Circuit Court Judge Gina C. Higgins has yet to grant a motion filed by the city of Memphis and Shelby County seeking to dismiss a suit against the city and county regarding thousands of untested rape kits. Three plaintiffs say Memphis and the county failed to responsibly handle testing of the kits. Virginia Bozeman, attorney for the county, argued Tuesday in court that the county is immune because the people involved were not county employees. Higgins said she will rule at a later date on the motions, The Commercial Appeal reports.

(NASHVILLE, March 16, 2016) — The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands launched its 2016 Campaign for Equal Justice at a luncheon today in Nashville. Campaign Chair Trey Harwell of Neal and Harwell PLC announced that the campaign will seek to raise $827,000 to support free legal assistance across the region. “As lawyers we have the honor and responsibility to give back to the community and that is what Legal Aid Society is about – making a positive difference,” Harwell said.

Schools from across the state to compete March 18-19 in Nashville

NASHVILLE, March 16, 2016 — High school teams from across Tennessee will put their legal skills to the test during the Tennessee Bar Association's 36th annual mock trial championship in Nashville this weekend, March 18-19. Media is welcome to attend the event at the historic Davidson County Courthouse.

A hearing panel of the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct ordered a probe of Campbell County General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Sammons is also currently under an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for changing a woman's charges without notifying her or prosecutors. Complaints against Sammons include having defendants arrested for being late to court and the removal of children from their homes without request by the state.

Lenoir City Municipal Court Judge Terry Vann died Sunday (March 13) following a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 68. Vann served as city judge for 16 years and previously served as Lenoir City attorney. “He always had a passion for the area and its people, and he’s going to be greatly missed,” said Amber Scott, assistant city administrator for Lenoir City. Read more from the News-Herald.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey will not seek re-election this November, WSMV reports. Ramsey’s term as Speaker of the Senate will expire in January 2017. "After a lot of prayer and many sleepless nights, I have determined that I simply cannot commit to another four years in office," Ramsey, R-Blountville, said. Ramsey, who was first elected to the General Assembly in 1992 as a member of the House, said he wants to spend more time with his family and grandchildren.

President Barack Obama today nominated Judge Merrick Garland, 63, to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Garland, chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was considered for previous vacant Supreme Court seats. As President Bill Clinton's pick, he was confirmed to the D.C. court in 1997 with a 76-23 Senate vote. His experience prior to the bench includes leading the investigation into and prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. CNN reports Senate Republicans do not plan to have hearings on Garland, but the president encouraged the Senate to not treat Garland like a “political piñata.” Tennessee's Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker today again suggested that the next president should fill the Supreme Court vacancy, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. 

The trial for a teenager charged with raping a fellow Ooltewah High School teammate will stay in juvenile court, WATE reports. The teenager charged was 17 at the time of the incident, but has turned 18. Two other 16-year-old boys have been charged in the case, along with three Ooltewah staff members.

The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week unanimously reversed the conviction of a North Carolina man whose lawyer slept through parts of his trial. While the attorney denies sleeping at trial, the three-judge panel erased the 30-year prison sentence of Nicholas Ragin and called the facts of the case “extraordinary and egregious.” Read more from The Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog.

Petitioner adoption service filed a petition to terminate Father?s parental rights, alleging several grounds under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 36-1-113(g)(9)(A) and abandonment pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 36-1-113(g)(1). The trial court denied the petition, finding no grounds to support termination. Based upon the Tennessee Supreme Court?s holding in In re Bernard T., 319 S.W.3d 586 (Tenn. 2010), that the grounds contained within Section 36-1-113(g)(9)(A) cannot apply to putative biological fathers, we affirm the trial court?s denial of termination on those grounds.