The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended eight attorneys on Monday for failure to pay the annual registration fee; three of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The share of Americans with a favorable opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to its lowest point in public opinion surveys dating to 1987, the Pew Research Center reports. A new survey shows that fewer than half of Americans express a favorable opinion of the court, while a narrow majority have an unfavorable view. Opinions of the court have become somewhat less positive since April, when about half of Americans had a favorable impression. The center reports that this data marks the first time in its polling that the public’s views of the Supreme Court are significantly more negative than positive. Read more about the recent findings.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission next month will consider applicants for two court openings. Five applicants for a vacancy on the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court will be reviewed when the commission meets on Aug. 30. They are: Terry A. Fann, Stephen E. Grauberger, Derek R. Howard, R. Michelle Howser and Micheal A. Jones. The commission will meet in the Historic Courthouse’s Rutherford County Commission Meeting Room in Murfreesboro at 9 a.m. CDT. The vacancy is being created by the upcoming retirement of Judge J. Mark Rogers on Sept. 1. Then on Aug. 31, the commission will meet in Franklin to consider four applicants for the 21st Judicial District Circuit Court. They are: Russell D. Gill, B. Todd Martin, Erin W. Nations and David H. Veile. The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. CDT in the Mayor and Aldermen Board Room at Franklin City Hall. This vacancy is being created by the upcoming retirement of Judge Michael W. Binkley on Sept. 29. The commission is expected to vote immediately following each of the meetings and forward three names for each district to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration.

Rutherford County lawyer Jimmy Leo Richardson received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court today. Richardson was appointed to represent a father in a dependency and neglect petition involving a child but ceased representing the father. He then began representing the mother in an action to modify the permanent parenting plan. The court found that the two matters were substantially related, that the mother’s interests were materially adverse to the father’s interests, and the father did not give informed consent in writing for Richardson to represent the mother. The court found Richardson’s actions violated Rule of Professional Conduct 1.9.

Former House Speaker Glen Casada has filed a motion to dismiss federal corruption charges against him, Tennessee Lookout reports. A federal trial for Casada and his former aide Cade Cothren is scheduled to begin Oct. 3. In the motion, Casada argues that the charges against him are inflated and that the lawmakers who did business with a vendor called Phoenix Solutions received the services they requested. Prosecutors accuse Casada of concealing Cothren’s identity as the vendor and directing House business to Cothren in return for kickbacks.

President Joe Biden signed a proclamation yesterday to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, the Associated Press reports. The monument will cover three sites in two states. The first of the sites will be at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Till’s open-casket funeral took place. The other two will be in Mississippi: one at Graball Landing, where Till’s body was believed to be pulled from the Tallahatchie River, and one at the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse, where Till’s killers were acquitted. Till, who would have turned 82 yesterday, was killed in 1955 after a 21-year-old woman accused him of whistling at her. The killing, and the acquittal of the killers, helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement.

State health officials recently disqualified Nashville CARES — a nonprofit sexual health clinic that connects low-income HIV-positive individuals with federally subsidized medical care — from receiving grant funds under the federal Ryan White Insurance Assistance Program, Tennessee Lookout reports. Nashville CARES is now suing, alleging that decision was “illegal" and "arbitrary" and involved an "unlawful procedure.” The nonprofit’s lawyers are asking that state officials be ordered to restart the process of vetting organizations for the funding. The state argues that the nonprofit is effectively a pass-through to a for-profit subcontractor that provides the bulk of the service. Nashville CARES disputes that characterization.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s strike against affirmative action is expected to be a boon for U.S. law firms as they respond to a rise in demand for advice about how to comply and guard against new legal challenges, Reuters reports. Firms with higher education, anti-discrimination and employment practices tell the news source they have seen an uptick in business since the court ended consideration of race in college admissions. While the case had no direct effect on employers, attorneys told Reuters that corporations also have been seeking advice on diversity policies given their concerns about lawsuits being filed in the wake of the ruling.

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA), the state’s largest teachers union, is suing in federal court to block the “prohibited concept” law of 2021, the Tennessee Journal reports. The suit, brought against the state education commissioner and members of the state board of education, challenges the constitutionality of the law for its vague language and subjective enforcement. The suit also claims the law interferes with “instruction on difficult but important topics” included in state standards, which were “developed and approved by Tennesseans.” The TEA is asking the court to issue a permanent injunction against enforcement of the law and declare the law unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.

If you missed Stuart Teicher's presentation "From Bach to Beyonce: What Musical Arrangements Teach About Legal Writing" in June, the webcast will replay this Friday from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Join Teicher to learn how to tackle the hardest part of legal writing: the organization phase. Among other topics, he will talk about how to create a "mind map" and get into details about outlining your work.