Voters won’t decide the issue until November, but the fundraising, education and organizational battle is already in full swing over a proposed Tennessee constitutional amendment granting state lawmakers more power over abortion laws. According to campaign finance disclosures, abortion opponents raised over $500,000 as of June 30, while supporters of abortion rights have raised a little over $360,000. The Columbia Daily Herald has more.

Campaign spending in the Tennessee judicial retention race is heating up, Justice At Stake reports, putting additional pressure on justices to raise big money and answer to interest groups and politicians. “Campaign ads on both sides that politicize judges’ rulings in criminal cases are particularly troubling,” said Alicia Bannon, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. “Characterizing judges as soft or tough on crime could put pressure on judges to decide cases with an eye toward how their judgment will be portrayed in the next election cycle."

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has an opening for a Pro Bono Coordinator to work with the Access to Justice Commission. The coordinator will cultivate, monitor and follow-up with new pro bono initiatives, especially in parts of the state where none currently exist. The position will be grant-funded through May 2015, with the possibility of a one-year extension. Visit the AOC website to apply.

Lawrence “Larry” Pivnick announced he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat to represent Tennessee’s eighth district. Pivnick, who defines himself as a social progressive, has served for the past 40 years as a professor of law at the University of Memphis, and was the founder and director of the University of Memphis Legal Clinic.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has announced John T. Blankenship of Blankenship & Blankenship law firm will lead the Board of Directors as president for two years. Other members of the Executive Committee includes first vice president Robert J. Martineau, second vice president Charles K. Grant, third vice president Susan L. Kay, secretary Turner McCullough Jr., treasurer J. Andrew Goddard, member-at-large Charles H. Warfield and past-president James L. Weatherly. View the press release. 

The 8th Annual ACC-SEC Alumni Golf Tournament benefitting CASA of Nashville will be held Aug. 8 at Gaylord Springs Golf Links from noon to 7:30 p.m. Registration for the four-man scramble includes a full lunch, 18 holes of golf, prizes and a dinner program. You do not have to be an ACC or SEC alum to play, just come out and have fun while helping CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) in its mission of advocating for abused and neglected children.

The TBA Mentoring Program still needs criminal and corporate law attorneys with at least eight years of legal practice experience to join the program as mentors for upcoming classes. The program specifically needs attorneys in Brentwood, Franklin, Gatlinburg and Nashville. Visit the TBA website or contact Christy Gibson for more information.

Democrat Terry Adams's U.S. Senate campaign was running on fumes, financially speaking, as of June 30, according to his second-quarter disclosure, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The Knoxville attorney reported having just $10,507 in cash on hand and $4,500 in debt. Adams faces multimillionaire Gordon Ball, a fellow Knoxville lawyer, in the Aug. 7 primary. Ball's disclosure was not yet available on the FEC website today.

Memphis Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan said she saw a man beating a disabled woman and jumped into action, WREG reports. Skahan, who is running for re-election next month, said she called 911 and chased the accused abuser in her car. “Do something,” she implored of anyone who witnesses violence. “Don’t let this continue. That’s how people get killed.”

Incumbent Ben Hall McFarlin and challenger Kevin Hodges of Smyrna are squared off in the race for General Sessions Judge, Part I, which will be decided in the Aug. 7 election. Both candidates recently answered questions from the Murfreesboro Post as part of the newspaper’s series focusing on judicial elections. Hodges is running as a Republican while McFarlin is opposing him as an Independent.