The City of Franklin has announced it will rename Fourth Avenue downtown to honor late Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia “Connie” Clark, the Williamson Herald reports. Clark, a Franklin native, lived on Fourth Avenue for many years. “It is with great honor that we give Fourth Avenue the honorary name after Justice Clark,” Franklin Mayor Dr. Ken Moore said. “Justice Clark gave so much to our Franklin community, and she will always be remembered for all she achieved for Franklin and Tennessee.” A street naming event will be held on June 21 at Fourth Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The block from North Margin Street to MLK Jr. Avenue will be closed, and parking will be available on MLK Jr. Avenue.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is leading a coalition of 26 state attorneys general which is asking President Joe Biden to withdraw the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new guidance on sex discrimination for schools and programs that receive federal nutritional assistance. Last month the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced it would expand its interpretation of the prohibition on sex discrimination found in Title IX to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The coalition’s letter says the new guidance “imposes new- and unlawful- regulatory measures on state agencies and operators receiving federal financial assistance from the USDA” that will result in “regulatory chaos that threatens essential nutritional services to some of the most vulnerable citizens.” Read more from the AG’s Office.

Michael Brandon Meador was yesterday placed on disability inactive status by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Meador cannot practice law while on disability inactive status. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing that his disability has been removed.

Twenty-one sponsors have this year signed up to help underwrite the costs of the TBA’s Annual Convention. Thank you to diamond presenting sponsor Fastcase; platinum sponsor Lex Reception; gold sponsor Wealth Counsel; silver sponsor Clio; bronze sponsors Mutual of America Financial Group and TBA Member Insurance Solutions; and YLD dinner sponsor, Medley Services & Investigations. Exhibitors include ABA Retirement Funds, Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South, ElderCounsel, Gilsbar, Griffin-Pflugfelder, JAMS, LAWCLERK, STM Weather, The Bar Plan, Time Miner and the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program. Non-exhibiting sponsors include Geico, LawPay and SoFi. Check out our sponsor page for more information and make sure to visit exhibiting sponsors during Convention in the Prefunction area of the Downtown Nashville Hilton. Visit all exhibitors and enter our Exhibitor Passport drawing for great prizes!

White County lawyer Stephanie Branam Johnson was today temporarily suspended from the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Johnson failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning complaints of misconduct. She cannot accept new cases and must stop representing clients by July 13. Johnson must notify all clients being represented in pending matters, as well as co-counsel and opposing counsel, of her suspension. This suspension remains in effect until dissolution or modification by the Supreme Court. Johnson may, for good cause, request dissolution or modification of the suspension by petition to the court.  

The Center Square, a national news organization with operations in Tennessee, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), claiming the Tennessee Judicial Conference’s blanket closure of meetings violates the First Amendment rights of access. The organization asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction so that it can attend and cover the conference, set to begin Wednesday in Franklin. AOC Director Michelle Long in February established a new blanket closure policy that prohibits members of the press from attending. The lawsuit claims this policy cannot overcome the rights of access to judicial proceedings provided under the First Amendment. Read more on the story from Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.

Vanderbilt Law School has announced it will launch a new student-edited legal journal in 2022-2023. The “Social Justice Reporter” will publish scholarship focusing on social justice, civil rights and public interest lawyering by leading researchers, practitioners, policymakers and law students. It will be published online and will feature a mix of scholarship, short essays and opinion pieces. Five students worked throughout the 2020-2021 year to lay the foundation for the journal, which will be edited by class of 2023 student Isiah Ellison. Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Community Yesha Yadav, who will serve as faculty adviser, says the journal will provide a visible, accessible and impactful hub for leading scholarship, dialogue and debate on social justice, civil rights and public interest lawyering at this critical juncture in our nation’s history.” Vanderbilt Law has more on the story.  

TBA YLD, in partnership with Belmont University College of Law and the Administrative Office of the Courts Access to Justice Initiative, launched its first Essential Documents for Essential Workers clinic on Saturday. Volunteer attorneys met with officers from the Williamson County Police Department to draft and execute wills, powers of attorney and advanced healthcare directives. Nineteen attorneys and eight law students assisted 28 families during the clinic and provided $21,000 in free legal services. Special thank you to coordinator Charles Ferguson and to Thomas Reuters and Chambliss for their sponsorship. To volunteer at an Essential Documents for Essential Workers clinic in your area, contact YLD Public Service Chair Alix Rogers.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division’s Diversity Committee has created and produced a four-part podcast series in honor of the first anniversary of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. The series, which will be released on the TBA YLD Presents: War Stories show, will feature interviews with attorneys and judges from across the state who share their wisdom in the journey towards professional success through a diversity lens. Episodes include conversations with Nashville attorney Charles Grant, Court of Appeals Judge John McClarty and U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Collier, Shelby County Chancellor Will Perry and more. One episode will premiere each day of the TBA Annual Convention, Wednesday through Saturday. TBA YLD Presents: War Stories is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA’s website and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Tennessee’s pause on executions through 2022 could potentially be a yearslong hiatus, the Associated Press reports. Gov. Bill Lee stopped the execution of Oscar Smith in April, an hour before Smith was set to die by lethal injection, after learning the drugs hadn’t been tested as required. Lee then paused all executions and appointed Butler Snow attorney Edward Stanton to lead an investigation into state protocols. Two men on death row have filed challenges to the state’s execution process, which have revealed that the state has struggled to follow its own lethal injection rules at nearly every step. The attorney general’s office in a May 6 court filing said there may be “factual inaccuracies or misstatements” in its previous filings and that corrections will be made “once the truth has been ascertained.” Lee and the AG’s office haven’t predicted when executions could restart, but Robert Durham, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, says the “large number of problems” with the system could mean a yearslong pause.