The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a bipartisan bill that seeks to strengthen public financial reporting requirements for federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court justices, Reuters reports. The measure, and a similar bill passed by the U.S. House, follow a September report from the Wall Street Journal that revealed 131 judges failed to recuse themselves from cases involving companies in which they or their family members owned stock. The Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act would establish a 45-day window for judges to report stock trades of more than $1,000 and require the judiciary to post disclosure forms online.

Join the Tennessee Department of Revenue on Feb. 22 at 9 a.m. CST for its latest free tax webinar covering franchise and excise tax basics. Participants will learn about filing a franchise and excise tax minimum return, estimated payments and extensions. Please note only these topics will be covered, and the webinar is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the franchise and excise tax. Register for the webinar here.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a free virtual event from 11 a.m. to noon CST on March 3. The program will feature a group of panelists who will discuss diversity in mentoring and why it matters. Panelists include: Tannera George Gibson, Burch, Porter & Johnson; Dean Doug Blaze, University of Tennessee College of Law; Brent Hannafan, U.S. Attorney’s Office; Ed Stanton, Butler Snow; and Dean Alberto Gonzales, Belmont University College of Law. To RSVP for the event, email Ateia Aldridge.

Lists of candidates who qualified to run in upcoming primary elections have been released in Williamson and Wilson counties. In Williamson County, incumbent County Clerk Jeff Whidby will face off against retiring Rep. Glen Casada in the Republican primary and Andrew D. Becker and Deborah C. Sparks will appear on ballots in the Democratic primary. Current 21st Judicial District Circuit Court judges Deanna Johnson, Michael W. Binkley and Joseph "Woody" Woodruff are seeking reelection and will be joined in the Republican primary by Shane K. McNeill and Deana C. Hood. Read more from Community Impact Newspaper. In Wilson County, 63 qualified for local offices in the Republican primary, one for the Democratic primary and 16 for the independent primary. All those running for judgeships and district attorney are unopposed. The Tennessean has the full list of candidates.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn has confirmed that he will retire at the end of his term after nearly 25 years on the bench, the Tennessean reports. "It has been the most difficult decision I have ever made as a judge," he wrote in a letter this week. After serving General Sessions court in 1998, Fishburn was appointed by former Gov. Phil Bredesen to be the first presiding judge of Division VI of the criminal court in 2003. Prior to his appointment, Fishburn spent 18 years as a defense attorney. Earlier this month, he presided over the mass murder trial of Travis Reinking, who was found guilty of killing four people at a Waffle House in 2018.  "At least in my case, retirement is not the end of the road, but simply a turn in my travels down that road," Fishburn wrote.

Chattanooga attorney Lee Ann Adams of Gearhiser Peters Elliott & Cannon was recently sworn in as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association during the organization’s 124th Annual Meeting. The gavel was passed to Adams by Immediate Past President Jeffrey Maddux of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. New members of the board’s executive committee include: Judge Rob Philyaw, president-elect; Steve Smith, secretary; and Clerk & Master Robin Miller, treasurer. New board members are Zachary W. England, C. Scott Johnson, Mark W. Litchford, Richard C. Rose, Joseph C. Simpson, Nicole O. Watson and Melody Shekari who will serve as the YLD representative. The CBA also presented awards to: Wayne Peters, Albert L. Hodge Volunteer Award; Melody Shekari, YLD Volunteer of the Year; Judge Don Poole, Jac Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award; Judge W. Jeffrey Hollingsworth, Ralph H. Kelley Humanitarian Award; Ellie Hill, Volunteer of the Year Award; Judge Rob Philyaw, President’s Award; and Mark Litchford, Volunteer of the Year Award.

The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education will send all 2021 annual report compliance statements via email by Feb. 28, using email addresses on file with the Board of Professional Responsibility. The commission recently launched an online portal for completion of reports. Attorneys in compliance do not need to act on the reports, but those not in compliance, such as needing to complete 2021 hours or owing a fee, should complete the statement online and file it with the CLE. To ensure you receive your report, make sure your email provider permits messages from info@cletn.com. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, today announced he will not seek reelection in the state House, the Tennessean reports. Stewart, who has represented southeast Davidson County’s District 52 since 2008, made the announcement in a video on the Tennessee Holler’s Facebook page. Stewart said he plans to devote his time to election issues in the upcoming midterms and beyond, but gave no further details on his future plans other than to say he would likely run for office again “at some point.” He closed by saying he planned to “continue fighting for you, as well as the rest of the country, in my new role.”

The YWCA’s Stand Against Racism series will host its next virtual installment on Feb. 23 at noon CST. In honor of Black History Month, “Black Art Matters” will highlight Black visual artists. Black artists and art experts will discuss Black artwork throughout history, representation in different art mediums and expression against racism and white supremacy through their art. Register for the webinar and learn more here.

The 2022 Intellectual Property CLE Blast is an all-day event that allows attendees to create their own schedule and earn as many, or as few, CLE hours as they need. Topics will range from Name, Image and Likeness, to ethics, patents and much more. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. CST on April 8 at Operation Stand Down in Nashville. Up to five hours of CLE are available and TBA Intellectual Property Section members will receive a special discount. Make sure to stick around after the programming for a blind bourbon and whiskey tasting Happy Hour.  RSVP today!