The Shelby County Commission has approved 10 executive reappointments by Mayor Lee Harris as he begins his second four-year term, the Daily Memphian reports. Shelby County Chief Public Defender Phyllis Aluko, Divorce Referee Cary Woods and County Attorney Marlinee Iverson were among the reappointments. Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. cast the only vote against Iverson’s reappointment, saying the county attorney’s office has been “political” during Iverson’s tenure. Harris praised Iverson for managing “dozens of lawyers and hundreds of lawsuits.”

A yearslong NCAA infractions investigation into the University of Memphis basketball program came to an end today after an Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) ruling found the university committed four Level II and five Level III violations. The men’s basketball program faces three years of probation, $5,000 in fines and must vacate two wins in which former star player James Wiseman participated. The investigation stemmed from inducements Wiseman’s family received before he enrolled at Memphis and for NCAA allegations that he played in three games while ineligible. The ordeal prompted Wiseman to file for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in 2019. He later dropped the suit and withdrew from Memphis to prepare for the NBA draft. He currently plays for the Golden State Warriors. The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.   

National law firm Polsinelli has announced plans to leave its office in downtown Nashville’s Truist Plaza and move to the Fifth + Broadway development located at 501 Commerce, the Nashville Post reports. Polsinelli office managing partner John Peterson said in a release that the move would give the firm “the event space and amenities crucial to offering our clients and our attorneys the best-in-class experience the have come to expect from Polsinelli.” The firm will lease 37,429 square feet of space at the downtown mixed-use development. Polsinelli opened a Nashville office in 2015 and currently lists 29 Nashville-based attorneys on its website.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti yesterday announced he would join 18 states in opposing the federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022. In a letter to Senate leadership, the attorneys general say the Act will “allow the restriction of the electric grid by abrogating states’ traditional authority to set their own resource and utility policies, and upset the careful balance of states and federal authority that has been a cornerstone of the Federal Power Act (FPA) for nearly a century.” Skrmetti also expressed concern that the bill would threaten “Tennessee’s continued access to affordable, reliable, resilient power.” Read more from the AG’s Office.

Adams and Reese has launched a new practice group focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Serving Institutes (MSI), the Tennessee Ledger reports. For more than 40 years, the firm has advised more than 100 schools, colleges and universities throughout the nation, including HBCUs and MSIs, on a range of legal issues. In addition to that ongoing representation, the HBCU team will leverage the firm’s government relations practice to assist schools with governmental programs and funding, including COVID relief funds, to bolster infrastructure, capital needs and programming.

Hinton & Company recently launched its Community Culture Index, a data-driven assessment tool meant to measure a region’s commitment to inclusiveness. The firm is launching the tool in partnership with the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, the Hamilton County Herald reports. “We’re going to answer the question, ‘Have organizations in the Chattanooga region made strides the past two years?’” says attorney and company founder Wade Hinton. The index consists of an anonymous survey that asks organizations where they are with respect to inclusive practices such as recruiting, hiring and strategy. Hinton will use the responses to generate a detailed community report showing how various industry sectors and businesses rank against one another.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s office asked a Nashville court last week to throw out Shelby and Davidson counties’ challenge to the private school voucher law, the Daily Memphian reports. State lawyers argued before the Davidson County Chancery Court on Sept. 19 and in a Sept. 21 court filing that the counties do not have legal standing to challenge the Education Savings Account law because they cannot prove the law would harm the school systems or violate students’ right to a free public education. “No fundamental right is implicated by the ESA Pilot Program,” said newly installed Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton recently spoke to the graduates of the 16th Judicial District Recovery Court for Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The six graduates also heard from Circuit Court Judge Jimmy Turner, Recovery Court Director LaChelle Ricks and Tennessee Department of Corrections Commissioner Lisa Helton. During his remarks, Sexton reminded the group that everyone has things they struggle with, and although they will carry their addiction for the rest of their lives, they now have an opportunity to go out and help others. Judge Turner said the graduates “have worked hard to turn their lives around, and the community is better for it.” Read more about the event in a release from the court.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace, retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer warned his former colleagues against “writing too rigidly” in their opinions, saying that such decisions could “bite you in the back” in a world that is constantly changing. In a wide-ranging interview, Breyer also bemoaned his position in the court’s minority liberal bloc during his final year on the bench, addressed the court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and condemned the leak of the court’s draft abortion opinion. CNN has a wrap up of the interview.

TBA President Tasha Blakney joined the Young Lawyers Division Board for its Fall Meeting this past weekend in Orlando. Blakney spoke about her initiatives and TBA’s legislative priorities for the year and took questions from the group. She also joined board members for a networking event at Epcot. The TBA YLD Board held its Fall Meeting in conjunction with a Southeastern States Young Lawyers Regional Summit. See photos from the Fall Meeting and, in case you missed it, see photos from the Summit.