The Nashville Post today looked at former public defender Keeda Haynes' bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in the Democratic primary. While Haynes fell short of beating the 15-term incumbent from Tennessee’s 5th District, she says the nearly 40% of the vote she did capture was a win, and already has her looking ahead to the future. “I am having conversations with people about what a run in 2022 looks like,” Haynes said, “the door is not closed.” Citing Memphis’ Marquita Bradshaw’s primary victory, she hopes the establishment will “start paying attention to who is it that is going to excite people, that's going to get people out.” In 2019, the TBA’s Sidebar podcast interviewed Haynes on her path to earning a law degree after serving nearly four years in federal prison for a marijuana-related crime she says she did not commit.

The Knoxville Bar Association is looking for volunteers to help build the 2020 KBA Habitat Home. This will mark the ninth home that KBA’s members have been responsible for building since first partnering with Habitat for Humanity in 1994. This year, the KBA will be partnering with First Presbyterian Church and splitting construction duties with its volunteers. Each build day will focus on a different project and social distancing protocols will be enforced each day. The schedule is as follows: Sept. 12, blitz day; Sept. 19, set trusses and deck roof; Sept. 26, interior walls and roofing; Oct. 3, vinyl siding; Nov. 7, trim and cabinets. You can volunteer to help build the house by registering here. All questions should be directed to KBA Executive Director Marsha Watson.

Lawrenceburg native and attorney Daniel Freemon died on Aug. 7 at the age of 69. Freemon earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 1977 before starting the Freemon Law Firm in Lawrenceburg where he practiced law for more than 40 years. Freemon’s family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday at Neal Funeral Home, 231 N. Military Ave., Lawrenceburg, with funeral services at 3 p.m. Interment will follow at Freemon Cemetery in Leoma.

Memphis attorney, author and former TBA President Bill Haltom will give a Virtual Book Talk this week on his latest book, Why Can’t Mother Vote? Joseph Hanover and the Unfinished Business of Democracy. Haltom will tell the story of Memphian Joseph Hanover, an unsung hero in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which was signed into law 100 years ago this month. The Virtual Book Talk is free and will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. CDT. Attendees will receive an invitation to the presentation after registering, which can be done by emailing hillhelengroup@gmail.com. Haltom will speak for 20 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q&A.

2020 has introduced dispute resolution professionals to technology tools we were unfamiliar with mere months ago. How have we fared? Presented by the Dispute Resolution Section, this Zoom roundtable moderated by Larry Bridgesmith will explore meeting platforms, techniques, traps and tools of the “Zoom” era. Join in on Aug. 13 at noon CDT to learn from those who have been forced to become online ADR experts overnight. Lessons learned the hard way can sometimes be our best teachers. This roundtable is free and open to all members of the TBA. RSVP by 11 a.m. CDT on Aug. 13.

Vanderbilt Law School’s Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic has recently prevailed in a case that sought to declare unconstitutional a Tennessee election law that criminalized false speech in opposition to a political candidate. The clinic, its director, G.S. Hans, and co-counsel, Daniel Horwitz, filed suit on behalf of the non-profit advocacy group Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws (TSEL) in the spring over the group’s right to “produce and distribute satirical, parodical and hyperbolic campaign literature.” TSEL had planned to distribute a mailer criticizing Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, over a bill he introduced calling for those convicted of sexual abuse of a minor to undergo “chemical castration” if released on parole. The mailer accused Griffey of promoting “an agenda the Nazis would love,” and urged voters to  “Vote No on Bruce Griffey — he’s literally Hitler!” Davidson County Chancellor Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled that the statute was unconstitutional, citing several arguments presented in TSEL’s brief. Vanderbilt Law students Jimmy Ryan successfully argued against the state’s motion to dismiss in May. Other law school students who worked the case include Paige Tenkhoff, Amber Banks and Cole Browndorf. 

The University of Tennessee College of Law’s Institute for Professional Leadership has appointed new faculty, staff and student leadership for the fall semester. Professor Joan Heminway has been chosen to serve as interim director, Career Center Director Brad Morgan will serve as interim assistant director and UT pro bono coordinator and third-year student Annie Batcheller will serve as the Hardwick-Woods fellow. College of Law Interim Dean Doug Blaze and alumnus Buck Lewis co-founded the Institute in 2014, with Blaze serving as director until his return to the dean’s office in July. Lewis, a senior partner with Baker Donelson, will continue as the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence. Read more about the incoming leadership on the College of Law’s website.

Eleven children and eight staff members at the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center have recovered after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus in June, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Kathy Sinback, administrator for the juvenile court, said several of the youth displayed mild symptoms, while others were asymptomatic. All new admissions are currently being placed in quarantine for two weeks before joining the general population at the facility, which currently houses 39 boys and girls. Gary Sallee, chief legal officer for the private company that manages the facility, told the Lookout in an email that the “statistics indicate that the numbers of positive cases within the facility fall far below the equivalent statistics for the population at large.” 

The Tennessee General Assembly convened today for what is expected to be a three-day special session to address three main issues, including one matter that would increase punishments for some protestors, the Tennessean reports. New legislation is being filed in response to a nearly two-month, round-the-clock demonstration across the street from the Capitol that has resulted in misdemeanor arrests and seizure of protestors’ equipment. However, Gov. Bill Lee’s office is at odds with House Majority Leader William Lamberth’s version of the bill. The legislation would make camping overnight on certain state property a felony and would create mandatory minimum sentences for that offense and for assaulting or spitting at a law enforcement officer. The legislation would also strip district attorneys of their discretion to not prosecute certain protest-related offenses. Lee’s office on Monday said Lamberth’s bill “is not our preferred version,” and was working to reduce some of the mandatory minimums in a revised bill that will be brought by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin.

Collierville Lawyer Calvin Joseph McCullough died on Aug. 4. He was 90. After earning his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University, McCullough served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After his discharge, McCullough went on to enroll in night classes at Southern University Law Center, earning his law degree in 1962. He later joined the law firm of Wilkes, Neely and Evans in Memphis. McCullough spent more than 55 years practicing law and was the grandfather of Circuit Court Judge Mary Wagner. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a private memorial service was held with immediate family only. Memorials may be sent to Collierville First Baptist Church Senior Ministry, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or Memphis Union Mission.