Davidson County lawyer Tyree Bryson Harris IV was suspended from the practice of law today for one year. The Tennessee Supreme Court found that Harris violated Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(c) by engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. The court determined that while testifying under oath in a juvenile court proceeding for modification of his child support obligation, Harris concealed his current level of income, which was detrimental to his minor child and her mother. Read a release from the court on the case.

Yesterday, Gov. Bill Lee announced that Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey will depart government service on May 31 to enter the private sector. Lee said he would name a successor in the coming weeks. Piercey joined the administration in January 2019. As commissioner, she served as a member of the Governor’s Unified Command Group during the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheaded efforts to innovate public health operations across the state and bolstered the healthcare workforce pipeline. “Lisa led our state’s health response through one of the most challenging crises Tennessee has faced, and I commend her faithful service to Tennesseans,” Lee said in a statement.

Legislation that would subject U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges to tougher disclosure requirements for their financial holdings and stock trades passed the House of Representatives this week, Reuters reports. The bill won Senate passage in February and now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. The legislation, which won bipartisan support, was introduced last fall after the Wall Street Journal reported that more than 130 federal judges had failed to recuse themselves from cases involving companies in which they or their family members owned stock. Yahoo News has the story.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently urged a Senate committee to confirm chief prosecutor nominees and give law enforcement additional resources amid fears of rising violent crime, Bloomberg Law reports. Garland said the delay in getting U.S. attorney nominees confirmed is having “a negative effect on our ability to fight violent crime, cyber crime, all of the responsibilities that the United States attorneys and the marshals have.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, has placed a hold on all Justice Department nominees citing concerns about the department’s handling of Black Lives Matter litigation. Garland also urged senators to approve the administration’s request for an 8.2% boost in spending on law enforcement and $8.2 billion in grants to support state and local policing. Read his full statement.

Judge Bernice Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will serve as the featured speaker for the University of Tennessee College of Law’s May 2022 commencement ceremonies, the school recently announced. The ceremony will take place May 21 at 12:30 p.m. EDT in Thompson Boling Arena. Donald was confirmed to the court in 2011 and has announced her intention to take senior status once a successor is confirmed. She previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the district. She was the first Black female judge to serve on each of those courts.

The University of Memphis School of Law’s Public Action Law Society (PALS) recently hosted the 13th Annual Alternative Spring Break Program. This year, 63 law students participated, working across six specially-designed “tracks” of legal focus: eviction, expungement, fair housing, immigration, name change, and wills and estates. Others participated in the Street Law program, presenting legal topics to high school students, while others observed the work of the Shelby County Mental Health Court and Shelby County Veterans Court. Taken together, the students contributed nearly 2,150 training and project hours and helped hundreds of individuals. Read reports from each track and see photos from the week.

The 112th Tennessee General Assembly came to a close Thursday afternoon, capping a two-year term that saw lawmakers convene five different times to address education, COVID-19 and major tax incentives for Ford Motor Co. Breaking with tradition, Gov. Bill Lee was not on hand at the Capitol to mark the end of session after his office added two out-of-town appearances to his schedule for the day, the Tennessean reports. The paper looks back at the major legislative initiatives considered and the stories that dominated the session.

A public investiture for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah K. Campbell will take place June 3 at 3 p.m. CDT. A reception will follow. Tennessee attorneys are invited to attend and RSVP online. The event will be held at Belmont University Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, 2020 Belmont Blvd., Nashville 37212. Complimentary parking is available at the South Garage at 1521 Compton Ave. Justice Campbell was confirmed to the court by the General Assembly on Feb. 10 and took the oath shortly thereafter. She was nominated by Gov. Bill Lee on Jan. 12 after being recommended by the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments.

Well-Being Week in Law is recognized each year during the first full week of May as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. The initiative, sponsored by the Institute for Well-Being in Law, is designed to engage the legal profession in practical activities that reflect a holistic approach to well-being. Watch for daily coverage next week on this year's themes: staying strong for physical well-being, aligning life and work to values for spiritual well-being, engaging and growing through continued learning for intellectual well-being, connecting with others for social well-being, and understanding emotions for emotional well-being.

The TBA is hosting its Spring CLE Blast during the whole month of May! Whether you are catching up on CLE or starting to meet your 2022 requirements, our packages are designed with your convenience in mind. Choose from two CLE packages that you can watch on-demand from the comfort of your own home or office. Package 1 offers eight dual hours of credit while Package 2 offers seven hours. Earn 15 hours of CLE when you purchase both! Need to customize your learning? Visit cle.tba.org to access more than 250 on-demand programs. Whether you need one hour of CLE or 15, we have a curated list of options by hour, topic and practice area. And don't forget that all of your 2022 CLE can be taken through approved distance learning courses.