Republican lawmakers have filed legislation that would give workers the option of waiving their 30-minute lunch break currently required under state law, the Tennessean reports. Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, said his intent is merely to give workers the option of bypassing the 30-minute unpaid break that almost everyone working at least a six-hour shift must take. Critics, including House Democrats, blasted the bill Tuesday saying it would take away an important workplace safety requirement and create a work environment in which employers could strong-arm workers into skipping meal breaks.

Memphis attorney Lyman Christian (Chris) Harrell III died Jan. 15. The Washington & Lee las school graduate was 76. The visitation will be at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis Saturday at noon, immediately followed by funeral services at 1 p.m., the family says.

The law license of David Gregory Hays was reinstated on Jan. 17. He had been temporarily suspended on Dec. 9 for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding a complaint of misconduct. Download the BPR notice.

The Board of Professional Responsibility suspended Sharon K. Anderson's law license on Jan. 21 for entering a guilty plea to fraudulent transmission of money. Download the BPR notice.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen on Friday proposed legislation aimed at addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, WREG reports. The new laws would identify cases of racial profiling and penalize those responsible for it. Cohen is asking U.S. Attorneys to examine racial profiling in their areas and engage their communities to find ways to eliminate it. A panel of prosecutors, defenders, civil rights, and faith-based leaders would be asked for input. “Law enforcement officers do a great service and we need them so much but they need to spend their time based on actual probable cause and not racial stereotypes,” Cohen said.

Chief Juvenile Court Magistrate Dan Michael says he is prepared if opponents try to make a campaign issue out of reforms underway at the court. In 2009, the U.S Justice Department began a comprehensive investigation of the court that found “serious and systemic failures” in the juvenile justice system in Memphis and Shelby County, noting that black children disproportionately faced harsher punishments than white children and were disproportionately transferred to the adult criminal justice system for trial as adults. “If that is the issue that is raised, bring it on,” Michael said of the report’s harsh conclusions. “I don’t feel like I’m part of the problem. I feel like I am the solution. I’ve been there long enough. I know the system. I know what needs to be changed.” The non-partisan judicial race is on the Aug. 7 ballot. The Memphis Daily News has the story.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Memphis attorney Sheri Lipman to be the new U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. Her nomination now goes to the full U.S. Senate for approval. The Memphis Daily News has more. 

Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich has recused her office from a new trial of a murder case saying the office's involvement in the case has become a "distraction," the Memphis Flyer reports. Last month Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Henderson was reprimanded by the Tennessee Supreme Court after he pleaded guilty to the charges of misconduct and violating state rules governing prosecutors in the murder trials. Weirich said Henderson’s actions were not responsible for the turnovers in the case, but that the attention generated by his censure has become a distraction.

The Association of Women Attorneys will host its 34th annual banquet and silent auction on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Tower Center in Memphis. Linda Warren Seely, director of Pro Bono Projects and Campaign for Equal Justice for Memphis Area Legal Services, will receive the organization’s Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award for outstanding achievement in the legal profession. The Commercial Appeal has more.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen are joining forces in a drive to keep appointment of state appellate judges in the hands of governors. According to the Tennessean, Haslam’s Republican administration plans to support a campaign to win passage of a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on ballots statewide this fall.