The Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society will unveil Phase II of the Tennessee Judiciary Museum on Dec. 5. The evening will feature a short program with cocktails and heavy hors d’oerves at the Hermitage Hotel followed by a tour of the museum. For more information, contact Linda Knight at (615) 244-4994.

Vanderbilt University Law School professor and constitutional law scholar Suzanna Sherry says the Supreme Court’s ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas in no way portends the end of affirmative action and is likely to have very little impact on most universities. “Those who would portray it as the end of affirmative action are overreacting. The court went out of its way to endorse earlier decisions upholding affirmative action,” said Sherry. “There’s no change in the law,” she continued, noting that the court, consistent with its previous cases, held only that courts must carefully scrutinize any use of race in admissions.

The National Bar Association, the largest association of black lawyers and judges, is opposing a proposal to increase the ABA’s minimum bar-passage rate for law schools from 75 to 85 percent, the National Law Journal reports. “Any undertaking of a change to law school accreditation standards must include a thorough consideration of any potential impact the change may have on students of color," U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., wrote in a letter to the ABA last week. "Otherwise, such a change may only exacerbate the lack of diversity within the legal profession."?

Attorneys for Pilot Flying J and trucking companies that claim to be victims of a rebate-skimming scheme are seeking to have nearly a dozen civil suits consolidated in a single court in Cleveland; Jackson, Mississippi; or Nashville, the Tennessean reports. A federal, criminal probe of Pilot continues, already netting guilty pleas from five Pilot sales employees. The consolidation motion does not immediately affect suits filed in state courts, including one filed in circuit court in Knoxville by a Georgia trucking firm.

Former State Sen. Mike Faulk was honored Monday for his service to the Hawkins County Commission in the late 1990s and early 2000s. An attorney based in Church Hill, in 2012 Faulk ended a four-year stint on the Tennessee State Senate and is currently a candidate to replace retired Third Judicial District Circuit Judge Kindall Lawson. The Times News has the story.

Chancellor Carol McCoy said this morning that her “confidence was shaken” after the Department of Children’s’ Services redacted information on children who died or nearly died under the agency’s supervision beyond her order. McCoy ordered that the state agency go back and restore information it removed that she did not specifically order to be redacted in dozens of files that have already been released to The Tennessean and other media organizations. If DCS fails to follow the court's order, McCoy said she will not hesitate to hold DCS officials in contempt of court.

Gov. Bill Haslam has hired former IBM executive Greg Adams to be the state’s chief operating officer, a new Cabinet-level position within his administration. Adams, who starts the job July 8, will promote efficiency and effectiveness in operations with state departments. WATE has the story.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder announced that she is retiring at the end of her current term and will not seek re-election in the August 2014 judicial retention election. Holder became the third woman to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court and the first to serve as chief justice. “It has been my privilege to serve the people of Tennessee as a trial judge and Supreme Court justice – and an honor to have been selected by my fellow justices as the first female chief justice in our state’s history,” Justice Holder said in a letter to Gov. Bill Haslam. Read more about Holder's career at the Administrative Office of the Courts' website. 

The Tennessee Justice Center honored clients and recognized the support of the private bar during a recent reception in Nashville. More than 150 lawyers, judges, clients and others heard the moving story of Jessica Hacker, a TJC client and Mother of the Year who grew up in foster care and has chosen to adopt children out of foster care in hopes that they might have a better childhood than her own. TJC also recognized the 15 firms who have participated in the organization’s Raising the Bar Campaign: Bass Berry & Sims; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings; Waller; Bone McAllester Norton; Burr & Forman; Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella; Frost Brown Todd; H3GM; Law Offices of John Day; Lewis King Krieg & Waldrop; Norris & Norris; Ogle Gass & Richardson; Sherrard & Roe; Stites & Harbison; and Wyatt Tarrant & Combs.

Sports car enthusiasts from across the region gathered Sunday for “SOLO TIME AT BRISTOL,” an event put on by East Tennessee Region Sports Car Club of America to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities and Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET). “We are extremely grateful to Bristol Motor Speedway for hosting this event each year,” said David R. Yoder, LAET executive director. “Not only do they allow the Club to race at this unique venue, but all proceeds of the day benefit two great charities. And we couldn’t hold this event without the support of our sponsors: Pilot Flying J, WBIR-TV, and WIVK-FM.”