The American Constitution Society (ACS) announced today that former U.S. Senator Russell Feingold will serve as the organization’s new president. Feingold served in the Wisconsin State Senate for 10 years before representing the state in the U.S. Senate from 1993 until 2011. During his time there, Feingold he served as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and cosponsored the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. After leaving the Senate, Feingold went on to teach constitutional law at Yale Law School, Marquette University Law School, Harvard Law School and Stanford Law School, where he still currently teaches. His new role with ACS begins March 9. Read more on the ACS website.  

Three attorneys — Jerri S. Bryant, Kristi M. Davis and Thomas J. Wright — were selected today as finalists to fill the Court of Appeals vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of the Hon. Charles D. Susano Jr. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met yesterday and today to consider 16 applicants for the Eastern Division vacancy. You can find information on all the applicants on the Administrative Office of the Court’s website.  

A record number of attorneys provided pro bono services in 2018, according to a new report from the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. Its annual Pro Bono Report shows that 52.78% of Tennessee attorneys reported completing pro bono hours, an increase from 2017’s 51.50%. According to the report, 9,539 attorneys provided 640,958 hours of pro bono service, carrying a value over $137.8 million. “The numbers are just outstanding, but what really stands out to me is that the vast majority of time given is ‘boots on the ground’ – lawyers meeting with our state’s most vulnerable populations, including single parents, the elderly and veterans,” said Gail Ashworth, chair of the ATJ Commission.

Are you prioritizing your friendships? In her new book, Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond, science writer Lydia Denworth details the importance of friendship and how those connections play a crucial role in our health. “Very few people understand that your social relationships can actually change your health,” she said in an interview with NPR. “They can change your cardiovascular system, your immune system, how you sleep, your cognitive health.” Even with new science pointing to the impact friendship has on our health on a cellular level, Denworth believes close connections are still being taken for granted. She says she hopes instead of thinking of friendships as another chore, people will prioritize them and know that when they do, they're doing something good for their health. Read the full interview on NPR.

Take a deep dive into post adoption contract agreements during the TBA’s 2020 Adoption Law Forum on April 14. General counsel from the Tennessee Department of Children's Services will also be on hand to provide an update on legislation affecting the profession. Programming will begin at noon at the Tennessee Bar Center in Nashville and will be immediately followed by a networking reception. Head to the TBA’s website for more information and to register.

The Brennan Center has released an update to its July 2019 “State Supreme Court Diversity” report that highlights the vast racial, ethnic and gender disparities that exist on state Supreme Courts across the country. The new analysis reports on the current composition of state high courts as of Feb. 4, noting 19 new state supreme court openings since May 2019. Fourteen of those openings have been filled, with seven seats going to white men, including in four states where people of color make up over 30% of the population. Four openings were filled by white women, one by a black woman and two by a male and female Native American justice. The report says 23 states have an all-white supreme court bench. The percentage of women who hold a supreme court seat is up one point to 37 percent. Read more from the Brennan Center.

Gov. Bill Lee has reappointed Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler to serve a new term on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the Hamilton County Herald reports. Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw last week gave Behler the oath of office for the commission, which bases appointments on the individual’s service within their community. Behler has spearheaded efforts to digitize the courts and just last week opened a legal services kiosk at the juvenile court to help self-represented litigants access legal information and resources.

The State Capitol Commission heard arguments yesterday on what should be done with the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest that currently resides in the state Capitol, the Tennessean reports. Rep. Sabi Kumar, R-Springfield, told the commission of a resolution he has filed to add memorials of civil rights advocates near any Civil War monument on Capitol grounds. A House committee is set to hear that resolution on Tuesday. Finance and Administration Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, who chairs the commission, said no vote would be taken on removing the bust until a vacancy on the commission is filled.

The state of Tennessee executed Nicholas Todd Sutton last night, the Tennessean reports. Sutton chose to die by electric chair, marking the fifth time the state has used this method since 2018. He is the seventh inmate to be executed since the state resumed capital punishment in August 2018 and the 139th person to be put to death in Tennessee since 1916. Sutton was jailed for the murder of his grandmother and two other men when he was 18, but did not receive a death sentence until he fatally stabbed another inmate six years later in 1985.

This week’s episode of the TBA Legislative Updates podcast features a status update on bills drafted by several TBA sections. TBA Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley provide insights from the legislature every Thursday on the TBA's Facebook page. This livestreamed program is now also part of the Tennessee Bar Association Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA's website or wherever you listen to podcasts.