Pam McNutt Fleenor, Republican candidate for Hamilton County Chancellor, Part 1, has received the public support and endorsement of retired Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. "Mickey" Barker. "I know Pam to be a Conservative politically, but have observed her dealings to be even-handed and objective by avoiding political entanglements," Barker wrote in his endorsement letter. "To maintain impartiality as judge, this is key." The Chattanoogan has more.

Several judges attended the SafePlace Gala and Auction last week in Sevierville to support the cause to end domestice violence. “Domestic violence and abuse is a serious problem and one I have combated head-on as a judge," Judge Dick Vance told the group. "I have always, and will continue, to make stopping this atrocity a top priority of mine.” SafePlace serves victims of domestic violence in Sevier, Jefferson and Cocke counties. With more than 250 people in attendance, a significant amount of money was raised for the organization, the Herald News reported.

Abigail Mabry is the 2014 recipient of the BankTennessee John S. Wilder Law School Scholarship. The scholarship is named in memory of John S. Wilder Sr., a former lieutenant governor of Tennessee, a former vice-chairman of BankTennessee’s board of directors and one of the founders of the bank. ?It is awarded annually to a University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law third-year student and Tennessee resident who has demonstrated, in the spirit of Wilder, a commitment to public service and to enhancing the common good. The Millington Star has the story.

District Attorney General Bill Whitesell announced he would not seek re-election and has endorsed Assistant District Attorney Jennings Jones to be his replacement. Jones is running in the May 6 Republican Primary for District Attorney General, 16th Judicial District, which includes Rutherford and Cannon counties. The Murfreesboro Post has more.

AAA/The Auto Club Group today announced its opposition to a bill that would weaken Tennessee’s motorcycle helmet law, the Memphis Business Journal reports. The proposed bill will allow riders older than 25 years to ride without a helmet. Currently, all readers are required to wear a helmet, regardless of age. Senate and House subcommittees are slated to hear the bill next week.

The Affordable Care Act will be considered in the Supreme Court next week in a case full of hot-button issues: religious freedom, corporate rights, federal regulation, abortion and contraception. On one side is the Obama administration, insistent that health policies written under the act include full coverage for all methods of birth control. On the other side are two family-owned corporations — the Hobby Lobby chain of arts-and-crafts stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp., a Mennonite-owned cabinet maker. They cite religious objections to intrauterine devices (IUDs) and "morning-after" pills, which they say can cause abortions. WBIR has the story from USA Today.

Tennessee’s largest teachers’ union is suing Gov. Bill Haslam and Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman over an evaluation tool they say penalizes good educators unfairly. It’s the second suit filed recently against the Knox County Board of Education on behalf of a teacher, but this one expands legal action to name top state officials as defendants. The plaintiff is Mark Taylor, a science teacher held up by the union as an example of why they believe a tool that scores teachers based on student learning gains doesn’t work. The Tennessean has more.

Court-watchers are renewing a debate over whether U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who recently turned 81, ought to retire so that President Barack Obama could pick her successor while Democrats still control the chamber, Gavel Grab reports. With control of the U.S. Senate increasingly seen as up for grabs in the midterm elections this year, many news sources have chimed in the debate, including The Economist, Slate, The Atlantic, The Washington Post and Bloomberg View.

Michael Lee West was temporarily suspended from the practice of law on March 18 upon finding that he misappropriated finds to his own use. Download the BPR notice.

Chancellor, Part 1, candidate Pam Fleenor and Circuit Court judge, Division 1, candidate J.B. Bennett were winners in a poll conducted among members of the Chattanooga Bar Association. Juvenile Judge Rob Philyaw won the poll for juvenile judge. Incumbent General Sessions Court judges were also graded by the attorneys, with Judge Christie Mahn Sell coming in at the top spot. The Chattanoogan has more.