All suits filed against the New England Compounding Center (NECC) over the recent meningitis outbreak will be heard in federal court in Massachusetts, where the pharmacy is located, News Channel 5 reports. A judicial panel centralized the suits in Massachusetts because that is where NECC’s bankrupty case is pending, and the primary witness and evidence will likely be located there. Judge F. Dennis Saylor has been assigned to hear the more than 120 suites filed in the case.

The Senate voted 26-4 to approve a proposed constitutional amendment to ban a state income tax, WSMV News 4 reports. If the House concurs, the amendment would be placed on the ballot for Tennessee voters in the next year’s general election. The proposal was sponsored by Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown.

The Legal Aid Society (LAS) released its updated schedule of free legal classes through the People’s Law School, a program that provides an overview of legal issues that a typical person might face. The weekly, one-hour classes are offered February through April and focus on a different legal topic each week. Classes are taught by LAS staff and other volunteers. For more information or to register for a class, contact Nashville Community Education.

Four attorneys have expressed interest in applying for the Juvenile Court judge vacancy caused by Judge Suzanne Bailey’s April 30 retirement. The Chattanoogan reports that Juvenile Court Magistrate Troy McDougal and attorneys Rob Filyaw, Ron Powers and Curtis Bowe are eying the position, although county commission chairman Larry Henry said he expects several more candidates to come forward prior to the expected appointment on May 1.

A courthouse shooting in South Carolina sent a young mother and her stepfather to the hospital on Wednesday, the ABA Journal reports. Police say Curtis Gorny has been charged with the shootings after exchanging gunfire with pursuing police officers. The incident follows another courthouse shooting this week in Delaware where a gunman killed two people before shooting himself.

Tennessee lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment that would give the supreme court an important role in determining if a governor is incapable to serve. Under SJR 103 introduced by Knoxville Republican Senator Becky Duncan Massey, the Attorney General could petition the Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the governor was “unable to perform the powers and duties of the office.” The court would rule on the petition and could remove the governor, who must then re-petition the Court for reinstatement within 30 days. If passed, Tennessee would join 25 other states that allow the court to play a role in gubernatorial incapacity determinations. Gavel to Gavel has the story. 

Nicole Grida engaged in many extracurricular activities as a child, and continues her extramural involvement as a lawyer. A graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Law, Grida is an associate with Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan PLLC in Memphis where she has handled workers’ compensation cases, nursing home and medical negligence defense, car wrecks and general liabilities. Additionally, Grida serves on the public service committee for the Memphis Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division and coordinates the Memphis and Shelby County High School Mock Trial Competition. “If I wasn’t doing mock trial, I’d be doing something else because being a lawyer is more than just being in court,” Grida told the Memphis Daily News. “Lawyers should be stewards of their community, they should be giving back in some way.”

A bill to block courts from granting subpoenas for the identities of anonymous commenters on news websites was unanimously approved 32-0 today in the Tennessee Senate, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The proposal was sponsored by Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and does not include cases in which defamatory statements were made.

The state Senate approved the guns-in-trunk bill by a 25-7 margin yesterday, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The bill now moves to the House where it is expected to pass in the next two weeks.

The Justice Department will announce whether it is going to pursue the death penalty against former prison guard Chastain Montgomery, who was charged with killing two West Tennessee postal workers during a robbery. WDEF News 12 reports that U.S Assistant Attorney Tony Arvin told U.S District Judge Jon McCalla that the government’s decision is expected to be disclosed March 7, three days after a hearing to address the legality of Montgomery’s confession.