The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board held its winter meeting last weekend at Fall Creek Falls in Spencer. YLD President Brittany Faith gave special recognition to Samantha Ellis, Darius Walker Jr. and Angela Williams as the Stars of the Quarter, while also noting that all of the board members are doing outstanding work. The Diversity Leadership Institute’s (DLI) Class of 2023 met for the first time and networked with members of the YLD. Billy Leslie, Jeffrey Moore, Princess Rogers and DLI co-chair Angela Williams held sessions with the law school students to help prepare them for their future career. See pictures from the event here.

Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles has ruled against the state’s request to prevent public disclosure of records detailing the treatment of death row inmate Henry Hodges, the Tennessean reports. Hodges filed suit over the psychological and physical care he received after an October incident in which he severely injured his own genitals. The Associated Press and the Nashville Banner filed freedom of information motions over the records the state had sealed, including video footage of Hodges taken inside Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville. Myles ruled that all content produced in the course of discovery is subject to the court order to "unseal certain portions of the judicial records" and to "conduct further in camera review" of any other portions that remain under seal.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for a chancellor in the 7th Judicial District, which covers Anderson County. The vacancy was created by the resignation of the Judge M. Nichole Cantrell, effective Jan. 31. Applicants must be at least 30 years of age, have resided in the state for five years and be residents of the 7th Judicial District. Those interested should submit the Trial Court Vacancy Commission application to the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon CST on Feb. 6. The commission will interview applicants during a public hearing on Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. EST at the Anderson County Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Clinton. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.  

Former Vanderbilt University School of Law Dean Charles Dent Bostick died Jan. 12 at the age of 91. Bostick was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy before earning his law degree from Mercer University. After two years with the University of Florida faculty, Bostick joined the Vanderbilt Law faculty where he served from 1968 to 1992. He served as dean from 1980 to 1985, where he spearheaded an expansion of the original law school building and hosted U.S. Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist. Bostick was faculty adviser to the moot court team at Vanderbilt and taught about property law and future interests. A private family memorial is scheduled at St. George’s Episcopal Church. The Nashville Post has more.

The TBA YLD is hosting a Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Free Legal Answers Clinic on Thursday at 5 p.m. CST. Attorneys can volunteer virtually or come in person to Belmont University College of Law where they will be paired up with law students and answer legal questions submitted on the TN Free Legal Answers site. The YLD is seeking a firm to provide pizza for dinner for the volunteers. For more information, contact Alix Rogers.

The TBA Business Law Section will present its annual forum on April 21 both online and in-person. The focus of the program will be business transactions in the news and how that applies to those practicing in the state of Tennessee. Join the event virtually or at the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST and make sure to stick around for a networking reception immediately following the program. Additional details on the sessions being offered are coming soon. Learn more here.

Retired state Rep. Bobby Wood died this morning after an extended illness. He was 87. Wood represented District 26 in the state House for 28 years before retiring in 2004. He was honored with the Republican party’s “Tennessee Statesman of the Year Award” in 2004. During his time as a lawmaker, Wood sponsored legislation formulating home school policy in Tennessee that was used as a model in other states. He sponsored legislation to bring Tenncare benefits in line with the state healthcare plan in 2000. Funeral services will take place on Tuesday at noon EST at Redemption Point Church, 3831 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. The Chattanoogan has more on the story.

Democratic lawmakers are re-upping a bill that would legalize marijuana in Tennessee, the Tennessean reports. State Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville, and Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, are sponsoring the measure called Free All Cannabis for Tennesseans Act, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana and provide a process for it to be grown and sold. The bill would allow adults to purchase up to 60 grams of marijuana and is nearly identical to legislation Freeman and Campbell previously sponsored. It estimated that legalizing cannabis would generate more than $380 million in tax revenue for state and local governments. Republicans have reiterated their opposition to full legalization until the federal government reclassifies the drug.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is encouraging victims of human trafficking, stalking, domestic abuse or any sexual offense to protect their addresses from public disclosure under a free state program. The Safe at Home address confidentiality program provides approved applicants a substitute address that can be used for voter registration, government services such as a driver’s license, access to assistance programs and other legal needs. The program currently serves more than 580 victims in 43 counties. The Associated Press has more on the story.

The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati today affirmed a lower court’s ban on a vaccine mandate for workers who contract with the federal government, the Associated Press reports. A federal judge in Louisville in November 2021 found the Biden Administration rule unconstitutional and blocked the mandate in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. The mandate would have required workers contracting with the federal government to wear face masks and be vaccinated for COVID-19.