Edgar "Buddy" R. Bowers of Harriman died March 17 at the age of 85. Bowers graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1966. While in law school, he served in the U.S. Army and the Georgia National Guard. After several years of private practice in Roane County, Bowers joined Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation as vice president and general counsel. He served in that role until he retired in 1999. Bowers was active in his community, serving on the Tennessee Historical Commission, Harriman Board of Education and Tennessee Board of Regents. He was chair of the Roane County Republican Party and served on the Tennessee State Republican Executive Committee. Memorial gifts may be made to West Hills Presbyterian Church, 506 West Hills Dr., Harriman, TN 37748; South Harriman Alumni and Friends, 111 Pine Ridge Rd., Harriman, TN 37748; Trenton Street Baptist Church, 519 Trenton St., Harriman, TN 37748; or the charity of the donor’s choice.

Seven in 10 Black women lawyers have experienced discrimination or bias in the workplace, or personally witnessed it, according to a new survey. Additionally, 47% of the lawyers who participated in the first-ever State of Black Women in the Law 2023 DEIB Assessment Report “feel the burden” of having to educate people on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And while the majority of Black women lawyers surveyed said their workplace is committed to improving diversity, 66% said they would not stay at their organization for two more years because of a lower-than-average “sense of belonging.” Read more from survey creators Kanarys Inc., the National Bar Institute and the the Women Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association.

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday rejected Starbucks' challenge to a ruling requiring the coffee chain to rehire seven employees at a Memphis store who allegedly were fired for supporting a union, Reuters reports. The court said that by firing the workers, Starbucks likely discouraged other employees from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the court is the first appellate decision involving a nationwide campaign that has seen workers at more than 300 Starbucks locations vote to unionize.

The TBA Adoption Law Section will hold its annual forum on Sept. 25 at the Tennessee Bankers Association's Barrett Training Center in Nashville. This year's program will run from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. CDT and focus on adoption-related legislation considered during this year's General Assembly session. Make plans now to join colleagues.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has launched a task force aimed at bolstering public trust in elections. The effort will be headed by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, now a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and former U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals judge J. Michael Luttig. Other task force members include former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, former NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill, conservative commentator Bill Kristol, and the deans of the Yale and Stanford law schools. The 31-member ABA Task Force for American Democracy will look at ways to depoliticize how elections are administered, educate the public on democracy, and try to foster election innovations that address the causes of politicization.

Former state Sen. Brenda Gilmore has joined with a group of Tennessee voters in a lawsuit over Tennessee's newly drawn congressional maps, the Tennessean reports. The group alleges that last year’s redistricting intentionally discriminates against Black voters and dilutes the voting power of communities of color. The lawsuit, filed today in federal court, focuses on efforts to divide Davidson County into three districts and split state Senate District 31 in Shelby County. Organizations supporting the suit include The League of Women Voters of Tennessee, Equity Alliance, African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee and Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is senior counsel at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., is calling on Tennessee Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton to fully reinstate" Jones to all rights, duties and privileges of his office before the special session begins. That would include reinstating Jones to his committee assignments, the Times Free Press reports. Last Thursday, Nashville voters returned Jones to his seat after he was expelled for joining in pro-gun control protests inside the House chamber in the days following a shooting at The Covenant School.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued a proclamation calling for a special legislative session beginning on Aug. 21 to address public safety. In addition to his previously unveiled proposal to provide authority for courts to issue mental health orders of protection — which would temporarily remove guns from those deemed dangerous to themselves or others — Lee identified 17 other areas for legislative action focusing on the safe storage of firearms, mental health services and school safety policies. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, has said he would like to see the legislature use the special session to focus on juvenile crime, mentioning bills that would raise the age at which youth can have their records expunged and lowering the age at which they can be tried as adults. WPLN has more on his comments. House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, said she was disappointed with the scope of the special session, saying she was hoping for a "serious discussion about gun reform in Tennessee." The Tennessean has more on reaction from the capitol.

Make plans now to join the TBA for the 2023 Animal Law Forum, set for Sept. 22 at the Nashville Zoo. This annual favorite will feature topics relevant to several practice areas, including general ethics, pets in divorce, veterinarian liability, crimes against animals, conservation and more. Breakfast, lunch and zoo admission are included, with an extended lunch break in the savannah and an optional walk around the zoo.

The mother of a Covenant School shooting victim has released a video ad for the nonprofit "Voices for a Safer Tennessee," calling on state lawmakers to pass meaningful gun reform in the upcoming special session. In the video, Katy Dieckhaus says that her nine-year-old daughter, Evelyn, lost her life because "a troubled person" had easy access to firearms. The ad is part of a statewide public education campaign launched by the nonpartisan nonprofit, which is advocating for temporarily restricting gun access for people who pose a danger to themselves or others, closing background check loopholes and adding new gun storage requirements. Axios Nashville has more on the story.