With a trial set to start Monday, attorneys representing former Knox County trustee Mike Lowe along with Ray Mubarak and Delbert Morgan were in court Thursday asking the charges be dismissed because documents needed for their defense were destroyed when Lowe's successor took office, WATE reports. The three were charged with theft more than two years ago stemming from an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, state auditors and the county district attorney's office that alleged the group funneled money through the trustee's office to a company that Mubarak owned.

The three recently re-elected sitting justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court may follow up their retention vote by Tennesseans last week by standing behind state Attorney General Bob Cooper, who is seeking another eight-year term, according to Tracey George a professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University Law School. George admits, however, that it’s tough to say given the nature (and novelty) of the retention vote, where vast sums of money were spent, including more than $1 million combined among the three Democratic-appointed justices, and Republican opposition zeroed in on their nomination of Cooper, a Democrat. “The justices could rightly view the retention in the face of such strong opposition as a sign of support,” George said. “Based on my intuition, it will not effect what the Supreme Court does. They won’t face retention for several years and I’d be surprised if they do not reappoint [Cooper].” The Nashville Business Journal has more.

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A WREG story referenced in yesterday’s edition of TBA Today incorrectly reported that the current wave of immigrant children are trying to become U.S. citizens. TBA Immigration Law Section Chair Bruce Buchanan points out that the children are not attempting to become U.S. citizens, but are filing for asylum and, if granted, they would become asylees. After a year as an asylee, they can apply for permanent residence (green card) and continue in that status for a number of years. At some later date — at least 5 years depending on the age they obtained the green card — they could apply to naturalize to be U.S. citizens.

Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the formation of the Governor’s Task Force on Sentencing and Recidivism as part of the administration’s overall effort to reduce crime and improve public safety, the Chattanoogan reports. “We have put a strong emphasis on addressing some of our state’s toughest safety challenges head on, and the Public Safety Subcabinet is doing great work,” Gov. Haslam said. “This task force is a next step in making sure we have a comprehensive approach to public safety in Tennessee."

Court cases for Central American children seeking asylum started this week, WREG reports. An immigration lawyer told WREG there was a preliminary hearing yesterday where families learned how the process works and what to expect in the future. The Memphis court reportedly has 7,000 active cases on its docket, an overwhelming number for the two judges. Attorney Barry Frager said some of the originally scheduled court dates are likely to be delayed so the border children cases sent to Memphis can be heard first. He also expects two more judges to come on board by the end of the year.

Justice Sharon Lee will become Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Sept. 1. She has been a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court since 2008, and recently won a retention election for an eight-year term to the court. “It’s an honor to serve the Court, the Tennessee judiciary, and the people of Tennessee in this role,” Justice Lee said. “I am grateful to the citizens of Tennessee for electing me to the Supreme Court and appreciate the confidence the members of the Court have shown by electing me as Chief Justice. I will continue to work to ensure that courts in Tennessee are fair and impartial.”

Three payments industry veterans have launched BlackLine Payments Advisors, a new Nashville-based consulting firm for electronic payments and processing companies, the Nashville Business Journal reports. BlackLine, an affiliate of the Frost Brown Todd law firm, will span the gamut of the growing electronic payments space, says President Howard Herndon. The idea, Herndon said, is to go beyond mere legal counsel for companies providing electronic payments and processing services (from retailers to banks to e-commerce companies).

Defense lawyers and prisoner advocates are pushing for eased penalties for white-collar criminals from the federal panel that sets sentencing policy, the Memphis Daily News reports from the Associated Press. Defense lawyers are calling for a sentencing structure that considers the broad continuum of economic crime and that better differentiates between, for example, thieves who steal a dollar each from a million people versus $1 million from one person. The commission, which meets today to vote on priorities for the coming year, already has expressed interest in examining punishments for white-collar crime. The Justice Department, though not advocating wholesale changes, has said it welcomes a review.

The Claiborne County Bar Association presented Cheryl White with a plaque honoring her late husband, Chancellor Billy Joe White, for his distinguished service as judge for the 8th judicial district from 1977-2012. The plaque will be permanently displayed in the Claiborne County Courthouse, the Claiborne Progress reports.