The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday transferred the law license of Matilda Ann Batson to disability inactive status. Batson cannot practice law while on disability inactive status, but may be reinstated by the Supreme Court after showing her disability has been removed.

Rutherford County General Sessions Court Judge Ben Hall McFarlin Jr. has announced that he will retire this fall, the Daily News Journal reports. McFarlin, who also oversees the county's Veterans Treatment Court, will retire on Oct. 1 after 23 years on the bench. A Rutherford County Commission committee will consider applicants to fill McFarlin’s seat on Aug. 2 at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Those interested have until 4:30 p.m. that day to apply at the mayor’s office in the courthouse.

YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee will host a virtual webinar next week to explore the role of music in movements for racial justice. Stand Against Racism: The Power of Music will take place on June 30 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT and will address how artists and their music resist racism in the U.S. and globally, how music has historically been a tool of resisting racism and oppression and more. This virtual event is free and available to the public.

Five attorneys have applied to be considered for the circuit court vacancy in the 25th Judicial District, which covers Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy and Tipton counties. James Walter Freeland Jr., Rachel J. Jackson, Anthony Blake Neill, Julie K. Pillow and William A. Wooten have applied for the vacancy. The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will hold a public hearing with the candidates on July 22 at 9 a.m. CDT in the circuit courtroom of the Hardeman County Criminal Justice Complex, 505 S. Main St., Bolivar, TN. The commission will hold a vote immediately after the hearing and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each candidate.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) says it will soon offer a service that relays the criminal case information and custody status of inmates electronically to the public, the Associated Press reports.  The new service, called Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE), will be used in conjunction with TDOC’s current victim notification system. That system provides a written notice of an offender’s location, transfer, sentence expiration, release and parole hearings. VINE gives crime victims more control over the types of notifications they’ll receive and how they are notified. Those wishing to receive updates can sign up at VINELink.com or call 888-868-4631 to speak with a live operator for support.  

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday unanimously ruled that the NCAA cannot restrict education-related benefits for college athletes, the Associated Press reports. The justices agreed that the NCAA’s limitations on the benefits that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football violate antitrust laws. Schools may now further compete for talent by offering a variety of education-related benefits, like computers and paid internships. The ruling was narrow, however, in that it did not determine whether college sports stars can simply be paid salaries for the benefits their efforts bring to universities. Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Monday wrote about the “serious questions” that exist on whether the NCAA’s other restrictions on compensating athletes can stand. “Traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated,” he wrote.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery yesterday joined attorneys general from 21 states in calling for Congress to maintain the Hyde Amendment in the 2022 budget. The amendment bars the use of federal funds for abortions. According to the AG’s website, the amendment has been budgeted for the last 45 years, but was excluded from the 2022 budget by the Biden Administration. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended Davidson County Lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman for three years, with three months of active suspension and the remainder on probation. Freeman failed to file an appropriate complaint in a contested divorce action resulting in the dismissal of the divorce for failure to prosecute, failed to reasonably communicate with his client and expedite his litigation, failed to review his client’s file and respond to a pending motion for summary judgment and failed to file an executed marital dissolution agreement and take appropriate action to confirm its filing with the court. He must pay the Board of Professional Responsibility for all costs of the disciplinary proceedings and restitution in the amount of $750.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host two legal advice clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, and SNAP and unemployment benefits. An in-person clinic will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down Nashville, 1125 12th Ave. S. The second clinic will take place on Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. CDT at the Belmont Ministry Center, 2005 12th Ave. S. To help answer questions, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The TBA Criminal Justice Section will host Criminal Law Basics 2021 on July 7 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. CDT. This year’s program will focus on sentencing practices and procedures, including an intro to sentencing, alternative sentencing measures and a diverse panel of judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers discussing different perspectives on these important issues. Among those panelists is Cyntoia Brown, a juvenile offender ordered to serve life in prison for murder before ultimately being granted clemency by former Gov. Bill Haslam. Register for the program here.