In the wake of the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands assembled a Racial Justice and Equity team to find systemic biases and knowledge gaps inside its operations. One year later, LAS Executive Director DarKenya Waller calls May 25 “report card day,” a time to assess the progress of LAS’ efforts to perform meaningful racial justice work. She tells the Tennessean she would not give herself an A, but adds, “The only way you can fail is if you're not trying." Since last year, Waller and her team have found trainings and started a data study in which a “heat map” was created to mark where LAS services were most used and areas where they were missing. They’ve also created research resources on the historical context of redlining laws and housing issues and wealth gaps along race and gender lines. Those efforts have enabled LAS to find partner agencies to better target outreach programs and assist organizations already working with underserved populations. “It's about being anti-racist, it's about doing work that changes circumstances for marginalized communities, intentionally, not as a byproduct of what you were doing anyway," Waller said. "This year was certainly a year of learning."

The office of Gov. Bill Lee is now accepting applications for a public defender in the 29th Judicial District. This vacancy was created by the retirement of James E. Lanier. The position will be filled by the governor until the next biennial election in August 2022. Applicants must have been a state resident for at least five years and a resident of the district for at least one year. The 29th Judicial District covers Dyer and Lake counties. Resumes and cover letters can be mailed to Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor Lang Wiseman, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37243 or emailed to Rebecca Kaunisto. All applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. CDT on June 11. Read more about the position.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today overturned a decision that allowed for residential-use-only restrictions to be applied to subdivision lots that were sold before the restriction was created. The justices unanimously agreed that the individuals who recorded the restriction in the case lacked the authority to restrict the use of land they did not own. In this case, the original developers of the land did not execute and record the restrictive covenants until two years after they had already begun selling the lots. By that time, the property at the center of the case had already been sold and the high court ruled the restrictions did not apply to the property. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the decision and the opinion authored by Chief Justice Jeff Bivins.

The Davidson County General Sessions Night Court has announced a vacancy for a “fill-in” judicial commissioner that will be called on to work a full or half shift when needed. This position pays by the hour. Successful candidates will be at least 30 years old, have been licensed for at least five years, a resident of the state for at least five years and a current resident of Davidson County. Those interested in applying should send a resume to General Sessions Court Administrator Kyle Sowell by email or by mail at 408 Second Ave. N., Suite 1140, Nashville, TN 37219. The deadline to apply is June 4. Read more about the job opening.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, have assembled an all-Republican study committee on refugee issues, TNJ: On the Hill reports. “With this study committee, we reaffirm that there is a clear and compelling state interest in a sane immigration policy,” McNally said. In a letter to House and Senate clerks, McNally and Sexton said the committee will examine the number of migrant children that have been relocated to the state by the federal government, work to increase transparency surrounding that process, and evaluate the financial and other impact the federal migrant relocation program has on Tennesseans.  

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) today unveiled a new history and milestones feature on its website in honor of Tennessee’s 225th year of statehood. The new webpage features multimedia elements that examine the history of the state’s court system from 1796 through the present. Read more interesting facts about the court system on the AOC’s website and check out the new History & Milestones page.

Nashville attorney and director of the Metro Council office, Jon Cooper, will start a new job with Bone McAllester Norton in July, the Nashville Post reports. Cooper had previously held his position with Metro Council from 2008 until 2015. He was law director for the Metro Government from 2015 to 2019 before circling back to the council. He joins a growing team of attorneys at the firm with Metro ties who are working on land use and zoning issues. Cooper will handle regulatory and administrative law matters for counties and municipalities in his new role.

A work crew at Health Sciences Park in Memphis this morning began the exhumation process of Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, the Daily Memphian reports. After private nonprofit Memphis Greenspace bought the park in 2017, the statue of Forrest, which marked his grave, was removed and an agreement was reached with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to transfer the remains for reburial at a Confederate-themed park in Columbia, Tennessee. While speaking to camera crews about the removal, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer was interrupted by a member of the construction crew who threatened and berated her with profanity, calling her a communist and saying he would physically confront her if she were a man. “So there’s no question about why we need to remove this hateful structure,” Sawyer said. The disinterment process is expected to take several weeks.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host one in-person legal advice clinic and two phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The in-person clinic will take place tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down Nashville, 1125 12th Ave. S. The phone clinics will be held tomorrow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CDT and Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. CDT. To help answer questions, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will livestream two cases on June 3. The first case will begin streaming at 9 a.m. CDT and will be followed by the second case at 10:30 a.m. The livestream can be found on the Administrative Office of the Court’s (AOC) YouTube page. Find details of both cases on the AOC’s website.