State. Sen. Bill Ketron stated Tuesday that he plans to support a bill allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores during the 2013 General Assembly session. Although past attempts at the legislation never made it out of subcommittees, Ketron says he plans to offer a measure enabling public referendums in the 33 areas that allow liquor by the drink and package stores. Many small business owners oppose the legislation, protesting that they would not be able to compete with large corporations such as Wal-Mart of Kroger that can buy in bulk.

Shelby R. Grubbs of Chattanooga-based Miller & Martin, PLLC has been appointed to the International Business Advisory Board of the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Adinistration, the Hamilton County Herald reports. The Board is comprised of business and campus leaders bound by a commitment to assisting the College of Commerce in furthering its international initiatives.

Mother Jones magazine, the left of left publication best known for unearthing the videotape of Mitt Romney making the controversial “47 percent” remarks, has ranked Tennessee No. 1 -- for having the nation’s worst legislature, the Tennessean political blog reports. The magazine condemned lawmakers for encouraging abstinence-only sex education, among other laws.

University of Tennessee College of Law Dean Doug Blaze has been named the 2012 recipient of the Deborah Rhode Award. Given each year by the Association of American Law Schools, the award honors a dean or faculty member who has made an “outstanding contribution to increasing pro bono and public service opportunities in law schools through scholarship, leadership, and service.”

Tea Party activists from across the state rallied at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Nashville today to oppose creation of a state-run health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act, the Tennessean reports. Gov. Bill Haslam has until Dec. 14 to decide whether to set up a state-operated exchange or leave its creation to the federal government.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today named Sandy Garret as chief disciplinary counsel for the Board of Professional Responsibility. “Sandy’s record of service to the legal profession and the public through her work with the BPR makes her uniquely qualified to step into this most important role,” said Chief Justice Gary R. Wade. Selected from a field of 21 applicants, Garrett has served in various roles with the BPR since 1992. A graduate of the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University School of Law, she is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the National Organization of Bar Counsel.

The Tennessee Democratic Party’s executive committee will vote next month to replace Chip Forrester after four years as chairman. Candidates campaigning for the position include Jane Hampton Bowen, the political liaison for a Chattanooga labor group; Dave Garrision, a Nashville lawyer and Tennessee Democratic Party’s current Treasurer; Wade Munday, a Nashville nonprofit executive who once served as the state party’s spokesperson; and Ben Smith, a Nashville lawyer who advised Jason Powell in his successful run for the state legislature. The Tennessean has the story.

New figures analyzed from the U.S. Census shows that women account for a third of the nation’s lawyers and doctors. Women hold 33.5% of legal jobs including lawyers, judges, magistrates and other judicial workers, up from 4.9% in 1970. However, despite greater presence in the legal field, women still face barriers to leadership roles at firms and wage discrepancies.

Tennessee legislators will receive a $1,194 salary increase during the 108th General Assembly, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The 6.28% increase will be the first raise to base pay since 2008. The increase went into effect on Election Day, Nov.6, in accord with state law enacted in 2005 that calls for automatic increases every two years commensurate with the increases in average state employee compensation during that two-year period. Legislators did not receive a raise in 2010 since state employees did not receive an increase.

Wisconsin judge Tim Boyles of Racine County has prohibited a man who owes $50,000 in child support and $40,000 in interest from fathering any more children as a condition of his three-year probation, unless he can show ability to pay. The U.S. Supreme Court denied cert in a similar case in 2001. The ABA Journal has the story.