Bryan Stevenson, New York Times Best Selling Author of “Just Mercy," will be the featured speaker at the upcoming 25th anniversary celebration of the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office. Stevenson is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, and a professor of law at New York University School of Law. The event is planned for Nov. 9, 7 – 9:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville. Tickets can be purchased online. 

The former director of communication for the Church of God International was sentenced in a U.S. District courtroom in Chattanooga to 34 months in federal prison. Troy Scot Carter pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of security taken by fraud. Carter will have to pay 50 percent of all he earns while incarcerated in attempt to repay $880,000 obtained by giving the church false invoices for services, the Cleveland Daily Banner reports.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, is calling recent attempts to fill more than 300 vacant correctional officer positions a “Band-Aid” approach, according to The Tennessean. The Department of Corrections announced Thursday it will pay new officers a $600 signing bonus and offer a $100 referral bonus starting Aug. 17. Gov. Bill Hassam and department Commissioner Derrick Schofield have downplayed the effects of the worker shortage, but Ramsey said, “When there’s this much smoke, there’s usually fire somewhere.”

Daily and weekly passes can be purchased for the 2015 Knoxville Sentinel Open, planned for Aug. 17-23 at the Fox Den Country Club, to benefit Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Daily passes are $10; weekly passes are $25. Designate Legal Aid of East Tennessee at the bottom of your order form. Use this link for your purchase. 

Metro Nashville officials plan to continue banning guns at city-owned Nissan Stadium and Bridgestone Arena, despite a recent opinion from the state attorney general saying private organizations cannot ban guns from public parks or recreational facilities. “The attorney’s general’s opinion is just that: it’s an opinion … It has no force of law,” said Metro Law Director Saul Solomon. Officials from around the state joined Solomon Thursday in a roundtable discussion about the guns-in-park laws. Metro is also banning guns at the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, The Tennessean reports. 

Two Tennessee judicial nominees are among the nine awaiting Senate confirmation as lawmakers begin their four-and-a-half week break. The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Waverly Crenshaw’s nomination to the Middle District and Travis McDonough’s nomination to Eastern District judgeships. According to the Washington Post, the Senate has confirmed just five judges so far this year. Edward Stanton of Memphis has also been nominated for a federal judgeship in Tennessee, but is still awaiting review by the Judiciary Committee.

Vice President Joe Biden will attend a Chattanooga public memorial service Saturday for the five service members who died from the July 16 shooting. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Gov. Bill Haslam and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke are also expected to attend the event, scheduled for 2 p.m. at McKenzie Arena, 720 E. Fourth St. Read more.

In a letter to the General Assembly Republican Caucus on Wednesday, Gov. Bill Haslam assured fellow Republicans that fetal tissue sales are illegal in Tennessee. Halsam comments come after discussion of recently released hidden-camera videos that raised concerns of whether Planned Parenhood officials were profitiing from the sale of fetal tissue in other states. The Times Free Press said Haslem also encourages the prosecution of anyone who violates state law by buying or selling fetal tissue.

Road blocks are popping up for Gov. Bill Haslam as the Republican works to build support for new public transportation funding. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, supports the funding, but told the Times Free Press that the issue “may be getting tangled up [with] some lawmakers’ gubernatorial ambitions”. Ramsey named no names, but a few Democrat lawmakers are also questioning if some Republicans are delaying funding Haslam’s infrastructure plan in the wake of their next primary elections.

Get three hours of ethics done this weekend at TBA's Saturday Ethics Program. Coffee, all the fancy fixin's, and coffee cake are hot and ready to be served as soon as you walk in the door. Speakers will share tips and processes to help you with your practice and make sure you meet all ethical obligations.