Nashville lawyer Ed Lanquist Jr. was sworn in today as the 144th president of the Tennessee Bar Association. The oath of office was administered by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby during the TBA’s Annual Lawyers Lunch. Lanquist is a shareholder in the Nashville office of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz and has practiced intellectual property law for more than 30 years. During remarks following the swearing in, Lanquist pledged a renewed emphasis on serving members of the association during the coming bar year and an increased focus on educating lawyers about legislative issues important to the legal profession — including elimination of the professional privilege tax and increased funding for indigent representation. He also announced two exciting CLE programs: an Urban Bourbon trip to Louisville, Kentucky, and a return to Cuba in February 2025. Registration for that program is now open. Watch his remarks, as well as the full footage of the Lawyers Lunch, on the TBA's Facebook page. See photos from the lunch.

The Tennessee sheriff who was indicted and arrested on more than a dozen official misconduct charges in Gibson County is now facing charges in Davidson County, Action News 5 reports. Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas yesterday was indicted on 18 criminal counts and booked into Nashville’s detention center. The actions were taken in both counties after an investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office identified a scheme by Thomas to “enrich himself and a group of investigators by profiting from the labor and care of Gibson County and Tennessee Department of Correction inmates.”

The Nashville office of the national law firm Morgan & Morgan is slated to move from its Broadway office to mixed-use tower One Nashville by year's end. A permit notes that the law firm will take approximately 19,500 square feet of space on both the first and third floors of the building, previously called One Nashville Place, at 150 Fourth Ave. N. The firm currently operates from about 20,000 square feet at the 810 Broadway building near the I-40 interchange, Nashville Post reports.

Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey wants to withdraw his guilty plea in a federal fraud case, and made the case for being allowed to do so before a panel of judges on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Kelsey previously received a 21-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations. During the hearing, the judges noted that Kelsey could face more prison time if found guilty again. They also heard arguments from Kelsey’s lawyers that the prosecutor’s response to a question from the trial judge “blew up” the plea agreement. Prosecutors argued they provided a “proportionate” response to a question about whether a sentencing enhancement was appropriate in the case. A federal district court judge previously ruled that Kelsey could not change his plea. Tennessee Journal reports on the hearing.

Members of the Tennessee legal community met for the second day of the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis today. The morning began with a Public Service Awards Breakfast featuring the presentation of the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year to Memphis-based Assistant Federal Public Defender Tyrone Paylor, the Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award to Memphis attorney John Golwen, and the Law Student Volunteer of the Year Award to University of Tennessee College of Law student Kim Riddett. Lawyers then heard from two panels exploring the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the practice of law.

At the annual Bench Bar Luncheon, J. Daniel Breen, a senior judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, received the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award, while Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby received the Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. Kirby was recognized for her efforts spearheading an increase in the hourly rate of reimbursement for appointed cases, which the state legislature approved this spring. In her acceptance remarks, Kirby thanked the many judges and lawyers who contacted leaders about these “shockingly low rates,” and pledged to continue working on this “righteous cause” in the future. Following the awards, Memphis lawyer Charles Newman gave the keynote address in which he recounted his experience representing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, and thanked his law firm Burch Porter & Johnson for allowing him to work on cases throughout his career that did not add to the bottom line. He challenged those in the room not to allow the pressure of making the practice of law more profitable to squeeze out important values. See pictures from the programs.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has notified Gov. Bill Lee that only two candidates have applied for a chancellor vacancy in the 19th Judicial District, which includes Montgomery and Robertson counties. Under state law, if the commission is unable to provide the governor with the names of three persons qualified to fill the vacancy, then the governor may fill the vacancy with any person who is qualified to serve. The commission reports that it did send the two applications it received to the governor. Read the letter and more about the applicants, Christina M. Bartee and Tracy P. Knight, on the Administrative Office of the Court's website.

Tennessee election officials are asking the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to postpone changes to how people with felony convictions can register to vote until after this year’s elections, Tennessee Lookout reports. Officials argue there is not enough time to make the changes a federal court judge has ordered them to make. That order came in case challenging the state’s requirements for people with felony convictions who want to regain the right to vote after they have been released from prison. U.S. District Judge William Campbell ruled in May that the state violated federal voting law when requiring a group of formerly incarcerated felons convicted before 1981 to prove they were entitled to register to vote, even though the group never lost the right to vote. He also ordered the state to develop new policies and procedures for processing felony voter registrations and train election workers how to follow it.

The Nashville NAACP has written an open letter to Mayor Freddie O’Connell, demanding a meeting to discuss the city's current situation involving the Nashville Community Review Board, a civilian police watchdog agency. The NAACP and National Action Network (NAN) said it released the letter after learning of a complaint filed by retired Lt. Garet Davidson, in which he alleged that high-ranking Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers helped lobby legislators behind closed doors to get a state bill passed to reduce the power of civilian oversight boards. He also alleged that officer discipline measures were not carried out, preferential treatment was shown towards higher ranking officers, and a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy was not followed. WZTV has the news.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Dumitru on Tuesday ruled that Demetrus Coonrod, a Chattanooga City Council member representing District 9, lives within her district and can continue to represent it. Chattanoogan.com reports that a residency challenge was made after Coonrod purchased a house in Harrison, but she testified that she lives primarily in District 9. The judge directed the city to reimburse Coonrod's legal bills.

Nashville Chancellor I'Ashea Myles has ordered a conservative media organization to appear in court on June 17 over its publishing of information taken from allegedly leaked documents related to the 2023 shooting at The Covenant School. The outlet, Star News Digital Media — which also is suing for the records to be released to the public — is being asked to explain why its recent reporting does not violate court orders placing certain documents and information under seal. The Tennessee Star, a Star News publication, recently published information about the case, but said it did not violate any order as it did not publish any of the actual leaked images or documents, only some of the information contained within them. Tennessee Ledger has the story.