The Raybin-Perky Hotlist reviews and offers predictions in four new cases for which the Tennessee Supreme Court has recently granted review. Cases include: child custody, election disputes and return of seized property in criminal cases. The Hotlist offers a prediction as to how each case may be decided. 

Deputy Assistant District Attorney General Kyle Hixson asked Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword to initiate the legal process of obtaining an interview with double-slaying suspect Norman Eugene Clark conducted by “Dateline NBC.” Hixson is asking Sword to force the show’s employers and producers to both testify and produce "the entire, unedited, video-recorded interview.” Sword declared a mistrial in Clark’s trial last year for the killings of his girlfriend and their unborn son. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports if Sword issues the certificate, prosecutors would still have to convince the New York court, where NBC is based, to issue subpoenas.

The defendant, Victoria Monquette Orr, appeals her conviction for theft of property over $1,000 but less than $10,000, a Class D felony. On appeal, the defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to sustain her conviction and that the trial court erred in admitting the prior consistent statement of a witness. Following our review of the briefs of the parties, the record, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Secretary of State's Office has a full listing of those who met yesterday's deadline for filing petitions to run for state or national legislative positions.  The Tennessean provides more details on races in the Nashville area, as well as the District 1 Metro Council race, and The Times Free Press offers similar information for several Southeast Tennessee counties. The Commercial Appeal also looks at the 22 candidates who filed to fill the Eighth Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Frog Jump).

A panel tasked with updating and improving the legislature’s sexual harassment policy yesterday sent its final recommendations to House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville. Suggestions in the report include that the legislature maintain annual statistics on the number of sexual harassment complaints the legislature receives and issue a report if a violation of the policy has occurred, The Tennessean reports. The report comes on the heels of an investigation by Attorney General Herbert Slatery that revealed Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, had “been involved in a pattern of inappropriate behavior."

Online lawyer directory website Avvo announced yesterday it is now offering free legal forms online. Avvo Legal Forms currently offers 20 legal documents, including employee termination notice and purchase agreement, but the company expects its selection to grow to 200 forms by the end of year. Read more from the ABA Journal. 

A Missouri lawyer was suspended from the practice of law this week for using information obtained by his divorce client by guessing his wife’s email password, the ABA Journal reports. The client obtained his wife’s payroll documents and a list of direct examination questions prepared by the wife’s lawyer for an upcoming divorce trial. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled the attorney, 70-year-old Joel B. Eisenstein, can apply for reinstatement in six months. 

Georgetown University, George Washington University and Columbia University top ABA Journal’s list of law schools with the most applications for their full-time JD programs. The 10 schools on the list had an average of 5,544 applications for fall 2015. But the author notes “Five of the top-10 ranked law schools overall — Yale, Stanford, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia — didn’t make the top 10 for most applications.” 

Results from the February Tennessee bar exam are now available on TBA.org. The Board of Examiners reports 193 of the 378 applicants were successful. 

Continuing six-month garnishments will now reach individuals who are paid by commission or otherwise, and will be treated as employer garnishments under TBA-sponsored legislation. The measure – SB1969 / HB1775 by Shelbyville Republicans Sen. Jim Tracy and Rep. Pat Marsh – as amended today passed the Senate with a 32-0 vote and the House with a vote of 91-0. Read the amendment that makes the bill.