The Community Legal Center of Memphis will host a benefit concert on April 1 at 7 p.m. CDT. “Cash for the CLC” will feature virtual performances and in-depth discussion on justice work in Memphis with Rosanne Cash. Local artist John Paul Keith will also be performing. The event is free to attend, but donations to the CLC are encouraged. RSVP to the benefit through the CLC’s Facebook page. Those interested in sponsoring the event should contact Jerri Green.

Baltimore mediation attorney and former American Bar Association President J. Michael McWilliams died on Feb. 23. He was 81. McWilliams spent two years as an assistant attorney general of Maryland and later served as counsel to the state Department of Transportation. He participated in the 1978 gubernatorial campaign of Harry R. Hughes and later headed his transition team. McWilliams became president of the ABA in 1992 and established McWilliams Dispute Resolutions Inc. in 1997, where he stayed until his retirement in 20017. Due to the pandemic, plans for a memorial service are incomplete.

A resolution to remove Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench has failed in a Tennessee House subcommittee, the Tennessean reports. After more than an hour of debate in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee, House Resolution 23 (HR23) failed on a voice vote. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro, who said he filed the bill in response to Lyle’s ruling to expand absentee voting in the state—a move he called judicial overreach. The TBA issued a statement in opposition of HR23 last week. “We’ve heard from TBA members from all political persuasions and views expressing concern about the impact this resolution would have on the concepts of separation of powers and a fair and impartial judiciary,” TBA President Michelle Greenway Sellers said of today’s vote. “We were pleased that the subcommittee arrived at the conclusion it did.” 

The Tennessee Senate on Monday evening passed a resolution that will allow voters to change the way the state attorney general is selected, the Chattanoogan reports. In a 25-7 vote, legislators passed Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SJR1) which calls for a transparent nomination process by the Tennessee Supreme Court in selecting the State Attorney General, followed by a confirmation vote of the nominee by a majority of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly. Once the nomination is made, the legislature would have 60 days to go through the confirmation process. In the event that the candidate is rejected, then the court would have 60 days to make another nomination. SJR1 will now go before the House where it must receive a two-thirds majority. If the resolution clears the House, it must then be passed by the majority of Tennessee voters in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

The Tennessee Historical Commission today voted 25-1 in favor of removing the bust of early KKK leader and Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state Capitol, the Tennessean reports. Historians, pastors, activists and other interested citizens were among the 30 speakers who testified during the meeting, which lasted more than five hours. Commissioners voted to relocate the bust to the Tennessee State Museum. It is unclear when the relocation process will begin or whether last month’s request from the House and Senate speakers for an attorney general’s opinion will cause delays.

Just in time for Women’s History Month, catch a rebroadcast of Tennessee's Role in Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment with award-winning journalist and author Elaine Weiss. As the 36th state to ratify the amendment, Tennessee put the vote for suffrage over the top. Weiss takes viewers through the story of Tennessee’s monumental role in the ratification of the 19th amendment during the centennial anniversary, honors key players and examines how the ratification impacted the legal profession. This program is worth one general CLE credit.  

Following the TBA’s statement of opposition to House Resolution 23 (HR23) on Tuesday, the Nashville and Knoxville bar associations and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association have issued their own statements regarding the resolution and the importance of an “independent judiciary.” HR23 seeks to remove Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench. In its statement, the Nashville Bar Association wrote that removing Lyle “is dangerous because it threatens our independent judiciary and undermines the rule of law. The Knoxville Bar Association in its statement wrote that without an independent judiciary, there “are no checks and balances” or separation of powers. Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association president, John Griffith, told the Tennessee Lookout that “The stance of our organization is we strongly support an independent judiciary even when we disagree with the judge’s ruling,” Read the TBA’s statement on HR23.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division has selected LaRhonda Potts as the 2020-2021 CASA Volunteer of the Year. Potts is a volunteer with CASA Nashville, which will receive the Agency of the Year Award. CASA Nashville’s mission is to train and support court appointed volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children who have come to the attention of the Davidson Juvenile Court. Executive Director of CASA Nashville Julieanna Huddle said Potts “consistently goes above and beyond the advocate for children within her caseload and to help find the best solutions for their permanency and safety.” YLD Youth Outreach Coordinator Charlotte Mattingly shares the news in this video announcing and congratulating Potts as this year’s honoree.

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery announced today that his office and the Secretary of State’s office joined with the Federal Trade Commission and multiple state agencies to stop a massive fundraising operation that collected more than $110 million through deceptive robocalls. Associated Community Services (ACS) and a number of related defendants have agreed to settle charges by the FTC and state agencies. According to the complaint, the defendants claimed to support homeless veterans, victims of house fires, breast cancer patients, children with autism, and others, but knew that little or no money raised was going toward supporting those causes. The defendants kept as much 90 cents of every dollar they solicited on behalf of the charities. The AG’s website has details on the terms of the settlement.

A new episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is now streaming. TBA’s Public Policy and Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley discuss House Resolution 23 that would remove Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench, Senate Join Resolution 1 that would change the way the state Attorney General is selected and confirmed, and more. You can watch the full video of Legislative Updates on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also available as a podcast on the TBA’s website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.