Gordon Ball, the Democratic challenger to Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, is basing his uphill challenge on his specific definition of being a moderate Democrat and where that intersects with tea party followers. The Memphis Daily News reports that Ball hopes to get tea party followers who backed state Rep. Joe Carr in the Republican primary this past August to vote for him in the November statewide general election. Tennessee Republican leaders are responding with a new ad and website linking Ball to President Barack Obama. 

Longtime Chattanooga attorney Shields Wilson died on Sept. 11. He was 93. Wilson received his bachelors and law degrees from Vanderbilt University. Prior to law school, he served in the Navy and attended Officer’s Candidate School at Northwestern University. Wilson was director of the Corporate Tax Division of the Tennessee Department of Revenue before joining the Witt Gaither Law Firm, where he was a partner for many years. Wilson practiced law, at least on a part-time basis, until he was 91. A private military burial will be held, followed by a memorial service at Rivermont Presbyterian Church on Saturday at 3 p.m. with Reverend Clay Thomas officiating. Afterward there will be a reception to celebrate Wilson's life. Memorials may be made to Rivermont Presbyterian Church, 3319 Hixson Pike in Chattanooga or Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Dr.

John Arnold Fitzgerald was temporarily suspended from the practice of law on Sept. 10 for misappropriating funds to his own use. The court found his continued practice of law poses a threat of substantial harm to the public. View the BPR notice.

Pat Cooley, the attorney for Circuit Court Judge Mike Pemberton, has filed a motion to dismiss Tom McFarland's complaint that seeks to declare void the recent race for circuit court judge of the 9th Judicial District in which Pemberton defeated McFarland. Less than a week after the Roane County results were certified, McFarland filed a complaint in Roane County Chancery Court claiming the results of the election should be void because Pemberton didn’t meet the one-year residency requirement to run for judge. “There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of fraud or illegality that so permeated the election that it cannot be said to fairly reflect the will of the voters,” Cooley said in the motion. The 9th Judicial District is made up of Roane, Loudon, Meigs and Morgan counties. Roane County News has more.

Gov. Bill Haslam and former Gov. Phil Bredesen will discuss Amendment 2 Wednesday at a 2 p.m. program at the University of Tennessee's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, Knoxnews reports. The proposed amendment will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot and affects the way judges to the appeals and supreme courts are chosen. Baker Center Ambassadors will also conduct a voter registration drive all day Wednesday. Oct. 6 is the final day to register for November election.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, the Women’s Political Collaborative and the League of Women Voters of Tennessee have announced their support of Amendment 2, the judicial selection amendment to the state constitution that will appear on the November ballot. "Fair and impartial judges are needed to protect the rights of all Tennesseans, regardless of gender, race or station in life," former Judge Barbara Haynes of Nashville said in a press release. "Passing Amendment 2 will help ensure we get the best and most qualified appellate judges to apply our laws equally and fairly."

Tennesseans are just weeks away from voting on a constitutional amendment to bar lawmakers from ever imposing a state income tax. As the November vote approaches, a new study from ratings agency Standard & Poor's suggests that rising income inequality has a stronger negative effect on states reliant on sales tax revenues compared to those dependent on income taxes. The Memphis Daily News reports the S&P found that the affluent tend to save a greater share of their income and spend it on untaxed services.

The American Bar Association and more than 25 state and local bars have joined with the American Institute of CPAs and 233 members of the U.S. House in urging House leaders to preserve the cash method of accounting for law firms, accounting firms, farmers and many other small businesses. The group expressed concerns over mandatory accrual accounting proposals that would have a dampening effect on business growth across industries and stifle job creation. Reps. Steve Cohen, Scott DesJarlais, John J. Duncan Jr. and Stephen Lee Fincher from Tennessee were among House members signing the letter of support.

Special interest groups have nearly doubled their spending on television advertising in judicial races this year, Justice at Stake reports in a news release. While special interest groups were responsible for 38 percent of total TV spending in 2011-2012, they have constituted 60 percent of TV spending in 2014 to date, the report says. More than $3.1 million has already been spent this year on TV ads in state supreme court primaries and off-cycle elections, according to estimates provided by Kantar Media/CMAG. Three states with off-cycle elections – Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas – saw greater spending than in their last election cycle, while North Carolina had record spending in its primary – more than $1.3 million, the report says.

Legislators and law enforcement officials are talking about criminal justice reform this week, WRCB reports. The Senate Judiciary Study Committee met today at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville to start the work. Presenters were to include Tennessee Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield, Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons, as well as city and police officials, district attorneys and criminal justice advocates.