Božo Cerar, Slovenian ambassador to the United States, will speak at Univerity of Tennessee College of Law at noon on Oct. 20 in room 136. Cerar’s talk, “The International Criminal Court from Nuremberg to Kampala and Beyond,” will trace and discuss the evolution of international criminal law and the mechanisms for its enforcement on the international level, from the post-World War II period to today.

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Marshall Scott Smith to disability inactive status after Smith filed a notice with the Court saying that he suffers from a disability that renders him incapable of practicing law and prevents him from defending himself against a disciplinary complaint. Smith may return to the practice of law upon showing of clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and he is fit to resume. View the BPR notice.

Carl Robert Ogle was disbarred from the practice of law on Thursday. While representing the executrix of an estate, Ogle’s non-lawyer assistant misappropriated the funds. The estate was closed in August 2013, and Ogle represented to the court that the assets of the estate had been distributed to the beneficiaries, which was false. View the BPR notice.

Four constitutional amendments— the first two in particular— will bring Tennessee voters to the polls this November, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey told a Greater Kingsport Republican Women's luncheon on Monday. Ramsey stated his support for Amendment 1 and 2, and predicted 3 and 4 will pass easily. The Times News Net has more.

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded the City of Memphis $900,000 to help cover the costs of processing rape kits and domestic violence cases. WREG reports that more than half of the money will go to the local district attorney’s office so it can assign a designated investigator to process rape and domestic violence cases. 

Workers who fill orders for Internet retailer Amazon might be out of luck in their quest to be paid for time they spend going through security checkpoints each day, WRCB reports from the Associated Press. Several Supreme Court justices expressed doubts during arguments today over whether federal law entitles workers to compensation for security measures to prevent employee theft. The case is being watched closely by business groups concerned that employers could be liable for billions of dollars in retroactive pay for security check procedures that have become routine in retail and other industries.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy today allowed same-sex marriage to begin in Nevada, clarifying that an earlier order temporarily blocking gay unions applies only to Idaho. Kennedy said in a brief order that he was lifting the hold he imposed five hours earlier on same-sex weddings in Nevada. He said his order would continue to block gay marriage in Idaho, where state officials have asked for the delay. Nevada officials did not make a similar request. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared gay marriage legal in Idaho and Nevada on Tuesday. A day earlier, the Supreme Court let similar rulings from three other appeals courts become final and effectively raised to 30 the number of states where same-sex couples can marry, or soon will be able to do so. WRCB has more from the Associated Press.

The Lawrence County Bar Association has adopted a Resolution in Support of Judicial Selection Amendment, commonly referred to as Amendment 2. “The Lawrence County Bar Association is proud to join Lawrence County native Fred Thompson, former Governor Phil Bredesen, Governor Bill Haslam, and countless other lawyers and non-lawyers across the State of Tennessee in support of the Amendment 2, “ President Ben Boston said in a press release. “This Amendment, if adopted, will ensure Tennessee continues its tradition of fair and impartial appellate judges to the State’s Appellate Courts and Supreme Court for many years to come.”

Six U.S. Supreme Court justices on Sunday attended the Roman Catholic Red Mass in Washington, D.C., an annual ritual that heralds the new judicial season that begins on the first Monday in October. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan were in the front pews of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle to watch the spectacle, replete with incense, bishops and priests in scarlet vestments and soaring choir music. Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas are Catholic; Breyer and Kagan, who are Jewish, have become regular attendees. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also Jewish, stopped attending earlier in her tenure after one mass in which the sermon was “outrageously anti-abortion,” as she later described it. Justices Samuel Alito Jr. and Sonia Sotomayor are also Catholic, although they were absent Sunday. The National Law Journal has more (Subscription required.)

The American Bar Association standing committee on ethics and professional responsibility today issued Formal Opinion 468 regarding the sale of a law practice by a lawyer or firm. The opinion states that the seller must “cease to engage in the private practice of law, or in the area of practice that has been sold, in the relevant jurisdiction or geographic area.” Additionally, while the seller may assist the buyer in the orderly transition of active clients, neither party may bill clients for time spent only on the transition of matters.