The Mid-South Commercial Law Institute has elected five new directors to serve five-year terms: Justin Campbell of Thompson Burton PLLC, Michael W. Ewell of Frantz, McConnell & Seymour LLP, Laura F. Ketcham of Miller & Martin PLLC, Elizabeth Parrott of McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC and Gray Waldron of Dunham Hildebrand PLLC. Officers are President James E. Bailey III of Butler Snow LLP, Vice President/President-elect Paul G. Jennings of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Secretary Cynthia N. Podis of Podis & Podis, Treasurer Stephen D. Barham of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC and Immediate Past President Shanna Fuller Veach, Career Law Clerk to Hon. Suzanne H. Bauknight.

The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) says that it is struggling to find a solution to avoid having abused and neglected children sleep in state offices overnight. Some of the temporary faith-based shelters and community groups that volunteered to provide short-term housing have closed or pulled back on their availability leaving caseworkers with few options for overnight housing. The Tennessee Lookout reports that there are currently 27 shelters across Tennessee's 95 counties, down from 29 in April, to temporarily house kids coming into DCS custody.

In a special called meeting Thursday, Nashville real estate developer Jimmy Granbery was elected chair of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. The Nashville Business Journal reports that after the meeting, Airport Authority CEO Doug Kreulen issued a public letter justifying why a new board was installed; Metro Law Director Wally Dietz also circulated a letter stating that Granbery and board member Bobby Joslin (elected as vice chair) now have "an irreconcilable conflict of interest" because they also had seats on the pre-exisiting airport board. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated it will not recognize a new board until the lawsuit surrounding the airport authority takeover is resolved.

Thomson Reuters will purchase the San Francisco-based Casetext for $650 million as part of its long-term investment in generative artificial intelligence. The ABA Journal reports that the legal tech startup was founded in 2013 and has about 100 employees. Casetext launched the legal AI assistant CoCounsel in March. The product, developed in a partnership with OpenAI and trained on the latest version of its GPT large language model, uses a chatbot interface to aid in legal research, document review and contract analysis.

Memphis Law School has released two new "Show Cause" podcasts. Act Like an Adult — A Drag Show Dilemma takes a look at Tennessee's Adult Entertainment Act and the recent federal district court ruling that found it unconstitutional. Memphis Law professor Regina Hillman joins the show to discuss a wide array of LGBTQ related topics. In the Legislative Weeds with Cannabis features Stephen Galoob, a professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, on how states are regulating the marijuana market and how the landscape is changing across the country, at both the state and federal levels.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced Thursday that his office would seek the death penalty in the criminal case against Cleotha Abston-Henderson, the man charged with the abduction and killing of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher, who was kidnapped while running near the University of Memphis in early September. According to the Commercial Appeal, Mulroy's office also requested investigative findings from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which include a ballistics report, a firearm investigation, serology and DNA testing.

A new law, which took effect July 1 and was sponsored by Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, seeks to expand access to doula services for pregnant, low-income Tennesseans. The Daily Memphian reports that the bill creates a doula services advisory committee within TennCare. The five-member committee will advise the Tennessee Department of Health on standards for the profession and recommend reimbursement rates for TennCare coverage of doula services. It will also include the state’s commissioner of health or a designee with experience in maternal health or Medicaid policy, the director of TennCare or a designee, and three doulas, two of whom must be community-based and have experience serving Medicaid recipients in areas of the state with high maternal- and infant-mortality rates. “This is an important policy goal because Tennessee women are dying due to preventable, pregnancy-related complications at a rate 10 times higher than women in other wealthy nations,” Lamar said.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is currently accepting applications for two state court judicial positions: Circuit Court judge in the 16th Judicial District, which covers Rutherford and Cannon Counties, and Circuit Court judge in the 21st Judicial District, which covers Williamson County. A public hearing to consider applicants for Circuit Court judge in the 16th Judicial District will be held Aug. 30 in the Rutherford County Commission Meeting Room in the Historic Courthouse located at South Public Square, Murfreesboro 37130, at 9 a.m. CDT. A public hearing for applicants to the Circuit Court judge in the 21st District will held Aug. 31 in the Mayor and Aldermen Board Room in the Franklin City Hall located at 109 3rd Ave S., Franklin 37064, at 9 a.m. CDT. Click here for more information.

The Johnson County judge who resigned last month following accusations of inappropriate behavior says he will not seek reinstatement to the position, The Tomahawk reports. Former judge Perry Stout had initially said he hoped to return to the bench. Stout is accused of having sex with a county employee in the courthouse and socializing with people who had cases before him while failing to disclose those relationships. The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct (TBJC) reportedly sent a letter to the Johnson County Commission which revealed it is preparing to initiate formal charges against him. An executive assistant to the Johnson County Mayor said that after being provided a copy of the letter from the TBJC, Stout decided to withdraw his name from consideration. WJHL-TV has additional details on the story.

Zoe Jamail, a policy coordinator for Disability Rights Tennessee, said during a hearing Thursday that new rules proposed by the Department of Children's Services (DCS) to increase accountability could open the door to more privatized youth prisons in Tennessee, reports the Tennessean. In May, DCS proposed a new subcategory: hardware secure residential childcare agencies (HSRCCAs). The term refers to prison-like security conditions, the most restrictive setting the department can place a youth. Jamail said implementation of the rules could create the "potential for the unnecessary institutionalization of youth with disabilities in facilities that are effectively exempt from requirements that are vital to the safety of children."