The state Senate today passed a proposed constitutional amendment to give lawmakers in both chambers the power to select the state attorney general. Currently, attorney generals are selected by state Supreme Court justices. WBIR has the story.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that police must try to obtain a search warrant from a judge before ordering blood tests for drunken-driving suspects, WRCB reports. The justices sided with a Missouri man who was subjected to a blood test without a warrant. Although he was found to have nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood and failed several field sobriety tests, justices agreed with the Missouri high court that said the blood test violated the Constitution’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Davidson County Chancellor Carol McCoy ruled today that the state Department of Children’s Services (DCS) must turn over to the media at no cost records from the case files of 50 children who died or nearly died after the agency became involved with them. DCS must bear the cost of redacting identifying information from the records, while the media organizations will pay the cost of making copies, Knoxnews reports.

On April 16, Knoxville lawyer Ta Kisha Fitzgerald received a public censure for failing in her capacity as assistant district attorney to make a timely disclosure to the defense of letters written by the defendant and of phone calls by the defendant. Download the BPR notice.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) named Ann Pruitt as the agency’s new executive director. Pruitt earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University and law degree from University of Tennessee. After working several years in private practice, she joined Dell Inc. as senior managing counsel in 1999 and worked her way to become executive director of ethics investigations and operations. While at Dell, Pruitt served on the TALS Board of Directors for several years and organized pro bono events. “Because TALS is the voice and public face of the equal justice community in Tennessee, this is a critical position for Tennessee families and the advocates who represent them," TALS board chair Frank Cantrell said in a press release. "We are pleased to have found someone with Ann’s skills, experience and commitment to lead us in the coming years.” 

Federal public defender offices are feeling the effects of federal spending cuts, National Public Radio reports, with some seeing layoffs or trial delays due to budget restrictions. Last month, the Justice Department celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Supreme Court ruling gave poor people facing criminal charges the right to a lawyer even if they couldn’t afford one. According to Ohio public defender Steven Nolder, that obligation does not go away even if spending cuts limit access to public defenders. "These are not luxury services that we're providing," Nolder says. "These are constitutionally mandated services, and because they're mandated, someone has to do it."

The 14th Annual Red Shoe Party is a cocktail dinner event benefiting Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) chapter located in Nashville. The event will be held Saturday at the Pinnacle at Symphony Place at 7 p.m. and will feature a dance and auction. Jane Andrews, CASA executive director in Nashville, said the event is “a fun and exciting way to communicate the mission of CASA to a broad spectrum of the Nashville community who may not be aware that child abuse is a significant issue in our own city. It is an opportunity for people to make a difference in the lives of these child victims and give them hope for a safe, permanent home." Visit www.casa-nashville.org for tickets.

Miller and Martin attorney James T. Williams has been appointed to serve as chair of the firm’s litigation department, the Chattanoogan reports. Alison B. Martin will take the role of vice-chair. “We are excited to have James and Alison lead our Litigation team as the department continues to grow. Their depth of expertise and dedication to the firm makes them invaluable to the future success of the department,“ said Jim Haley, chairman of the firm.

The IRS and Justice Department tax lawyers are pressing efforts to combat tax fraud, identity theft and offshore tax evasion, WCYB reports. With the April 15 tax filing deadline fast approaching, the DOJ says it is aggressively pursuing tax violators, despite forced spending cuts. Kathryn Keneally, assistant attorney general for the Tax Division, said government prosecutors achieved a 95 percent success rate in all civil and criminal cases they litigated in the past year.

Mark Chalos of Leiff Cabraser Heinmann & Bernstein has been appointed federal-state-liaison counsel for the large product liability lawsuit against the New England Compounding Pharmacy. He will coordinate communication with attorneys handling cases against the company, which filed for bankruptcy late last year after it shipped to hospitals and other care providers tainted materials that led to an outbreak of fungal meningitis. The Nashville Post reports that Chalos has also been named to a seven-members plaintiff’s steering committee, joining Nashville lawyer Gerard Stranch, a member at Branstetter Stranch & Jennings. That committee, which will coordinate the pretrial discovery on behalf of the plaintiffs, also includes attorneys from Boston, Atlanta, Michigan and Virginia.