Tennessee scored a D in a new analysis of each state’s laws and practices aimed at deterring corruption and promoting transparency, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Despite the low grade, the state still ranked 15th in the nation in the report by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. The top rated state -- Alaska -- only recorded a C rating.

Sherrard & Roe PLC in Nashville launched a crisis management/media relations practice to help clients protect their brand and handle media attention or crisis situations. The practice consists of five attorneys: Amy Rao Mohan, Dewey Branstetter, Albert Bart, Lauren Curry and Chris Whitson. “Often, clients in the middle of litigation ignore public opinion, but that is simply not an option in today’s media savvy world," Mohan, a former television reporter, said. 

Knox County is not responsible for $240,000 in medical bills for an inmate who broke his neck in a fall from a bunk bed in 2010, according to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the inmate did not receive treatment for his injuries while behind bars. “The explicit and clear wording of this (law) reflects that a county is only liable for the medical expenses of an inmate incurred for medical treatment while that inmate is incarcerated,” Chief Appellate Judge Charles D. Susano Jr. wrote in his opinion.

 A revised TSCR Rule 46, which covers technical and logistical issues in electronic filing of cases in the state appellate courts, was adopted today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The amended rule has a delayed effective date to be determined in the future. The rule permits the appellate clerk to reject filings, makes no definitive provision for system outages and makes no provision for public access to the documents filed. The revisions do include descriptions of who is authorized to use the system, timing, deadlines, format of documents and fees. Read the complete text of Rule 46.

The Administrative Law Forum on Nov. 20 at the Tennessee Bar Center will address recent developments in Tennessee's "Sunshine Law" to include recent cases, public access, violations, and the laws requirements regarding meeting electronically. The ethics portion of the program will cover best practices when communicating with clients, counsel and boards. The course is scheduled from 1 - 4:15 p.m. and is worth three credits of CLE.

The Knoxville Bar Association will host its Annual Membership Meeting on Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building. A continental breakfast will be available at 8 a.m.

Lawyers for the family of Darrius Stewart, a teen who was fatally shot by a white police officer, want a special prosecutor to review the investigative report issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The request comes after Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich’s recommendation that a grand jury charge the policeman with voluntary manslaughter, the Associated Press reports. "She was too close to the situation ... Amy was just going through the motions," Carlos Moore, an attorney for Stewart’s father, said. "We want the man to face trial."

The Supreme Court accepted challenges from religious nonprofit groups to the Affordable Care Act and its contraception mandate, CNN reports. It will be the fourth time the Supreme Court has heard a challenge to the legislation. In 2014, the high court ruled that for-profit companies could refuse on religious grounds to cover contraceptives in their employee insurance plans.

An article in The Tennessean highlights a lack of diversity in the applicant pool for the vacant Tennessee Supreme Court seat. More than three quarters of Tennessee's appeals court judges are white men. "We live in a culturally and racially diverse country and community and state, and therefore our courts ought to reflect that diversity,” said George Brown, one of only two black judges who have served on the Tennessee Supreme Court.  

The Tennessean reports Kenneth D. Thomas, who was sentenced to life without parole for a 2003 murder, filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking “death with dignity” by euthanasia. Thomas, 38, has continually pleaded his innocence and filed multiple appeals over the past 12 years.