Knox County’s former delinquent tax attorney Chad Tindell and former Trustee Office chief of staff Josh Burnett received judicial diversion on misdemeanor charges connected to their participation in a fraudulent bonus program within the Trustee Office, Knoxnews reports. Both have also resigned from their positions. Trustee John Duncan III was accused of giving monetary incentives to himself and other employees for educational classes they never completed. Under diversion, Tindell and Burnett can seek to clear their record if they abide by the terms of their probation.

The Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., will host an open house March 2 for prospective students and their guests, the Kingston Times reports. The event is open to anyone interested in pursuing law school, with the opportunity to meet faculty, tour the facilities and speak with a financial aid counselor. Participants are asked to reserve seats through the school's Admissions Office.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce released its 2013 state legislative agenda yesterday, identifying its top priorities for Tennessee lawmakers. The Nashville Business Journal reports that improving primary and secondary education topped the list in terms of importance, followed by job creation, support for the federally funded TennCare/Medicaid expansion, workers’ compensation reform and immigration reform.

John Ryder of the Memphis firm Harris, Shelton, Hanover & Walsh has been appointed the new general counsel of the Republican National Committee (RNC). In a press release, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus stated, “I am confident that John’s legal expertise and political experience make him the ideal choice. His understanding of the inner workings of the committee from his tenure as an RNC committeeman and a delegate will be an invaluable asset in providing the RNC with guidance and leadership as we move ahead.” Ryder was elected as a national committeeman from Tennessee in 1996 and served as a delegate for the 1984, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Republican National Conventions. He also currently serves on the RNC's Rules Committee.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order, effective July 1, that requires electronic submission of all compensation claims for counsel of indigent defendants. The order, Rule 13A, makes amendments to Supreme Court Rules 13, 15 and 42, concerning indigent counsel, mental health proceedings and standards for court interpreters.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials angered a crowd of more than 300 people Tuesday when they stated they will begin restricting boating and fishing access above and below Cumberland River Dams in order to comply with national safety policy, the Tennessean reports. In response, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Kentucky, announced they would pursue legislation to keep access near the dams open if the Corps doesn’t pull back from its plan. “There is a logical solution to the problem, which is close the area when it is dangerous and open it when it is safe and give people plenty of warning about the difference,” Alexander told reporters during a conference call.

The Alliance for Justice, a liberal public interest group that monitors the judicial nomination process, compiled a report listing the nation’s vacant judicial spots and how long they have remained open without a nominee, the Blog of the Legal Times reports. The results show that delays in filling the bench often begin before the nominees even reach the Senate. According to the report, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has a position that has remained open for 3,200 days because of a dispute between California and Idaho senators about from which state the nominee should be. There has been a 2,655-day vacancy in the eastern district of California, 1,925-day vacancy in the western district of Wisconsin, and a 1,619-day vacancy in the northern district of Georgia.

Business leaders are speaking out against the bill allowing permitted gun owners the right to store firearms in their cars no matter where they are parked, even on employers’ property. Businesses such as FedEx, Nissan and Volkswagen opposed similar legislation last year but the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to approve the bill, which now advances to full Senate floor vote tomorrow. "Anything that infringes on the rights of property owners or employers clearly is viewed as a negative by companies that are already here or are looking to locate here," Bill Ozier, chairman of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the Nashville Business Journal.

Peter Letsou has been named dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, and will begin work June 1. Letsou, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, is currently dean of the Williamette University College of Law in Salem, Ore. He previously served as associate counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and Nicaraguan Opposition and as an associate with two private firms in New York. “A public law school with a distinguished history and an exceptional faculty, facility and location, the School of Law is uniquely positioned to respond to the challenges now confronting legal education," Letsou said in a press release.

State Sen. Jim Tracey, R-Shelbyville, has filed Senate Bill 632 that would require women receive a “transabdominal ultrasound” and wait at least 24 hours before having an abortion. The bill would require ultrasound technicians to display an image of the fetus and make any heartbeat audible to the woman. According to the Tennessean, however, the state constitution has a privacy clause that has limited lawmaker’s ability to place restrictions on women seeking to end a pregnancy, making it highly possible Tracey’s proposal may face a court challenge. State Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, has agreed to sponsor the House version.