Memphis lawyer Roger Rutledge died Tuesday at the age of 67. He graduated cum laude from American University Washington College of Law in 1977 and practiced corporate law, litigation, international, family and estate law with his father, J.P. Rutledge, at Rutledge and Rutledge Attorneys. In 2012, he wrote and published, “A Revolution to Win: The Founder’s Solution to the Current Crisis,” a book about democracy in America. Visitation will be held Friday from 5-8 p.m. and services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home. Memorials may be sent to the Roger K. Rutledge Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 38344, Germantown, TN.

Henry H. Hancock died May 16. He was 85. He earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1957 and joined the law firm of Burch Porter & Johnson. In 1965, he partnered with William Farris to create the Farris Hancock law firm (now Farris Bobango). Hancock also spent 18 years teaching law students the finer points of trial procedure at the then Memphis State Law School. A remembrance and celebration of his life was held Tuesday at the University Club. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Church Health Center or a charity of their choice.

Memphis attorney Terry Thomas Owen Sr. died May 16 at the age of 64. He served in the Marine Corps and Navy from 1967-1972 and earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 1988. He worked for the Attorney General’s Office until 1996 when he began his private law practice. Services were held today at Bartlett Baptist Church, with interment following in West Tennessee Veterans Cemetary. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Bartlett Baptist Church Mission Program.

Nashville is again atop the U.S. judiciary's priority list for a new federal courthouse, but whether or how soon construction begins depends on Congress setting aside $182 million for the project, the Tennessean reports. The quest for a new courthouse to replace the Estes Kefauver Federal Building on Broadway has been a two-decade quest for Nashville's federal courts. Already, $26 million has been spent on land acquisition and design. "The many security, space and operational deficiencies of the aging (building) make a new Nashville federal courthouse the number one priority on the Judiciary's Five-Year Plan," said Judge D. Brooks Smith, the chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Space and Facilities.

The investiture ceremony for the state’s newest Court of Appeals Judge, Neal McBrayer, will be held at the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chamber at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Gov. Bill Haslam, who appointed McBrayer to the court last year, will administer the oath of office. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more.

The Tennessee Bar Association has been awarded the LexisNexis Community and Educational Outreach Award for production and distribution of the 2014 Legal Handbook for Tennessee Seniors. Written and edited by volunteers working with the TBA Public Education Committee, the handbook contains practical information on topics ranging from Social Security benefits to long-term care considerations and estate planning, as well as sections addressing online security and new health care legislation. The handbook has been distributed to several thousand Tennesseans through live presentations and requests on the TBA.org website since its launch in February. Members of the National Association of Bar Executives who reviewed entries for the award praised the breadth of information in the handbook and the volunteer involvement with its preparation and outreach. Formal presentation of the award will take place during the NABE's annual meeting this August in Boston.

Clarksville resident Barry Schmittou has filed a complaint with the Tennessee Ethics Commission against Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, saying that he used his legislative staff and office in the campaign targeting the three Democrat justices on the state Supreme Court for defeat. Ramsey has denied that he crossed any ethical boundaries in his attempt to put the court under Republican control. NewsChannel 5 has more.

Jacob Edward Erwin was temporarily suspended from the practice of law for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding a complaint of misconduct. View the BPR notice.

Three Democratic Supreme Court justices — Connie Clark, Sharon Lee and Gary Wade — all say they will choose the state’s next attorney general in a transparent, “non-partisan manner,” regardless of political attacks, Knoxnews reports. As part of an effort to unseat the Democratic justices, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey has criticized current attorney general Robert Cooper, who was appointed by the court. If the three justices are rejected in the Aug 7 retention election, their successors would be appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam, who like Ramsey is a Republican. That court would appoint the next attorney general.

The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) yesterday announced that Memphis-based Baker Donelson is among its 2014 Beacon of Justice Award winners. The 25 firms were recognized for devoting significant time and resources to creating and implementing innovative strategies to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals. Award winners will be formally honored at the NLADA Exemplar Award Dinner this June in Washington D.C.