Gov. Bill Haslam today vetoed a bill (SB1108 / HB0615) that would have made the Bible the official book of Tennessee, WSMV reports. “In addition to the constitutional issues with the bill, my personal feeling is that this bill trivializes the Bible, which I believe is a sacred text,” Haslam wrote. The legislature still has time to overturn the veto. The Tennessean earlier this week highlighted potential lawsuits that could come if the measure is made into law. 

A new report from the University of Tennessee revealed student-on-student sexual misconduct increased in 2015. A majority of the the 38 cases happened off campus. The university defines sexual misconduct as "sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and all other words and/or conduct that would constitute a sex offense crime." Read more from the Knoxville News Sentinel. 

“Will your next lawyer be a machine?” A two-day conference exploring the use of artificial intelligence in law wraps up today at Vanderbilt Law School. The Tennessean reports Richard Susskind, an expert on the intersection of technology and the law, encouraged attendees to consider the various ways technology could impact their profession in coming years. He said that successful lawyers should begin preparing for the impact computing could have on their research and decision-making.

The state House today approved a bill repealing the “spiritual treatment” exemption to Tennessee’s child abuse and neglect statute, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The exemption – approved in 1994 – was intended to shield parents and others from child abuse charges if a child "is being provided treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone” in lieu of medical treatment. The bill (SB1761 / HB2040) won unanimous Senate approval in March. The measure now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam, who is expected to sign it into law. 

Elizabeth Jane “Punky” Smith of Brentwood died March 21. She was 65. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Smith practiced law in Nashville for 37 years. Along with Michael Bates and Teresa Beard, she founded Realty Title Inc. in 1986 and was a principal until the business was sold in 2000. She retired from First Title and Escrow Inc. of Nashville in 2014. A visitation will be held April 30, 1 p.m., at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. The obituary includes information on where memorial gifts may be sent.  

The Davidson County Pilot Business Court’s March 31 report is now available online. The report, authored by Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle and attorney Justin Seamon, details the project’s case load, special practices for business litigation and includes answers to frequently asked questions about the court. Additional information and forms regarding the project may be found here. 

Online TN Justice celebrates five years of service today. The first question was posted to the site April 14, 2011. Since then, OTJ has answered over 11,000 questions received, and more than 500 Tennessee attorneys have registered to volunteer. The site has become the model for the national site, ABA Free Legal Answers. In March 2015, OTJ reached its highest monthly total of questions posted at 250. More information, as well registration to volunteer with OTJ, is available online.   

Lipscomb University’s Institute for Law, Justice and Society will host a free legal aid clinic on April 19, 5:30 - 8 p.m., at St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 600 28th Ave. North in Nashville. Attorney volunteers are needed. For more information, contact Academic Director Randy Spivey at 615-966-2500. 

A Cincinnati-based federal appeals court yesterday ruled federal agents can obtain cell phone records that reveal a caller’s location without a warrant. The decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals follows an attempt from two Detroit men, sentenced to prison for multiple robberies, who argued the cell records linking them to the location of the robberies should be excluded under Fourth Amendment protection. Judge Raymond Kethledge said the government’s collection of the records did not constitute a search. Read more from The Wall Street Journal Law Blog. 

An amendment (SJR 0461) aimed at giving state lawmakers more control of public school funding failed to advance yesterday in the Senate Education Committee. The Commercial Appeal reports supporters of the proposal “said it was an attempt to block what they called ‘activist judges’ from ordering the legislature to increase or alter funding for schools.” A House version (HJR 0493) of the legislation is still alive in the House committee system.