TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

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New Complaint Accuses Speaker Casada's PAC of Violating Election Laws

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 17, 2019
A complaint against House Speaker Glen Casada was filed yesterday with the Nashville District Attorney claiming Casada’s political action committee broke a state election law in 2018, WPLN reports. Emily Tseffos, with the group Enough is Enough Tennessee, submitted the filing, which claims Casada’s political fundraising group paid for Facebook ads supporting Republican David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, but did not disclose they were behind the social media campaign. The ads were created by Michael Lotfi, a political consultant working for Casada’s PAC who recently resigned from his position.

Inmate Donnie Johnson Executed by Lethal Injection

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 17, 2019
News Type: Legal News
At 7:37 p.m. last night Donnie Edward Johnson became the fourth Tennessee inmate put to death since the state resumed executions in August, the Tennessean reports. Johnson was sentenced to death for the 1984 murder of his wife, Connie Johnson, in Memphis. Johnson reportedly sang a hymn just before the lethal injection drugs took effect.

Death Row Inmate Dies in Prison, Months Before Scheduled Execution

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 17, 2019
News Type: Legal News
Charles Walton Wright, a death row inmate scheduled to be executed later this year, died in prison today, the Tennessean reports. Wright had been bedridden and hobbled by terminal cancer that spread from his prostate into his bones. A statement from the Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed he died of natural causes. Wright had been scheduled to die by execution Oct. 10. He was sentenced to death in 1985 after he was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said he shot and killed Gerald Mitchell, 33, and Douglas Alexander, 27, in a North Nashville park during a dispute over drugs.

Volunteers Needed for Saturday Clinic in Nashville

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 17, 2019
News Type: Upcoming
Legal Aid Society is hosting its monthly Saturday clinic in collaboration with Metro Nashville Public Schools tomorrow. Volunteers from all practice areas of the law are also welcome to attend. Ample support will be provided to new volunteers. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at 615 Fessey Park Road, Nashville, TN 37204. For more information please contact Jorge Salles Diaz, 615-780-7131.

This Week: Real Estate Essentials

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: TBA CLE
The annual Real Estate Essentials CLE on June 7 will focus on the intangibles every dirt lawyer should add to his or her practice. This year's topics will include: drafting a deed with consideration to will and probate issues, general probate considerations, irregular transactions and more. Don't sleep on this opportunity to learn from top players in the field with attorneys of a common focus.

Lew Conner Named 'Best of the Bar' Lifetime Achievement Winner

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: Legal News
As a part of its annual "Best of the Bar" Awards, the Nashville Business Journal has named Lew Conner of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP its lifetime achievement award winner. Conner has practiced law for more than 50 years, and in 2015 received the John Tune Award from the Nashville Bar Association (where he also has served as president). During the past 25 years, he has conducted about 850 mediations, with a success rate of more than 85%.

Death Row Inmate Forgoes Last Meal, Asks for Donations to Homeless Instead

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: Legal News
Death row inmate Donnie Edward Johnson does not want a special last meal before his scheduled execution tomorrow and instead says wants his supporters to donate meals to the homeless, the Tennessean reports. Johnson's attorney, federal public defender Kelley Henry, said Johnson's decision was a tribute to executed Tennessee inmate Philip Workman, who had requested that the allotted $20 for his last meal in 2007 go toward vegetarian pizzas for a local homeless shelter. In that case, Workman's supporters sent pizzas on his behalf. Johnson, who is scheduled to die tomorrow at 7 p.m., will instead eat whatever the general population gets at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

Justice Department Says FDA Can't Regulate Lethal Injection Drugs

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: Legal News
A new legal opinion from the U.S. Justice Department says the Food and Drug Administration lacks the authority to regulate drugs or other items when used in connection with the death penalty, Politico reports. The opinion could lead to more executions in the U.S. by easing the availability of drugs used to carry out lethal injections. It argues that drugs and other items intended for use in executions are not covered by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, passed in 1938 and repeatedly updated by Congress. The legal memo also says that conclusion is reinforced by so-called federalism problems that could arise from federal officials trying to enforce such regulations in a way that would frustrate state efforts to carry out executions.

Georgia Governor Vetoes Attempt to Re-examine Tennessee Boundary

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: Legal News
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has vetoed an effort by the Georgia legislature to create a boundary line committee to assess the state's access to the Tennessee River, the Times Free Press reports. Georgia State Rep. Marc Morris argued Georgia should have access to the Tennessee River because in 1818 a surveyor drew the boundary between the states a mile farther south than Congress dictated, and the mistake cut off Georgia's access. However, Kemp said that the success of the committee was unlikely due to Tennessee and North Carolina being unlikely to come to the negotiation table, and he vetoed the resolution.

Suit Claims Nashville's Environmental Court is Unconstitutional

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on May 15, 2019
News Type: Legal News
Three Nashville residents are suing to shut down the the city's environmental court, which enforces codes violations, because they say the 1993 law that created the court was not implemented correctly, the Tennessean reports. The residents, who have had recent cases in the city's environmental court, filed the suit against Metro and state Attorney General Herbert Slatery, claiming the court unfairly levies fines on poor citizens to boost revenues.
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