Lee Michael Sprouse was temporarily suspended on Feb. 4 for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding a complaint of misconduct. Download BPR notice.

In a piece for the ABA Journal, University of Maryland Carey School of Law professor Sheldon Krantz discusses the access-to-justice crisis in this county and how the legal profession is failing in its response. Krantz states that the legal system fares particularly badly when taking into account the accessibility in our legal system to disadvantaged groups and the availability or the cost of legal assistance. “It’s time for the profession to candidly admit failure and develop comprehensive strategies to tackle the problem successfully,” he says.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has been named the ranking member, or top Democrat, on the House Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee, the Commercial Appeal reports. The panel has jurisdiction over constitutional amendments, constitutional rights, federal civil rights, ethics in government, medical malpractice and product liability and legal reform.

Former “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken announced Wednesday that he is running for the House of Representatives seat in North Carolina’s second district against second-term Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers. In a campaign video filmed in his childhood home, Aiken shared difficult stories from his past and explained how they have inspired him to run for political office, WATE reports.

Assistant District Attorney General Cecil Mills has filed a petition to run in the Democratic primary for the office of District Attorney General in the Third Judicial District, which cover Greene, Hamblen, Hancock and Hawkins counties. The Greeneville Sun has the story.

The Tennessee Supreme Court returned to the historic court chambers in the Capitol yesterday to hear oral arguments. The courtroom was the home of the court from the late 1850s until the Supreme Court Building opened in 1937. Gov. Bill Haslam was on hand to welcome the justices. Visit the Administrative Office of the Court website to view photos from the occasion.

Republican operative Chip Saltsman has been hired to help candidates for the Tennessee House, as Republicans look to protect their 71 seats and add to their ranks in the 99-member chamber. Saltsman is a one-time state Republican Party chairman and a recent chief of staff and campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Chattanooga. He also ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign in 2008. The Memphis Daily News has more.

Eric McRoy announced today he will run for the Democratic nomination for House District 27. The seat is currently held by Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga, who announced yesterday that he is not seeking re-election. McRoy is an IT professional who says he wants to ensure constituents’ concerns are brought to the forefront of the legislature, Nooga.com reports.

U.S. Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV on Thursday abruptly recused himself from presiding over hundreds of lawsuits stemming from the nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak that took the lives of 64 patients, 16 of them in Tennessee. Judge Saylor said yesterday that he had no choice but to step aside because former law partners and personal friends had entered an appearance in the case, the Tennessean reports. In a statement issued shortly after the hearing ended, Nashville attorney Mark Chalos said he was disappointed at Saylor’s departure. “Judge Saylor has been fair to all sides, thoroughly well-prepared for all hearings, and has moved the cases along efficiently."

Dr. Carol Berz will be awarded the 2014 Grayfield Gray Public Service in Mediation Award at ceremonies Feb. 14 in Nashville. Presented by the Coalition for Mediation Awareness in Tennessee, the award — named after its first recipient Grayfred Gray, emeritus professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law and founder of UT’s Mediation Clinic — honors those who have made “innovative and lasting public service contributions through alternative dispute resolution in Tennessee.” Berz, who owns Private Dispute Resolution Services in downtown Chattanooga, is being recognized for helping pioneer mediation in Tennessee and chairing the mediation component of the Hamilton County Courts’ Pilot Project relative to Tennessee’s Parenting Plan law. Past recipients have also included Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder and Nashville Second Circuit Court Judge Marietta Shipley.