Ralph Woodson Farmer died Monday at the age of 81. Farmer earned his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Tennessee, then served his country in the Air National Guard in San Antonio, Texas. He practiced law in Memphis with Nelson, Norvell, Wilson, McRae, Ivy and Farmer for a decade. During this period, Farmer served in the Tennessee legislature, first in the House of Representatives and then later in the Senate. The family will receive friends tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in Dyersburg. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, also at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the First Baptist Church Building Fund, 220 W Masonic St., Dyersburg, TN 38024.

The Knoxville Family Justice Center is conducting a poster campaign to draw attention to domestic violence issues and focus on resources for those in abusive relationships. Volunteers will distribute their posters throughout Knoxville and Knox County Saturday. More than 60 organizations are hoping to spread awareness about domestic abuse from partners and within the family unit. Volunteers for the campaign will meet 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. at the center located at 400 Harriet Tubman St. Knoxnews has more.

Voters across the state didn’t know what a “yes” vote on Amendment 2 meant partly due to “deceptive advertising,” said John Avery Emison, an opponent of Amendment 2. “Their message was that Amendment 2 protects your right to vote for judges. Well, there is no threat to anyone’s right to vote for judges,” Emison said. “That message is deceptive.” The campaign in favor of the amendment succeeded by a 60 to 40 margin, so Emison said it was “unlikely” opponents would contest the results. Nashville Public Radio has more.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit yesterday heard oral arguments in a case challenging the National Security Agency's (NSA) phone data surveillance program. Prior to oral arguments, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation challenged in their amicus brief that the NSA metadata collection program is an unconstitutional intrusion of privacy. Relying on the third party doctrine constitutional exception, Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Thomas Bryon III argued that "[t]here is no protected constitutional interest that's been invaded by the mere collection of the business records of a telephone company." The Jurist has the story.

Tennesseans ratified all four amendments to the state constitution Tuesday, including the controversial Amendment 1 that gives the state Legislature more power to restrict abortions, Knoxnews reports. In addition to voting for Amendment 2 regarding judicial selection, the passage of Amendment 3 banned the enactment of personal income taxes and payroll taxes measured by income. Amendment 4 adds veterans groups like the American Legion to the list of charitable nonprofit organizations that can hold annual raffles or lotteries with legislative approval.

NBC has decided to cancel the TV show “Bad Judge” after it garnered unimpressive ratings and a letter of protest from the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. The show, which first aired Oct. 6, depicted a party-loving but tough woman judge that the group said was portrayed as “unethical, lazy, crude, hypersexualized and unfit to hold such an esteemed position of power.” NBC plans to finish production on 13 episodes that will air before the show is yanked from the schedule, the ABA Journal reports.

Perry Alan Craft received a public censure on Oct. 29. Craft was censured for several violations involving his firm’s trust account. View the BPR notice.

The law license of Roger David Hyman was reinstated Monday (Nov. 3) by the Tennessee Supreme Court after being suspended for six months. View the BPR notice.

Veteran Nashville business attorney Bob Mendes has launched Waypoint Law, a practice that will handle transactions, litigation and insolvency cases. Mendes left Frost Brown Todd 30 months after merging his former MGLAW firm into the regional player. Mendes and Mark Donnell, who also has left Frost Brown Todd, will look for opportunities to help clients through the broader "change management challenges" that often crop up in bankruptcy or restructuring situations. The Nashville Post has more.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Lee today issued a statement commending voters on the passage of Amendment 2. “The voters have now spoken on Amendment 2, and I am very pleased we will have clarity and certainty in how appellate court judges are selected in Tennessee, “ Lee said. “Tennesseans have made it clear they want an independent, diverse, and qualified judiciary held accountable to the citizens it serves.”