The Libertarian Party of Tennessee has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Tennessee’s ballot access law. According to the complaint, Daniel T. Lewis, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for Governor in the Nov. 7 general election, had to be identified as an Independent due to state laws requiring non-recognized minor political parties to petition for statewide status. The suit claims the requirements set an unconstitutionally early deadline, number of petition signatures and limited time for petitioning so as to force a candidate in a general election to file as an independent, because of its significantly lower requirements.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services will present this year’s Access to Justice awards on Sept. 10 at its annual Equal Justice University. Former TBA President George T. “Buck” Lewis will receive the inaugural Janice M. Holder Award, named for retiring Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder. The award honors an individual who has advanced the quality of justice statewide by ensuring that the legal system is open and available to all. Theresa Vay-Smith of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will receive the B. Riney Green Award, which recognizes the advocate who has coordinated statewide efforts to improve the quality of legal services for low income Tennesseans. Charlie McDaniel, with Legal Aid East Tennessee, will receive the New Advocate of the Year Award honoring advocates who have excelled within their first five years in public interest law.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended David Garrett Mullins Jr. of Wise County, Virginia, from the practice of law for one year to run concurrently with his prior disbarment. Complaints allege Mullins accepted a fee for representation in a criminal matter, and thereafter he failed to adequately communicate with his client. The complaint further alleged that he improperly advised his client to reject a plea offer and after the trial, his client was found guilty. View the BPR notice.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander won the Republican bid over Tea Party challenger Rep. Joe Carr and five other Republicans in last night’s primary race for U.S Senate. Alexander will face Democrat Gordon Ball in the Nov. 4 general election. In the highly contested District 3 race, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann garnered 50.8 percent of the vote against venture capitalist Weston Wamp. Mary Headrick won the Democrat bid, Roll Call reports. In the 4th congressional district race between Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais and Sen. Jim Tracy, the Washington Post reports DesJarlais beat Tracy by a slim 35-vote margin. Tracy spokeswoman Stephanie Jarnigan said he would not decide whether to concede the race until results are finalized, a process that could take a few weeks, according to the Tennessean. Secretary of State Tre Hargett and coordinator of elections Mark Goins said today that they are asking election commissions in the 16-county district to move up meetings to certify the results of the race — the first step toward making the results official. Candidates have five days after certification to file challenges, which would be taken up next by the Tennessee Republican Party. That could push any recount process into September. Visit GoVoteTN for more congressional district results.

In a major defeat for Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, Tennesseans yesterday voted to keep Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and justices Connie Clark and Sharon Lee in the retention elections. “What the numbers tell me is that the citizens of Tennessee have heard our story and have agreed with us that justice cannot be for sale in Tennessee and that partisan politics doesn’t have any place in the courtroom,” Clark said in Nashville. Lee agreed, stating, “I think this win is really not about us; it's about our system of justice in Tennessee. The people of Tennessee of have spoken loud and clear. ... They don’t want anybody coming into Tennessee and trying to buy our system of justice.” Ramsey issued a statement congratulating the three, saying the race raised awareness about the Supreme Court. "For the first time in decades, we had a real election for the Supreme Court. Our Supreme Court justices traveled the state of Tennessee this summer meeting Tennesseans and learning things about our state that you can't find in any law book," his statement said. The Commercial Appeal has more.

Tennessee Supreme Court records make up by far the largest single collection within the vast amount of information available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA). During the next session of TSLA's free workshop series, State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill will provide tips on navigating through those files. The workshop will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Aug. 23 at the State Library and Archives, 403 Seventh Ave., North., in Nashville.  Although the workshop is free, reservations are required because of limited seating. To make a reservation, call (615) 741-2764 or e-mail workshop.tsla@tn.gov. The Crossville Chronicle has more.

Chattanooga voters yesterday defeated the Domestic Partnership Ordinance. The measure, which would have provided health benefits to the same-sex partners of city employees, was approved by the Chattanooga City Council last year but was forced to a public vote. “The City of Chattanooga’s non-discrimination ordinance was repealed tonight, but I want every city employee to know one thing — your work is valued and you are important to the future of our community,” Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said following the vote. News Channel 9 has the story.

Judges Martha Craig Daughtrey and Deborah L. Cook made it clear fairly quickly they stood on opposite sides of the same-sex marriage debate, but their colleague, Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton gave fewer hints as to where he may come down when the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decides the fate of gay marriage bans in four states, ABC News reports from the Associated Press. The cases heard Wednesday pit states' rights and conservative values against what plaintiffs' attorneys say is a fundamental right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. If the 6th Circuit decides against gay marriage, it would create a divide among federal appeals courts and put pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the issue during its 2015 session. The appeals panel did not indicate when it would rule.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the deaths of two teens in separate apparent suicides within a three-week span at a Department of Children's Services facility that houses delinquent youth. Last week, staff at Mountain View Youth Development Center in East Tennessee discovered an unconscious 18-year-old who is believed to have hanged himself. He died the next day at a local hospital. On July 13, a 16-year-old boy fatally hanged himself in his room as other teens left to shower, according to DCS officials. The deaths come a year after the department underwent a reorganization and change in leadership after multiple problems emerged, including a failure to keep track of deaths of children on its watch and a spike in violence at its youth detention facilities. The Tennessean has the story.

Tennesseans go to the polls to vote in party primaries on Thursday but nobody really knows why, Politico reports. All other states — except Hawaii, which votes this Saturday — hold their primaries on a Tuesday. The federal government began formally regulating elections in 1845, when it chose Tuesday as the date for all federal general elections. That logic made sense to most states, and when party primaries came into popularity in the early 20th century, all but Tennessee and Hawaii adopted Tuesday as the standard day for both general and primary elections. Tennessee holds its presidential primaries on Super Tuesday, but Charles Sherrill, the Tennessee state librarian and archivist, says he has looked as far back as the records of the first state constitutional convention and cannot find a rationale for why officials decided to hold primaries on Thursday.