Tennessee lawyers have a unique connection with legal aid organizations, TBA President Bill Harbison told legal services professionals gathered this week at the Equal Justice University, and the Tennessee Bar Association needs to continue its strong and ongoing support for the access to justice community. Other speakers at the Leadership Luncheon included Herman Hicks with First Tennessee, a sponsor of the luncheon, and Memphis Area Legal Services' Cedric Harris.

The legal team behind jailed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis says that licenses issued to same-sex couples in her absence are invalid because they were issued without her authority, NPR reports. U.S. District Judge David Bunning said Davis will remain behind bars until she complies with the U.S. Supreme Court order legalizing same-sex marriage. Mat Staver, Davis’ attorney, told CNN that Davis would issue licenses if her name and title were not on them.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) is accepting nominations for its two highest honors to be presented at the MBA Annual Meeting, Dec. 3. The Sam A. Myar Jr. Memorial Award is presented annually to a young lawyer who has rendered outstanding personal service to the legal profession and the community. The Jerome Turner Lawyer’s Lawyer Award is given annually to a lawyer who has been practicing for more than 15 years and has exemplified the aspirations embodied in the Guidelines for Professional Courtesy and Conduct.  

Nashville attorneys John H. Rowland and Courtney H. Gilmer were named new practice group leaders within Baker Donelson's Financial Services Department, the Nashville Ledger reports. Rowland was named chair of the firm’s Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group, a team of more than 50 attorneys. Gilmer was named co-leader of the firm’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Force (CFPB), which focuses on litigation, enforcement and regulatory issues related to the CFPB.

Thomas Galligan Jr., a former dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law, announced plans to step down from his current position as president of Colby-Sawyer College, The Concord Monitor reports. Galligan has held the position at the New Hampshire institution since 2006. “The whole time I’ve been at Colby-Sawyer, one of my themes is that change is good, and it’s inevitable. You have to live your message and the institution, as always, will benefit from fresh ideas,” Galligan said.

Federal investigators will be required to get a search warrant before using secretive or intrusive cell phone-tracking technology under a new Justice Department policy announced Thursday, NPR reports. Privacy groups argued that the technology infringed on privacy rights and was being used without proper accountability. "This policy is really designed to ... try to promote transparency, consistency and accountability, all while being mindful of the public's privacy interest," said Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates. 

Only judges can order the release of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) records due to a missing comma in a law, according to an opinion issued Aug. 25 by Attorney General Herbert Slatery. The law says records should be released “only in compliance with a subpoena or an order of a court of record.” Slatery said because there is no comma separating “subpoena” and “order,” the “of a court of record” applies to both subpoenas and orders. The Tennessean reports Slatery’s interpretation of the law means city councils do not have the power to subpoena the results of a TBI investigation.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said a decision made Wednesday by a district judge to strike down an administrative law “could effectively and immediately shut off all funding for the judicial branch,” Mother Jones reports. Last year, the Republican-controlled legislature passed a two-year budget that included a clause stating if the court ever struck down the 2014 administrative powers law, funding for the entire court system would be “null and void.” The ruling is on hold until it can be appealed to the state Supreme Court. “We have never seen a law like this before," Randolph Sherman, a lawyer involved in fighting the administrative law, said. "(It) is imperative that we stop it before it throws the state into a constitutional crisis.”

Gov. Bill Haslam appointed James "Jim" R. Newsom III as chancellor in the 30th Judicial District, which serves Shelby County. Newsom replaced Oscar C. “Bo” Carr III, who died earlier this year. “Jim Newsom has a strong commitment to justice and an excellent record of work in Shelby County. We appreciate his willingness to serve in this capacity," Haslam said. Newsom, a Vanderbilt Law School graduate, has been a member of the Memphis law firm Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC since 2005 and was appointed special master for the 30th Judicial District Chancery Court in 2010.

The Crossville Chronicle reports Congress is moving toward an overhaul of the country’s foster-care system and bi-partisan legislation could be presented this fall. Advocates say foster care funds should be going to help biological parents learn to care for children properly, including paying for psychotherapy or treatment for a parent’s addiction issues. "When you ask a child who has been in foster care how we can best improve the current foster-care system, often the answer will be: You could have helped my mom so that I did not have to go into foster care in the first place," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said.