Clifton Miller of Henry, McCord, Bean, Gabriel & LaBar will give a whirlwind tour of summary judgement in Tennessee at the Court Square CLE in Chattanooga on Sept. 16. Other speakers and topics include Maury Nicely of Evans Harrison Hackett on employment law and Daniel Ripper of Luther Anderson on DUI. The course offers three credits of CLE. Register here. 

State legislators say the Health Department should have more authority to track how fetal tissue is disposed of after abortions, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. In a joint hearing of the Government Operations Committee, Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, expressed concern that illegal tissues sales could still be going on without health inspectors’ knowledge.

The National Center for State Court’s Gavel to Gavel blog created a state-by-state rundown of efforts in the 2015 session to change or end merit selection systems. Out of the 17 state merit selection systems Gavel to Gavel looked at only seven did not face attempts to alter their systems, according to Justice at Stake. Read the state-by-state rundown. 

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will receive more than $723,000 over the next three years thanks to two Tennsessee Office of Criminal Justice program grants. Money from a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant and a Service Training Officers Prosecution (STOP) grant will support victims advocacy and counsel at the Legal Aid Society. “The VOCA and STOP grants will help us address the breadth of a victim’s needs and provide legal assistance for matters pertaining to housing, education, immigration, access to benefits and more,” Gary Housepian, executive director of Legal Aid Society, said.

Is life without the possibility of parole for 51 years essentially the same thing as life without parole? That's the question a lawsuit filed in Davidson Chancery Court seeks to have answered, the Nashville Scene reports. Nashville lawyer David Raybin is a consultant in the case, and he tells the Scene that there is no practical difference between life with parole or without because the minimum far exceeds most estimated life spans for prisoners. “The case would have enormous implications if it were successful,” Raybin said. More than 1,900 prisoners in Tennessee are serving life sentences that make them eligible for parole after 51 years, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

TBA member Jonathon Med Yarger of Cardon, Ohio, died Aug. 15. He was 58 years old. Funeral services are being held today at Monreal Funeral Home in Eastlake, Ohio. The viewing continues through 8 p.m. Yarger was a founding partner of his law firm Yarger, Radel and Pentz, LLC. He earned his law degree from The University of Arizona School of Law. Read more about his life.

The new handbook for Chattanooga city employees will include LGBT protections, despite efforts by one councilman to have them removed, Nooga reports. Councilman Chip Henderson wanted to replace the handbook’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies to mirror guidleines drafted by the Equal Employment Opporunity Commission. The city council unanimously adopted the new handbook after 18 months of putting the nearly 200-page guide together.

A case granted review by the Tennessee Supreme Court may help determine if an uninsured motorist policy can cover damages caused by a rental car when the rental car’s company is self-insured. The trial court determined that a rental car owned by a car agency was self-insured, so damages incurred in the wreck did not arise from an “uninsured” motor vehicle. The Raybin-Perky Hotlist reviews the case and offers a prediction on how the case may be decided.

Roane County News reports no applications have been received for the 9th Judicial District Criminal Court judge seat. Judge E. Eugene Eblen will retire at the end of the year after holding the position since 1978. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will recommend three candidates for Gov. Haslam's consideration from candidates who have applied by Sept. 1. The seat will be on the ballot in the August 2016 election.

A memoir by Tonya Craft, the former kindergarten teacher acquitted in 2010 on charges of molesting three girls, is scheduled to come out Sept. 1. “What you’re about to read is my story,” Craft said in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “Some of the details in these page are quite graphic in nature – not by choice, but because they represent the truth.” After the jury found her not guilty, Craft enrolled at the Nashville School of Law with plans of helping the falsely accused.