Reps. Mark Green and David Kustoff no longer face primary opponents, while Rep. Scott DesJarlais will face two opponents rather than three. The Associated Press has more specifics.

Fayetteville lawyer Thomas Owen Bagley died April 12 at the age of 94. A graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, Bagley moved to Fayetteville in 1953 and entered private practice with Robert W. Stevens. He served with the law firm of Stevens, Bagley & Stevens until his retirement in 2002. Bagley served as Fayetteville city attorney for more than 41 years, as president of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association and as a state representative from 1959-1960. A funeral service will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. CDT at Fayetteville First Presbyterian Church, 101 Mulberry Ave., Fayetteville 37334. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Cemetery, 511 Edison St. W., Fayetteville 37334. The Elk Valley Times has additional reflections from those who knew and worked with Bagley.

In honor of Help4TN month, the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has released a new podcast episode focused on the Tennessee Justice Bus. Tune in to hear a discussion about the mobile legal law office bringing legal help to rural communities. Participants include Justice Elizabeth "Beth" D. Walker of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda K. Wood, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeff Bivins and Anne-Lousie Wirthlin, director of access to justice and strategic development at the AOC.

Tom Guarente, a Brentwood tech executive, has withdrawn from the Republican primary for the Fifth Congressional District, according to news reports. His decision leaves Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston as the sole challenger to Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. Guarente said he met with Johnston and decided to support her candidacy instead "for the greater good." Guarente confirmed his decision to The Tennessee Star last Thursday. While Guarente filed official paperwork for his candidacy in February, he never formally launched a campaign. On the Democratic side, Maryam Abolfazli will now be unopposed in the race to face Ogles. Her last remaining primary opponent has withdrawn from the race, the Associated Press reports.

Don't miss the latest tax program from the TBA. "The Fundamentals of Tennessee Franchise & Excise Tax" will air as a webcast on May 2 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Join Jeff Foster from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, who will provide an overview of the basic legal principles of Tennessee's franchise and excise tax. The webcast will include a brief history of the tax, its importance to the state’s revenue, and an examination of the significant legal changes that have occurred in the last decade.

A list of those who passed the February 2024 Tennessee bar exam is now available. Those who meet all licensing requirements will be sworn in at events across the state during the week of June 3. The Tennessee Supreme Court released the schedule yesterday. The court will meet on June 3 at 9 a.m. in Memphis and 1:30 p.m. CDT in Jackson; June 4 at 9 a.m. EDT in Knoxville and 2 p.m. CDT in Nashville; June 5 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CDT virtually; and June 6 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CDT virtually.

Also, the Board of Law Examiners released statistics about the February 2024 bar exam. According to the board, 262 individuals — 108 first time test takers and 154 repeaters — took the exam. They represent 74 different law schools and saw an overall pass rate of 40.1%. For first time test-takers at Tennessee law schools, the University of Tennessee College of Law and Vanderbilt University Law School saw a 100% pass rate, followed by Belmont University College of Law at 66.7%, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 40%. Nashville School of Law at 35.7% and University of Memphis School of Law at 33.3%. See all statistical information from the exam.