Gov. Bill Lee joined a group of other Republican governors in Texas last month to observe the border and support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During the visit, Lee called the situation a crisis and committed to sending two waves of active-duty troops from the Tennessee National Guard to help, the Tennessean reports. Lee previously had sent 125 National Guard members to the area in October. In related news, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined 26 other states in a letter to the Biden administration supporting Texas’ border defense. And in Washington, D.C., a proposed bipartisan border security package is getting mixed reviews. The Hill has more on that measure.

TBA’s Law Firm in a Box goes above and beyond with tips for your law practice. Resources, whitepapers, checklists, best practices and ethical considerations are offered for all stages of law practice, whether you are opening, building, managing, protecting or winding down a practice. Members also have free access to a team of tech gurus, and at no cost, can email tech questions to tbapmc@affinityconsulting.com.

Two bills proposed by the TBA recently passed in legislative committees. The House Civil Justice Committee passed a bill drafted by the Tennessee Probate Study Group and sponsored by Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, in the House and Sen. John Stevens, R- Huntingdon, in the Senate. HB2710/SB2254 allows a medical or psychological report, required by the court to appoint a conservator, to be either notarized or declared under penalty of perjury as set forth in Rule 72 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. The reasoning behind the bill is that doctors’ offices do not always have access to a notary public. This bill would make the process of setting up a conservatorship faster and less expensive.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill drafted by TBA adoption law attorneys and sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Hail, R- Gallatin, in the Senate and Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington, in the House. HB2644/SB2633 was amended by the TBA and those changes passed as the new bill. The TBA Adoption Law Section’s Executive Council drafted HB2644/SB2633 to ensure that changes made to the adoption code last session work better in practice and to clean up sections of the code addressing putative fathers and child witnesses. These changes will result in expediting adoptions, saving court resources, creating uniformity across the state in courts that hear adoption cases and avoiding delays in permanency.

Those interested in an appointed position on the TBA Young Lawyers Division's 2024-2025 board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. Two elected positions also will be filled by the YLD Board after no candidates filed as of the deadline on Feb. 15. These include the West Tennessee Governor and District Representatives in Districts 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12. The governor will serve for one year while district representatives will serve a two-year term. Contact Sean Aiello, TBA YLD President Elect, to be considered for any of these positions. For more information visit the YLD Election Guidelines webpage.

Facing an unprecedented increase in threats and violence, more than 70% of federal judges have enrolled in the government's home intrusion protection program, according to the U.S. Marshals service, which oversees the program. Judicial officers have seen a sharp increase in threats increasing from 179 in 2019 to 457 in 2023, Bloomberg Law reports. There has also been an increase in "swatting" incidents where someone falsely reports a crime at a targeted individual's location in order to draw a heightened law enforcement response.

Jeffery D. Parrish of Scotts Hill died Feb. 18 at the age of 61. A graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, Parrish began his legal career in private practice, later handling corporate health care matters. He practiced with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP for many years. Most recently, he was state counsel and field director for U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. In addition to his professional career, Parrish enjoyed travel, music, food and boating. Visitation will be held tomorrow from 3-7 p.m. CST at St. Regina Catholic Church, 108 Skyline Ln., Parsons 38363. A funeral mass will be held at the church on Friday at noon.

Make plans now to join colleagues from across the state at the TBA’s Annual Convention, set for June 12-15 in Memphis. The event will return to the Peabody Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Memphis with easy access to restaurants and entertainment. Programming is still being planned, but perennial favorites such as the Bench Bar program, Lawyers Lunch and joint event with the Tennessee Judicial Conference will be on the agenda. The Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women, Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers and Tennessee Trial Lawyers' Association also will hold meetings and events that week at the Peabody. This year’s theme — “A Bridge to the Future” — will bring compelling CLE programs focused on artificial intelligence and how this rapidly expanding technology will impact the practice of law. Watch for more information coming soon to the event webpage.

Two bills proposed by the TBA passed in legislative committees this week. Today, the House Civil Justice Committee passed a bill drafted by the Tennessee Probate Study Group and sponsored by Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, in the House and Sen. John Stevens, R- Huntingdon, in the Senate. HB2710/SB2254 allows a medical or psychological report, required by the court to appoint a conservator, to be either notarized or declared under penalty of perjury as set forth in Rule 72 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. The reasoning behind the bill is that doctors’ offices do not always have access to a notary public. This bill would make the process of setting up a conservatorship faster and less expensive.

On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill drafted by TBA adoption law attorneys and sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Hail, R- Gallatin, in the Senate and Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington, in the House. HB2644/SB2633 was amended by the TBA and those changes passed as the new bill. The TBA Adoption Law Section’s Executive Council drafted HB2644/SB2633 to ensure that changes made to the adoption code last session work better in practice and to clean up sections of the code addressing putative fathers and child witnesses. These changes will result in expediting adoptions, saving court resources, creating uniformity across the state in courts that hear adoption cases and avoiding delays in permanency.

Committees in both the state House and Senate have advanced a proposed constitutional amendment to the state’s bail law, setting up floor votes in both chambers, the Tennessean reports. In the Senate, SJR919 passed the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 6-3 despite opposition from Chair Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. He argued the change — which would expand the list of crimes for which a judge could deny bail — would pack county jails and put local governments in a financial bind to expand or build new facilities. In the House, the Criminal Justice Committee passed HJR859 on a voice vote. If approved by both chambers, the resolution still would have to pass in the 114th General Assembly before being placed on the next ballot involving a gubernatorial race. It would then have to receive a majority vote of those participating in the governor’s election.

Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, has filed a resolution to condemn neo-Nazism after a march in downtown Nashville that included swastika flags, WKRN reports. The proposed resolution states that “racism and hatred in any form are repugnant and sinful.” It also calls for rejecting those who promote “anti-Semitism, xenophobia, discrimination and racial intolerance in all forms.” The group that marched is believed to have been comprised of members of the extremist groups Blood Tribe and the Vinland Rebels. In a statement about the resolution, Lamberth said, “Tennesseans will never accept or normalize evil, and we denounce any ideology or group motivated by sick hatred and racial intolerance of any human being.”