The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear two cases — Alan C. Cartwright v. Thomason Hendrix PC, et al. and Alice Cartwright Garner et al. v. Thomason, Hendrix, Harvey, Johnson & Mitchell PLLC, et al. — during its April 9 docket in Jackson. The two cases are related actions involving similar legal issues. The cases will be heard at the Tennessee Supreme Court, 6 US-45 Bypass, Jackson 38301, beginning at 9 a.m. CDT and livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. Read more about the cases in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The annual Robert Ballow Excellence in Writing Awards were presented to Nashville School of Law (NSL) 4L students on March 19. Six students were recognized for their performance in the Rigorous Writing Exercise (RWE) program. The RWE is a project all NSL students embark on as a requirement of graduation. Working with a volunteer mentor from the legal community, students research and write a 15-20 page paper on the topic of their choice. See the list of winners and read their work. Former TBA President and current Tennessee Bar Foundation Treasurer Jackie Dixon was named the 2024 Mentor of the Year. The honor is conferred in recognition of a mentor’s exceptional service to the program; Dixon is in her sixth year as a mentor.

The Metro Nashville School Board last week voted unanimously to rename Brick Church Middle School for the late Judge Richard H. Dinkins in time for the 2025-2026 school year. According to the board, Dinkins had a profound impact on Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) as the lead attorney in a long-running school desegregation case that led to nearly three decades of court supervision of the district before he helped settle it in 1998. He later became the first Black judge on the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2008 and served with distinction until his retirement in 2022. Dinkins died in 2023.

HB811/SB227, sponsored by Rep. Rusty Grills, R-Newbern, and Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, proposes that charitable organizations across the state, such as churches and homeless shelters, might be held accountable if an undocumented immigrant they knowingly house commits a crime. A spokesperson for the Nashville Rescue Mission told Fox17 that the bill would punish organizations and strain resources. In response, Grills said, "The intention of this bill is not to incriminate those who provide temporary housing for a homeless shelter. It's to deter criminal activity." The sponsors say they plan to add amendments to the bill for more clarity, including possibly expanding what liability entails. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill last week. The House Civil Justice Subcommittee is set to consider the bill tomorrow.

Mason & Associates Law Firm, which focuses its practice on elder law and estate planning, has moved to 880 Greenlea Blvd., Suite B, Gallatin 37066 in the Greensboro Village Business Center. The firm can be reached at 615-989-7054 or info@planyourlegacy.com.

Twenty-seven attorneys general, including Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti, signed onto a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief filed March 18 by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. The Nashville Banner reports in its newsletter that the brief calls for the reversal of U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg’s decision that deportation of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador is unconstitutional. The attorneys general argue in the brief that allowing the temporary restraining order to stand undermines public safety and national security. Read more in a press release from the Georgia AG's office. In imposing the temporary ban on March 15, Boasberg raised concerns over due process and reports of possible misidentification. The Trump administration today acknowledged that a Maryland man was wrongly deported to El Salvador due to an "administrative error," despite his protected status, The Hill reports. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit kept the ban in place last week. On Friday, the administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the case according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. federal judiciary has launched the Judicial Security and Independence Task Force focused on ensuring the continued security and independence of the court. According to Reuters, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Judge Robert Conrad stated in a memo that the task force would be chaired by Baltimore-based U.S. District Judge James Bredar and would "identify, analyze and propose responses to ensure the continued security and independence of courts and judges ... Through its efforts, it is hoped that the security of individual judges will be enhanced and that judicial independence will be assured," Conrad wrote. The announcement comes after U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts last week issued a rare statement rebuking calls for impeaching judges. In his 2024 year-end report, Roberts reiterated concerns about judges’ safety and condemned elected officials who intimidate judges or defy court rulings. 

Mt. Juliet attorney Bethel Dean Robinson died Feb. 12 at age 84. He graduated from Belmont University with a degree in history and spent several years teaching there and at Panola Junior College (now Panola College) in Carthage, Texas. Robinson earned his law degree from Memphis State University College of Law (now University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law) in 1974. He began his practice as a general attorney, eventually focusing on property law. A highlight of his legal career was winning a federal civil rights suit for his client, who claimed she was wrongfully discharged in 1975 based on sex discrimination. Plans for a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

The TBA Litigation Section will continue its "Perspectives from the Bench" series with Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Sarah Campbell and Mary Wagner at the offices of Miller Martin in Chattanooga on June 5. Moderated by attorneys Mary Taylor Gallagher and Zac Greene, the panel will discuss each justice's path to the bench, the importance of mentors, the manner in which the justices interact, the importance of the Rule of Law in our society and more. Join your colleagues for a reception following the event. Get more information and register here.

A news item in yesterday's TBA Today characterized the immigrant children affected by the cancellation of a legal services contract through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as being confined to the Memphis area. While the three agencies mentioned in the item are based in Memphis, they serve immigrant children located across the state.