Former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William Muecke Barker died Monday morning at the age of 81. Barker, from Chattanooga, spent 25 years on the judicial bench and 10 as a justice on the state Supreme Court. His experience included service with the Deetsen Firm, as circuit court judge in Hamilton County and on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He was named to the Supreme Court in 1998 and retired in 2008. He then joined the Chambliss Law Firm, where he served until fully retiring in 2021. Barker is a former president of the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association and is a fellow of both the Chattanooga Bar Foundation and the Tennessee Bar Foundation. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on his life. Funeral details are pending.

Memphis-based federal Judge Thomas Parker late Friday imposed a temporary restraining order on implementation of the state’s new law limiting drag show performances, the Commercial Appeal reports. The law was set to go into effect on Saturday. Parker heard three hours of arguments on Thursday and on Friday said the law as written is too vague. A law is unconstitutionally vague if individuals of “common intelligence must necessarily guess at its meaning and differ as to its application," he wrote. The decision came in a suit filed by Friends of George's, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group.

The TBA’s Litigation Section will host its annual forum on May 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT as a live virtual event. This year’s forum will offer essential and useful material for litigators. It is being produced by Litigation Section Section Chair Tannera Gibson with Burch, Porter & Johnson. Confirmed speakers include Will Perry with Butler Snow and Stephen Shields with Jackson, Shields, Yeiser, Holt, Owen & Bryant. All three practice in Memphis. Topics include court-mandated ADR, economic loss doctrine and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in the legal landscape.

The TBA is bringing its award-winning CLE programming to Savannah on April 26. The Court Square program is designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law. Start the afternoon with a lunch and learn networking session with TBA leadership. Other topic areas will be announced soon. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CDT at the Venue on Main, 454 Main St., Savannah 38372.

A swearing in ceremony for Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, originally planned for Monday, has been canceled. Skrmetti’s office issued a statement saying, “In the wake of the unfathomable tragedy at The Covenant School on Monday, General Skrmetti and his family have decided to cancel the ceremonial swearing in scheduled for [April 3]. He is thankful and overwhelmed by the encouragement from family and friends who planned to attend in support.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission has kicked off its annual Help4TNMonth celebration, which will feature expungement and general civil legal advice clinics throughout April. Help4TNMonth, celebrated each April, highlights the need for free and reduced fee legal services in Tennessee and spotlights organizations that provide these services throughout the year. Check out next month’s calendar of events, submit an event to be added or sign up to volunteer at clinic.

Davidson County lawyer Melissa June Anderson was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday after it found she failed to take reasonable steps to protect a client’s interests when withdrawing from representation. The court also found that Anderson failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure that her firm had measures in place to provide reasonable assurance that all lawyers in the firm conformed with Rules of Professional Conduct. According to the court, Anderson knew of the conduct at a time when its consequences could have been avoided or mitigated, but failed to take reasonable remedial action or provide training and oversight. Her actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 5.1 and 1.16.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. next week on the 55th anniversary of his death, the Commercial Appeal reports. Special events planned for Tuesday, the anniversary of when he was shot at the Lorraine Motel, will include a mid-day virtual symposium and an afternoon hybrid event with speakers, performances and fraternal tributes. The museum is normally closed on Tuesdays but will be open regular hours on April 4 for the commemoration. Get the full line up of activities.

A federal judge in Texas has blocked requirements for insurers to provide some preventive-care services for free, the ABA Journal reports. Under the ruling, insurance companies no longer have to provide drugs for HIV prevention or screenings for depression, high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases and some kinds of cancer as required under the federal Affordable Care Act. The ruling came in a challenge from six individuals and two businesses. Plaintiffs wanted the option to purchase health coverage that did not include services they did not use, while others in the group objected to HIV-prevention coverage on the ground that it promoted behavior that was against their beliefs. Judge Reed C. O’Connor ruled last year that coverage mandates were not valid because the task force charged with adopting them had been constituted in violation of the appointments clause.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberland recently launched a new free monthly legal clinic in Antioch, Main Street Media reports. The clinic will be held on the first Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at the southeast branch of the Nashville Public Library, 5260 Hickory Hollow Parkway, Ste. 202, Antioch 37013. It is scheduled to run through June. The clinic will assist clients with civil legal matters, such as landlord/tenant disputes, family law, estate planning and debt collection. Those in need of assistance should register online. Contact Kendra Cheek at 800-238-1443 or kcheek@las.org to volunteer.