Memphis attorney Janika White has announced she’ll run in the Democratic primary for Shelby County district attorney general, the Daily Memphian reports. At her campaign kickoff last month, White called for criminal justice reform and critiqued the “tough on crime” approach, saying it leads to “over-incarceration of a group of people with no actual results.” She says the DA’s office should prosecute when crimes are committed, but should also be involved in efforts to prevent crime. White is a partner at the Walter Bailey Law Firm in Memphis. She previously clerked for Chancellor Kenny Armstrong and U.S. District Judge Bernice, who is now on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and is a 2018 graduate of the TBA’s Leadership Law program.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Hamblen County lawyer Alan C. Lee from the practice of law for three years. Lee knowingly failed to timely comply with an injunction issued by the U.S. District Court and misrepresented to the court that he was unaware of the court’s order. Lee entered a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his rule violations and must now comply with the Supreme Court’s requirements regarding the obligations and responsibilities of suspended attorneys and the procedure for reinstatement.

State Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, has pulled a bill that would shorten parole eligibility time for those convicted of first-degree murder, the Chattanoogan reports. The measure, which had caused concern from some in the legal community and the public, would have cut the current eligibility of 51 years down to 25 years. "I don't think the victims of violent crimes will be best served by this legislation,” Howell said. "I’m very encouraged by proposals to rewrite and reform existing ranges in our criminal sentencing code so that they more accurately reflect time actually served. This will create more efficiency and transparency in sentencing and improve public safety overall.”

Nashville-based legal services provider Latitude recently announced it has opened a new office in Minneapolis. The expansion marks the third new office opening for the company since September, when it announced openings in Boston and Austin. “The demand from legal department and law firm leaders for the associate- to partner-level flexible legal talent we specialize in has significantly increased since the pandemic began,” said Latitude CEO Ross Booher. “Because of our extensive roster of attorneys with sophisticated in-house and Big Law experience in those and other Twin Cities industries, Minneapolis is a natural location for us.” Read more from Latitude.

Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, on Monday filed to run for Williamson County clerk, the Nashville Post reports. Casada has represented Tennessee District 63 in the State House since 2003, and served as House Speaker from 2017 until 2019. He announced in November that he would retire from the House at the end of his term, leaving the District 63 House seat open without an incumbent for the first time in two decades. Current William County clerk Jeff Whidby earlier filed to run for the position.

Gov. Bill Lee is set to deliver the annual State of the State speech on Jan. 31, the Tennessee Journal reports. The address will mark Lee’s final State of the State during his first term in office. The event will air on Lee’s Facebook page and YouTube channels at 6 p.m. CST. “I look forward to sharing my vision for Tennessee, including my budget and legislative priorities for the year,” Lee said in a statement. “Tennessee shows the rest of the country that America hasn’t lost her way, and with the support of the General Assembly, we’ll continue to ensure Tennessee is a national leader for opportunity and freedom.”

California-based nonprofit Public.Resource.Org has recently put Tennessee’s official jury instructions online and made them available to the public at no cost. The project is part of a long-standing campaign to make the law and legal materials issued in the name of the state more accessible to the bar and to citizens. Representing Public Resource on this matter is the Harvard Law School cyberlaw legal clinic, which recently sent letters to officials in nine states, including Tennessee, informing them of the public availability of these materials. The Tennessee materials may be accessed here on the Internet Archive. The full collection presently contains jury instructions from 20 states.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that the Tennessee Health Care Liability Act applies to a lawsuit based on theories of medical battery and intentional misrepresentation against health care providers for injuries arising from a surgical procedure. The justices unanimously agreed in Donna Cooper et al. v. Dr. Mason Wesley Mandy et al. that, under the language of the act, it applies to all claims alleging that a health care provider caused an injury that related to the provision of health care services, regardless of the theory of liability. Read more on the case and the high court’s ruling from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Senate Ethics Committee today voted to recommend the expulsion of Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, after determining she violated the Senate code of ethics, the Commercial Appeal reports. Robinson is awaiting a March sentencing date for two federal fraud charges related to the mismanagement of federal funds in connection to her leadership of a nursing school. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said the hearing was “fair and deliberative” and considered her “explicit legal status” and ethical and moral failings indicative in the charges against her.” He expressed hope that Robinson would voluntarily step down. Robinson had requested a delay of the hearing earlier this week and argued, despite the conviction, that her federal case has not yet concluded. The recommendation will receive a full Senate vote, but it is unclear when that might happen.

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley are back for a third season of the TBA’s Legislative Updates show. Each week of the Tennessee General Assembly’s session, Schwarz and Lampley will give viewers a breakdown of TBA-sponsored measures or bills the association is watching. Joining the show this season is Adams and Reese attorney, Ashley Harbin, who is assisting in the TBA’s lobbying efforts. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.