Tennessee conservatorship attorneys are reflecting on the "unusual nature" of the conservatorship at the center of Michael Oher's lawsuit against Shaun and Leigh Anne Tuohy. The Washington Post reports that local experts agree the choice of a conservatorship was, at the very least, unusual when there are other options available, and possibly more appropriate to the situation. Patrick McKenrick, a Knoxville attorney and adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law says, "Tennessee conservatorships were designed for people with mental or physical disabilities," but in the 2004 filing, the Tuohys acknowledge Oher has no known disabilities.  Nashville attorney Barbara Moss says there are "several other 'unusual' aspects of the conservatorship agreement, including a request that Oher be declared 'a resident member of [the Tuohys’] household' as part of the conservatorship." Moss noted that it was also “strange” that the petition was signed by an out-of-state attorney, a family friend of the Tuohys who was later listed as Oher's attorney in the contract for "The Blind Side" movie.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will host a public reading of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 15 to celebrate Constitution Day. The event will be held on the steps of the James H. Quillen United States Courthouse, 220 W. Depot St., Greeneville 37743, from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. EDT. Members of the public, school groups and members of the bar are invited to join the celebration by reading the Constitution in segments of one minute or less. Those interested in participating should check in at the bottom of the courthouse steps upon arrival.

Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Lynda Jones will be the keynote speaker for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center's (NCRC) Mediation Matters Breakfast. NCRC will host the annual event on Sept. 7 at 7 a.m. CDT at Hillwood Country Club. A brief program outlining the organization’s service to the community and recognizing community heroes will begin at 7:30 a.m. “We look forward to honoring this year’s community heroes ...” said NCRC Executive Director Sara Figalof. “This event is always a celebration of great accomplishments.” Read a press release from the group for more details.

An expedited hearing has been scheduled by Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin for Monday in response to a legal dispute regarding the Tennessee House of Representatives' decision to prohibit protest signs during the special legislative session. The Tennessee Lookout reports that a temporary restraining order remains in place, preventing the enforcement of the ban on signs, as granted by Martin earlier this week. House Republican leaders claim that the temporary restraining order “intrudes on the core exercise of a co-equal branch’s authority” and that “disregard for separation of powers in this instance threatens to erode the structural protections that fortify the judicial and executive branches against undue incursion by the General Assembly.” WSMV has more on their arguments.

Fifty years ago, around 39,000 children in Memphis, roughly a third of the city's schools population, were instructed to integrate racially by transferring to new schools via a busing initiative known as Plan Z. This was an expansion of the earlier Plan A, aiming to integrate schools following the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. However, Plan Z resulted in unintended consequences, with many white students leaving the system for private schools, leading to shifting demographics and development patterns in the city. The Daily Memphian is marking this anniversary with an oral history series, examining the impact of busing from various perspectives.

In a letter to Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOC) Director Roslynn Mauskopf, the judicial watchdog group Fix the Court says that 31 U.S. federal appeals court judges have attended privately-funded seminars at luxury resorts on 76 occasions since 2021. Reuters reports that the group claims these seminars appear more like paid vacations than educational events. Fix the Court argues that the luxury nature and ideological content of the events may conflict with ethical guidelines. It urges further financial transparency and investigation into the events by the AOC.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is honoring the legacy of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, in the form of a Forever Stamp, which was unveiled in Nashville Thursday at the American Baptist College, where Lewis went to school in 1957. “It’s historically powerful that on this spot, this place, the unveiling of a stamp honoring John Lewis would take place where he got his humble beginnings as a public servant,” Dr. Forest E. Harris Sr., president of the American Baptist College, said. WKRN reports that before he spent decades in Congress, Lewis was originally introduced to the Civil Rights Movement and the principles of nonviolent protest in Nashville, organizing sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in town. In addition, Action News 5 reports that the USPS Forever Stamp honoring the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and be available for sale on Oct. 1.

This year's Creditor's Practice Forum will be held in person Oct. 18 at 1212 Germantown, 1212 6th Ave. N., Nashville 37208. The program, which offers three general and one dual credits, will cover topics including AI and its application to law practice, charging orders and related post judgement strategies, and using contractual and statutory liens to increase likelihood of payment. The program will conclude with a "tips and tricks" session presented by bankruptcy attorneys.

Five former Memphis Police Department officers facing charges in the death of Tyre Nichols appeared in court last week. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. scheduled a Sept. 15 date to consider motions from three officers — Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean — requesting separate trials. Mills is the most recent former officer to make this request; Smith and Bean filed their motions in June. The officers are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression. While some expect a federal criminal case against the officers, pretrial motions and a trial date are yet to be set, pending the judge's ruling on the release of additional documents and video footage related to the case. The Daily Memphian has the story.

House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons of Nashville is calling for an audit of Gov. Bill Lee’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives after concerns were raised about the allocation and transparency of $1.2 million in taxpayer funds provided to the office. Clemmons has asked the state comptroller to examine both the state office and its affiliated nonprofit, the Faith Based and Community Initiatives Foundation. The Tennessean reports that the audit request comes amid questions about the use of the funds and the operational effectiveness of the office, including the redirection of its website to a non-related site and a lack of recent social media activity.