Shelby County Schools officials filed suit Monday in Davidson County Chancery Court against the state over public education funding, Memphis Daily News reports. “This is a pivotal day for the future of Shelby County Schools and its students,” Teresa Jones, Shelby County Schools board chairman, said. “We want to provide them with the best possible education to set them on the path to success. But it is imperative that we have the proper resources to do so.” School systems in Chattanooga filed a similar lawsuit earlier this year.

Circuit Court Judge John Gasaway and his wife, former Clarksville attorney Carrie Gasaway, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 13 within 60 days of the judge being sworn in Sept. 1, 2014. The Leaf-Chronicle reports the Gasaways claimed a total of $380,205 in unsecured debt and claim to owe $285,649 in unpaid taxes. John Gasaway blamed the debt on his wife, who has been convicted of extortion, and some of her former partners. The couple’s Chapter 13 filing was dismissed in April 2015 because no payments had been received. The couple refiled for bankruptcy this year. Judge Gasaway announced his retirement last week, effective Dec. 1.

Participants at the Supreme Court Academy on Oct. 1 in Nashville will have the opportunity to observe oral arguments at the Tennessee Supreme Court as part of CLE training. Sessions after oral argument observation include best practices in oral argument and brief writing, and a panel discussion on ethical scenarios in appellate practice. The course is scheduled from 9 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. and offers 5.5 hours of CLE.

Nashville entertainement firm Keller Turner Ruth Andrews Ghanem and Heller PLLC is under contract to buy a two-story office building on Music Row, Nashville Business Journal reports. Neighbors near the property include RCA recording studios, some offices for Sony/ATV Music Publishing and a proposed luxury hotel operated by Richard Branson's Virgin Group Ltd. "We're excited. With us being an entertainment firm, it's a natural fit,” said Jason Turner, one of the firm’s founding partners. The firm, with clients including OneRepublic and the Backstreet Boys, is currently located in the Terrazzo tower in the Gulch.

State House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, requested an independent review of Tennessee’s corrections system by the National Institute of Corrections, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Stewart said he believes the recently announced review by the American Correctional Association will not be an independent investigation. “Everything we see about this organization suggests that it is essentially working hand in hand with our correctional management,” he said. Stewart also called for the re-establishment of the legislature’s Corrections Oversight Committee.

Nominations for TBA Public Service Awards are due Sept. 11. The annual awards recognize lawyers and law students who have shown exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice to individuals and communities. The categories are work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent; work performed by a private attorney; and work performed by a law student volunteer. Nominations may be submitted via the TBA website or by email. Submissions should include reasons for nomination, a description of how the nominee meets the award criteria and the nominee’s accomplishments.

Shelby County General Sessions Judge Loyce Lambert Ryan blocked efforts by defense attorneys for Tremaine Wilbourn to receive video evidence before the preliminary hearing, The Daily Times reports. Wilbourn is charged with the Aug. 1 killing of Memphis police officer Sean Bolton. Judge Ryan said subpoenas seeking Bolton’s daily log and video materials, including dashboard video, were premature.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the ban on demonstrations on the Supreme Court plaza, saying the open space in front of the Supreme Court is a “nonpublic forum,” The Washington Post reports. The court said demonstrations on the court’s doorsteps could be a threat to court decorum and might lead to the perception that the court is swayed by public opinion rather than the law.

The TBA supports funding for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that allows recent law school graduates and other professionals to enter and continue working full-time in public service jobs in government and the nonprofit sector. Under the program, individuals may qualify for forgiveness of their remaining loan balance. The TBA has joined the ABA and a broad range of groups in support of the program as it could be eliminated by Congress.

To build support, the TBA is sharing stories of those who have benefited from the program with senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and the Tennessee congressional delegation. Kevin D. Balkwill, disciplinary counsel for the Tennessee’s Board of Professional Responsibility, is one who has benefited. Balkwill entered the program in 2009, restructuring his loan payments so he would be debt-free following 10 years of public service. He passed on taking more lucrative opportunities and said ending this program would force him to pay towards his loans longer. “Ending the PSLF program does not seem fair to many persons who have relied upon the program for so many years seeking an opportunity to be truly debt free of their student loans,” Balkwill said.

The TBA is seeking support for the PSLF program and is also requesting lawyers share their experience with the program.

James Mackler of Frost Brown Todd will provide the information you need to address the growing legal field of drone law. Watch it live on Sept. 10 from noon – 1 p.m. CDT, or purchase it to watch anytime. The course offers one hour of CLE.