Students from the University of Tennessee College of Law will represent the Southeast Region in the 2016 National Transactional LawMeet Finals next month in New York City, following their first-place victory at the Southeast Regional Competition. LawMeet competitions require students to draft a document addressing the problem presented in a case statement, providing the facts of the transaction. UT Law’s team is coached by Associate Professor Brian Krumm and Visiting Professor Kevin Conboy.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will release a collection of speeches and writings in January 2017, the Associated Press reports. The book, “My Own Words,” will also include introductions and interview excerpts from Ginsburg’s authorized biographers.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday temporarily suspended Blount County lawyer Charles Michael Clifford from the practice of law after Clifford failed to respond to the Board regarding a complaint of misconduct. Clifford is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and he must cease representing existing clients by April 8. Read the BPR release.

Chattanooga attorney Patricia Best Vital, principal of Vital Law Office & Dispute Resolution Services, was named as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. The ABF, founded in 1952, is recognized as a premier institute in the United States for social science research on law. Vital is also an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

State lawmakers are expected to vote today on a bill that would allow Knox County judges to offer chronic offenders community service to pay off their court costs. A WBIR investigation last year found that some indigent defendants were responsible for court debts of more than $750,000. Gov. Bill Haslam is expected to sign off on the bill, which will serve as a pilot program before potentially moving into other counties. 

A Tennessee bill (SB 1677 / HB 1823) that would allow women to obtain contraceptives from pharmacists cleared the Senate today and now heads to the House, The Tennessean reports. According to the bill, interested pharmacists would have to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician, who would oversee a series of protocols for the pharmacist to follow. 

"I think it's important for me to nominate a Supreme Court nominee quickly because I think it's important for the Supreme Court to have its full complement of justices," President Barack Obama said today at a White House news conference. He added that he does not feel “constrained to a pool to draw from” following Senate Republicans’ plan to block the president’s nomination. The Associated Press shares a list of potential nominees.

TBA Senior Counselor Alden Hitchcock Smith Jr. died Feb. 25 at the age of 84. After serving in the Navy, Smith received his law degree from Vanderbilt University. He spent his legal career in the Trust Department of Third National Bank. After retiring from the bank, he entered private practice and continued to help many families with their estate planning. Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 4815 Franklin Road, Nashville, TN 37220.

Charles Robert Bone was named President and CEO of the Nashville firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC. The position was previously held by the late founding member Mike Norton. Bone concentrates his law practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and advising emerging businesses, entrepreneurs and governmental entities. Earlier this year, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry appointed Bone to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Development Housing Agency.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission has been tasked with developing criteria that courts and prisons will use to determine inmates eligible for the Bureau of Prisons' compassionate release program. The program allows for early release of certain inmates for "extraordinary and compelling" reasons. The Justice Department’s inspector general has criticized the program for lacking clear and consistent standards. Read more from the Associated Press.