Responding to suggestions from the TBA and a committee of judges , the Tennessee Supreme Court today amended the provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct regarding judges and judicial candidates’ election campaign conduct. Among other changes, the rules now make it more clear that judges and judicial candidates are permitted to endorse other judges; explicitly allow judges to seek, accept or use endorsements from any person or organization; permit judges to speak on behalf of his or her candidacy through any medium, including but not limited to advertisements, websites, or other campaign literature; and, clarify the prohibition on judges simultaneously seeking judicial and non juridical office. The TBA made recommendations for four changes based upon the experience with the new rules during the 2014 election. As urged by the TBA, the Court did not change the standard for disqualification based on campaign contributions or support, and it turned back changes to the treatment of affiliation with organizations that practice invidious discrimination. Read the order here. 

The Associated Press highlights how criminal justice issues are “intruding” on the 2016 presidential race. Policing, drug crimes, sentencing changes and prison costs are among topics on which candidates are seeking to differentiate themselves. "You don't have everyone saying they're tough on crime," Inimai Chettiar of the Brennan Center for Justice in New York said. "Instead, you have people offering different policy solutions."

The Nashville Business Journal reports on the efforts of Waller’s health care compliance team that is helping health care providers comply with federal regulatory statutes. The Nashville-based team now includes 35 attorneys. “The nature of the work has changed, because there was a time when you viewed yourself … as somebody who was called in to defend a provider when the government showed up," Richard Westling, a former federal prosecutor and a member of the team, said. Now, the team is often "dealing with issues that the provider self-identifies and – without the government being involved at all.”

George David George, who is accused of devising a stock scheme and stealing millions of dollars from a Brentwood wellness company, is scheduled to appear in federal court on Jan. 12. The Franklin resident was charged with four felonies and is accused of collecting $2.25 million in investments from WellCity Foundation. "We don't subscribe to the notion that it was a Ponzi scheme," George's attorney Peter Strianse said. "The company provided real services, and was used by a lot of school districts and things like that. We insist it wasn't a facade." Read more from the Franklin Home Page.

Knox County is a finalist for Pre-Trial Risk Assessment, a pilot program aimed at helping the county assess when to release people who have been arrested and are facing trial. The program considers factors like criminal history and how stable a defendant’s home situation is. Ten states and the federal court system already use the program, WATE reports.

The Jackson Sun reports Gibson County Circuit Court Clerk Janice Jones is under fire for refusing to make copies of indictments against 12 current and former employees of the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office. Jones said Tuesday that she would not release the documents because they had not yet been entered into the computer system. “Once it’s been issued by the grand jury it is a document that is public record, unless it was a sealed document,” Rick Hollow, general counsel for the Tennessee Press Association, said. “If they have a reason for it to be withheld, then they have an obligation to tell us.”

Avis Littleton joined the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands as a victim advocate in its Nashville office. Littleton, who previously worked with domestic abuse victims at Ujima House, will accompany domestic abuse victims to court and educate victims on legal processes. 

Knoxville attorney D'Artagnan Perry died on Nov. 23 after a long battle with cancer. Perry graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and has been licensed in the state since 1994. A service is planned for Friday at 1:30 p.m. for family and friends at East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery on John Sevier Highway. Military honors will be presented by the East Tennessee Veteran Honor Guard to honor Perry’s 27 years with the National Guard and his service as a U.S. Marine Corp.

The online CLE sessions on legislation and insight into hemp, cannabis oils and medical marijuana in Tennessee are now available. Speakers include representatives from the Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee General Assembly. Each course is approved for one hour of CLE. 

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed on Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. The office will open again at 8 a.m. on Monday.