The TBA Access to Justice Committee is accepting nominations for the 2024 Public Service Awards. The annual awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent, pro bono work performed by a private or corporate attorney, and a strong commitment to pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations are due by March 29 and awards will be presented during the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis in June. For more information, contact TBA Director of Access to Justice Liz Todaro.

Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed the ELVIS Act at iconic Nashville country music venue Robert's Western World. The Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act is designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). The Associated Press reports that the new law, which takes effect July 1, makes Tennessee, long known as the birthplace of country music and the launchpad for musical legends, the first state in the U.S. to enact such measures. Supporters say the goal is to ensure that AI tools cannot replicate an artist’s voice without their consent.

A nine-page report from Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower’s Local Government Audit Unit, released Thursday, says the Shelby County Clerk’s office has been using different software to record parts of the same transactions and for years has not reconciled conflicting dollar amounts in financial statements. In a press release announcing the findings, the comptroller’s office says that the clerk's office "is not utilizing the software to its full capabilities." The Daily Memphian reports that the clerk’s office also "lacks an understanding of its software system." Auditors also noted issues with reconciliations not being performed, a signature stamp being used on checks, employees deleting their own transactions without authorization, and a failure to properly track how much money the county is owed after bad checks are written by customers. Shelby County Trustee Regina Newman told the news outlet that the county government may hire an auditor to further reconcile the money it gets from County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s office, stating "that’s obviously a longer-term issue." According to the Commercial Appeal, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp, who was appointed to lead the investigation, told reporters Friday she learned things that give her "great concern" regarding Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert. "It makes sense that there are unhappy citizens and unhappy commissioners and unhappy elected officials, that makes sense to us at this point. There certainly are failures that must be fixed at some point whether that's through removal of office or not, we will make those decisions," Wamp said.

TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is back with attorney and TBA lobbyist Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists, Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin. They recap TBA's Day on the Hill, discuss HB2644/SB2633 (adoption clean-up bill), HB2002/SB2517 (Memphis judge bill) and funding for indigent representation. TBA President Jim Barry and Bedford County attorney Garrett Haynes testified before the House Civil Justice Committee during Day on the Hill. You can view their testimony at this link by clicking the Tennessee Bar Association tab. Legislative Updates airs each week on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

With the Tennessee Supreme Court’s recent decision to abolish a common law rule that required testimony of a criminal defendant’s accomplice to be supported by other evidence, the Tennessean looks at how this change could impact trials in the state. The piece quotes a number of criminal defense attorneys, as well as Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk, who says the change “has the potential to impact a large number of cases.” Read more reactions in the article.

After approving a fifth judicial commissioner position at its last meeting, the Hamilton County Commission yesterday named Rachel Ortwein to the post. Ortwein, who previously was an assistant district attorney, had been serving as an "on call" judicial commissioner. She was the only applicant for the position, Chattanoogan.com reports. She will join Chief Lori Miller, Ron Powers, Charles Paty and Blake Murchison. Judicial commissioners, also known as magistrates, set bonds and handle warrants.

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has named Adam Hiller the co-managing partner of its Nashville office. He joins Heather Gwinn in this shared leadership role. Hiller, a litigator with experience in federal and state courts, represents a broad array of clients in the construction sector, including architects, engineers, general contractors and construction managers, commercial property owners and developers, subcontractors and environmental consultants. He joined the Nashville office in September 2019 from the firm’s New York City office. Read more in a release from the firm.

The La Vergne city council has approved a settlement agreement with former officer Maegan Hall, who filed a federal lawsuit against the city accusing her supervisors of grooming her, WKRN reports. Hall filed suit in February 2023 against the city, two former sergeants and the former chief of police. She and four other officers were fired in January 2023 for allegedly having sex while on duty, sending nude photos of each other, not disclosing their relationships and lying during an internal investigation. Former Chief Chip Davis was fired a month later after a third-party investigation found he was aware of the sex scandal but failed to report it, and may even have encouraged the behavior. Hall will be compensated $500,000 for “civil rights claims based on personal physical injuries.”

The Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council has announced its first round of community grant recipients with $81 million set to be distributed throughout the state, the Nashville Post reports. Treatment programs received the highest subset of money: $32.8 million. The next highest was recovery support at $19 million. The remaining categories were primary prevention at $12.2 million, around $8 million each for education and training and harm reduction, and $752,508 for research and evaluation. Out of 396 proposals, the council approved 116 grants.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., has approved a $125 million settlement resolving claims that the federal judiciary overcharged users of its PACER electronic court records system for downloading documents. He also awarded plaintiffs' lawyers nearly $25 million in fees and expenses, Reuters reports. The judge granted final approval to a class action settlement that its backers say will reimburse the "vast majority" of PACER users in full for excessive fees charged over eight years. The U.S. government agreed to settle the case in October 2023.