Bar associations across the state have conducted membership polls regarding the retention election of Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and justices Connie Clark and Sharon Lee. as well as for candidates in contested judicial, court clerk and district attorney elections. Like the Tennessee Bar Association’s statewide poll (which showed 9 of 10 lawyers want to retain the members of the court on the ballot), the Memphis and Nashville bar associations reported that about 80 percent of their members who voted gave strong support for the retention of the justices.

VOTE!

Memphis Poll: 8 of 10 Support Retention of Justices

TBA Earns National Public Service Award

The Tennessee Bar Association has been awarded the LexisNexis Community and Educational Outreach Award for production and distribution of the 2014 Legal Handbook for Tennessee Seniors. Written and edited by volunteers working with the TBA Public Education Committee, the handbook contains practical information on topics ranging from Social Security benefits to long-term care considerations and estate planning, as well as sections addressing online security and new health care legislation.

Exonerated: Tennessee Man Released After 11 Years in Prison

A Tennessee man who was imprisoned for 11 years for a rape he maintained he didn’t commit was released after DNA evidence and a wavering victim led prosecutors in Marshall County to drop all charges, the Tennessean reports.

TBA Plans Strategies for Judicial Elections

The Tennessee Bar Association unveiled plans in May to assist in ensuring that the 2014 judicial elections help to maintain a fair,  impartial and accountable judiciary, and honor the dignity of the courts while allowing a vigorous debate. Strict neutrality in judicial elections will remain a hallmark of the TBA, Executive Director Allan Ramsaur said.

Those plans reviewed and reaffirmed by the TBA at its April meeting include:

Ramsey Confirms ‘Confidential Plan’ to Defeat Justices

Nashville’s News Channel 5 revealed last night that it had obtained a “confidential Republican plan” that outlines a campaign to oust three members of the Tennessee Supreme Court. The plan, put together by Lt. Gov.

BIVINS IS NEW SUPREME ?COURT JUSTICE

Criminal Appeals Court Judge Jeff Bivins will be the next person to join the Tennessee Supreme Court, Gov. Bill Haslam announced April 4. Bivins will replace Justice William C. Koch Jr., who is retiring July 15, 2014, to become dean of the Nashville School of Law. Bivins, 53, was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in 2011. He was a circuit court judge for the 21st Judicial District, which serves Williamson, Hickman, Lewis and Perry counties, before his appointment to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Haslam Names Bivins to Supreme Court

Criminal Appeals Court Judge Jeff Bivins has been chosen by Gov. Bill Haslam to sit on the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Nashville Post reports. “I had the opportunity to appoint Judge Bivins to the Court of Criminal Appeals, and he has served the state extremely well in that role,” Haslam said in a press release.

JASON LONG WILL BE TBA PRESIDENT IN 2016

Knoxville attorney Jason H. Long will be president of the Tennessee Bar Association in 2016-2017, according to election-qualifying results. No other candidate filed for the vice president position by the Feb. 15 deadline. After serving a year as vice president, Long will become president-elect in 2015-2016 before taking over the organization’s leadership in June 2016.

Long to Lead TBA in 2016-2017

Knoxville attorney Jason Long of Lowe, Yeager & Brown will be president of the Tennessee Bar Association in 2016-2017, according to election-qualifying results released today. No other candidate filed for the vice president position by the Feb. 15 deadline. After serving a year as vice president, Long will become president-elect in 2015-2016 before taking over the organization’s leadership in June 2016.