A portrait of attorney, civil rights advocate and former Shelby County commissioner Walter L. Bailey Jr. recently was unveiled at an event at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. The portrait, by internationally acclaimed artist Carl F. Hess, will be installed in the Walter L. Bailey Jr. Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar, the Tri-State Defender reports. That facility was named after Bailey in 2018. Bailey was a young attorney who challenged the racial and economic inequities in Memphis and Shelby County more than 50 years ago. He gained national prominence when he took on the case desegregating Shelby County Public Schools, and handled the legal defense of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Pat Summitt Foundation. The funding will be used to address the needs of East Tennesseans suffering from Alzheimer’s and help caregivers establish power of attorney or conservatorships. “The Legal Care Project is a vital new resource for caregivers to ensure their ability to care for their loved ones who are suffering from a debilitating disease,” said LAET Executive Director Debra House. Read more about the grant in this release from the organization.

East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (ETLAW) recently held its annual toiletry drive benefiting the Knoxville YWCA’s housing program, which provides holistic support and education for 54 women. ETLAW Outreach Chair and LMU Law Professor Bianca White reports that 185 toiletry kits were prepared. The group also recently honored Knoxville attorney and Bernstein, Stair & McAdams partner Heather Anderson with its 2022 Spirit of Justice Award. The award celebrates an ETLAW member who provides support for women lawyers and the advancement of women in the community. See photos from the events.

A federal judge in Texas yesterday ruled that the Biden administration wrongly ended a Trump-era policy that makes asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, the Associated Press reports. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June that Biden could end the policy but asked the lower court to determine whether the action was “arbitrary and capricious.” The judge said it was because the administration did not consider the benefits of the policy or the impact of unmeritorious asylum claims. The “Remain in Mexico” policy kept some 70,000 asylum-seekers out of the United States until President Joe Biden suspended it on his first day in office. The ruling comes as border agents and policymakers prepare for the end of another Trump-era immigration policy: the use of public-health rule Title 42 to limit asylum. That policy is set to expire on Dec. 21, NPR reports.

Charges have been dropped against four Chattanooga activists who blocked a road and burned a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office flag during protests against police brutality in 2020. Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson dismissed the charges yesterday after activists agreed to pay restitution for the flag, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. All four activists were charged with misdemeanors while two were also charged with vandalism and reckless burning.

Cherokee High School students in Rogersville observed a session of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Dec. 6 as part of the “Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students” (SCALES) program. Students witnessed a real case being presented to the court and got a firsthand look at the justice system in action, The Rogersville Review reports. After the hearing, students were served lunch and given an opportunity to ask questions of the lawyers who participated in the case. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah K. Campbell, a Cherokee High School graduate, also took time to speak with the students. See a photo from the day.

Department of Children's Services Commissioner Margie Quin appeared before a legislative committee yesterday to explain how her department plans to fix widespread problems at the agency, the Tennessean reports. The department's plans include raising staff pay, capping caseloads, temporarily privatizing some case management and studying counterparts in New Jersey. Quin, who became commissioner on Sept. 1, asked for a $156 million budget increase this coming fiscal year, which would include $15 million for pay increases. The hearing comes one day after the state Comptroller released a scathing audit that found an array of issues within the agency, including staggering turnover rates, high caseloads and failure to adequately investigate dozens of reports of sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

Judge Bernice Donald is set to join Resolute Systems next month when she retires from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Daily Memphian reports. Milwaukee-based Resolute is one of the largest alternative dispute resolution firms in the nation. Donald will be a full-time mediator, arbitrator, discovery referee and special master, working with clients in high-profile national and international litigation. “I have a passion for the law,” Donald said. “Being able to assist attorneys and their clients with the resolution of complex civil matters is extremely rewarding.”

A man sentenced to 162 years in prison for theft and forgery will soon be released after a judge cut back his sentence to 15 years, the Associated Press reports. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan asked the district attorney’s office to investigate the sentence of Courtney Anderson, who was given the long prison term in 2000 after having been found to be a repeat offender. The DA found legal ground for reopening the case and Skahan cut Anderson’s sentence down to 15 years on Tuesday. “This was clearly an excessive sentence, the kind of overreaction that sows distrust in our system and doesn’t make us safer,” Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said in a statement.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti yesterday released a statement saying his office would continue to gather evidence and investigate complaints regarding issues with Ticketmaster’s presale of Taylor Swift tickets. The statement was released after Ticketmaster announced it would be giving some Swift fans a second chance at purchasing tickets. Skrmetti called the effort a “short-term solution for a long-term problem,” adding his Consumer Protection team was still investigating the incident. “We are working hard to deliver lasting change and a fair ticket-buying experience for all consumers,” Skrmetti said in the statement. Read more from the AG’s office.