The state Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved changes to state law governing conservatorships on Tuesday after hearing a report from the Tennessee Bar Association. The Tennessean reports that TBA legislative counsel Steve Cobb told the panel that a statewide series of hearings showed the ways emergency cases are being handled varies widely and that some cases are disturbing. The Tennessean says the bill will include new provisions under which people can be placed under a conservator’s control without notice and clarify the role of people appointed to serve as a “guardian ad litem” or fact-finder in the cases.

Longtime Nashville attorney William Gilliam Womack died March 10 from complications of a stroke. He was 74. Womack attended The University of the South at Sewanee and earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He practiced law in Nashville for many years, and served as a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve for more than 27 years. He retired with the rank of Commander and was the recipient of the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Joint Service Commendation Medal. The funeral mass was held last Thursdy at St. Henry Catholic Church followed by burial at Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Henry Church ministry to the sick.

A state House committee has stripped student identification cards issued by public universities from a bill about photo IDs that can be used to vote. This comes less than a week after a full Senate voted to pass a bill allowing student IDs, the Memphis Daily News reports. Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, made the change, supported by Rep. Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet, who said she was sponsoring the House version of the bill on behalf of the fellow Republican Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro.

Organizations offering parent education or victim offender reconciliation programs have until mid-April to apply for funding from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). The AOC has approximately $200,000 in grant funds available for the development or continuation of parent education initiatives. Proposals must be provided by April 22. The AOC is also accepting requests for funding for Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs. These must be provided to the AOC by April 23.

The Stonewall Bar Association of Tennessee has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of marriage equality. The Supreme Court is set to hear two groundbreaking cases next week involving same-sex marriage and the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8. The Stonewall Bar filed a “friend of the court” brief in one of the cases, Hollinsworth v. Perry. “We urge the Supreme Court to strike down Prop 8 as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution” said Stonewall Bar president Sam Felker. “Essentially we argue that a state cannot single out gay and lesbian citizens and deny them the rights and benefits of marriage that are offered to heterosexual couples.” 

With the continued growth of eDiscovery, the manner in which corporations and law firms assess vendor budgets can be a challenge. Join John Burchfield and Austin Maddox as they educate counsel on eDiscovery costs and budgeting to determine what eDiscovery program is best for them. The pair will discuss these and other issues during a one-hour webinar next Thursday, March 21.

A proposal to do away with the state’s motorcycle helmet law was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee despite Gov. Bill Haslam’s opposition, the Memphis Daily News reports. The bill, sponsored my Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, would allow riding without a helmet but require the driver to have $25,000 in additional medical coverage, a minimum two-year motorcycle license, have taken a motorcycle riding course and be at least 25 years old.

Three contenders for chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party will gather supporters Saturday at the district caucuses to determine who will be delegates to the county party convention, where they will elect the new chair. The Memphis Daily News reports that Jennings Barnard, Bryan Carson and Terry Spicer are in the running to replace attorney Van Turner who has served as chair for four years.

A bill to strip Vanderbilt University of its police powers unless it drops a controversial nondiscrimination policy has been ruled unconstitutional by Attorney General Robert Cooper, the Tennessean reports. Senate Bill 1241, sponsored by state Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, proposes dismantling the university’s police department into an armed security guard service if the institution does not repeal a policy requiring officially recognized campus groups to allow any student to participate regardless of the student’s beliefs or status. The policy was instituted after a Christian fraternity tried to exclude gay members.

Today Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law Senate Bill 142 allowing handgun permit holders to carry their guns anywhere in their cars, even to work, the Tennessean reports. The bill, which goes into effect July 1, removes criminal penalties for carrying a firearm in a car onto private property without the owner’s permission. It left open the legal question of whether an employer could fire someone for bringing a gun to work, however.