Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), a California-based gun-rights organization, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the age restrictions in Tennessee’s permitless carry law, the Times Free Press reports. The new gun law goes into effect on July 1 and will allow most adults aged 21 and older to carry handguns in public without state-issued permits. The civil rights complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on behalf of three Knox County men who are between the ages of 18 and 20 and excluded from permitless carry under the new statute. The lawsuit claims there are federal constitutional problems with regard to the age requirements in the new law. According to the FPC’s website, the group has filed similar suits in California and Pennsylvania.  

The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is now accepting nominations for the Sue Ann Head Award for Excellence in Workers’ Compensation. Nominees must have a minimum of five years of involvement with the state’s workers’ compensation system in one of the following categories: employer or employer’s representative, employee representative, service provider, claims professional, medical provider or legal profession. The award will be given to the nominee who has made a positive impact on the workers’ compensation system through a single act or sustained record of positive contributions. Nominations are due by June 15. Read more about the award and how to make a nomination on the Bureau’s website.

After detailed analysis of the current real estate market and the short and long-term needs of the Tennessee Bar Association, the TBA Board of Governors and trustees of the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation (TLCF) have decided to market the Tennessee Bar Center in downtown Nashville and look for short term office space while determining long term needs. The TLCF, which owns the Bar Center, created a committee in 2019 to study the space, occupied since 2000 by the TBA and other tenants. Former TBA President Lucian Pera chaired the committee, which worked with Colliers and TBA staff to determine if the TLCF should invest in renovating the office space at 221 4th Avenue North or put the building on the market. Any questions about the building should be directed to TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson or Mike Driscoll at Colliers.

Well-Being Week in Law continues today with a focus on aligning work and personal life with values, goals and interests. Keeping with today’s theme, “Align: Spiritual Well-Being,” the Institute for Well-Being in Law suggests reading the WeWork.com article, “Ways to Incorporate Your Spirituality at Work,” and watching a video featuring law professionals on how they integrate their personal approach to spirituality into their work lives. Today’s activity is an “Awe Walk,” a 15-minute uninterrupted walk without a phone. While walking, look for new and inspiring details on your path, explore and be open to inspiration and take time to reflect on emotions after the stroll has ended. Read more on Well-Being Week in Law.

Understanding and Confronting Unconscious Bias 2.0 is designed to help lawyers avoid bias in the decision-making process and better respond to allegations of bias from clients or third parties. The one-hour program will utilize exercises that help reveal biases, help participants better understand microaggressions and provide tools for improving cross-cultural communication at the organizational and personal levels. Nashville lawyer Luther Wright with Ogletree Deakins will present the program on May 11 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. Missed the first installment of this program? Catch up here.

An amendment to HB1072/SB915 that was set for discussion by the Senate today has been pushed to May 3. The legislation from Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, would ban local governments from filing lawsuits to challenge the constitutionality of state laws. It would also allow the state to file an interlocutory appeal in any case in which the constitutionality of a statute is challenged and stay any injunction issued by the court pending the final outcome of the appeal. TBA has been expressing concern to bill sponsors and committee members.

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office has created a Cold Case Unit (CCU), the Chattanoogan reports. District Attorney Chris Arnt said the unit will work "with local and state law enforcement agencies to review evidence and bring a fresh perspective to unsolved murders and sexual assaults in the circuit." The CCU will leverage scientific and technological advancements as well as assistance from the public to move these cold cases forward. The team will be led by Assistant District Attorney Clay Fuller. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime can contact lmjcda@pacga.org.

The Lawyers’ Association for Women – Marion Griffith Chapter has announced that 20th Judicial District Chancellor Anne C. Martin is this year’s recipient of the Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Award. The award is given each year to “active LAW members who model personal and professional achievement in the practice of law.” Martin practiced with Dodson, Parker & Behm PC and later with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC before she was elected to the Chancery Court bench in 2018. Daughtrey was the first woman to become a judge on a court of record when she was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1975 and was also the first female justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. She is now a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The resolution to add Tennessee’s “right to work” law to the state Constitution today cleared the General Assembly and will now appear on the 2022 ballot, the Associated Press reports. The resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, says the constitutional amendment is needed because it will make it harder to repeal or weaken the “right to work” law. Opponents counter that the measure discourages workers from joining unions, while others argue that right-to-work states have more workplace fatalities and lower wages. To amend the state Constitution, changes must pass by a majority in both chambers during one two-year General Assembly, and then pass by at least two-thirds of the vote in the next. The amendment would then go before the voters in the year of the next gubernatorial election.

The Nashville Bar Association will host its spring memorial service virtually on May 27 at 11 a.m. CDT via Zoom. A project of the NBA’s Historical Committee, the memorial service honors the memory of those Nashville lawyers and judges who have recently passed away. Attendees must RSVP in order to receive a link to view the service. See the NBA’s extensive collection of memorial resolutions.