The Holistic Legal Incubator of The Justice Initiative in Knoxville is a program that teaches new lawyers and social workers a holistic, client-centered, interdisciplinary representation model. The incubator is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 class. The program will begin in late August/early September. Learn more online or for questions contact Greyson Dulaney.

Franklin Republican Robby Starbuck Newsom (who goes by Robby Starbuck) plans to enter the race for Nashville's congressional district so long as his home or farm end up in a possibly-redrawn 5th District, the Tennessean reports. Starbuck, 32, is a California transplant who moved with his family to Williamson County two years ago. A former director and producer of music videos and commercials, he currently is an investor in real estate and the stock market. Starbuck says his Cuban heritage and plans to campaign in areas of Nashville previously neglected by Republicans will provide in-roads with Latino residents and other minorities in the district. If eligible to run, he would face Quincy McKnight in the Republican primary. The 5th District seat has been held by Rep. Jim Cooper since 2002. Cooper is also facing a primary challenge from Odessa Kelly.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed on Monday following our week-long Annual Convention. The TBA staff continues to work remotely and you can find contact information for each of them on the TBA.org website. Full listings of continuing legal education courses are also available online and can be taken at any time.

Knoxville attorney Tasha C. Blakney will take office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) tomorrow during the group’s annual convention in Memphis. A partner at Eldridge & Blakney PC in Knoxville, she earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and has more than 20 years of experience in the legal profession. She has also been an active member of the TBA, serving in a variety of positions with the association, including second district governor for the TBA’s Board of Governors, co-chair of the Public Education Committee, member of the TBA’s House of Delegates and executive committee member of the Environmental Law Section. Blakney will assume the presidency of the TBA in 2022.

The fourth day of the TBA’s Annual Convention started with the Bench/Bar Program, produced by the Administrative Office of the Courts, which featured panels on how lawyers can protect their mental health when working with troubled clients, how neurodiverse people process information in different ways and often need accommodation from the legal system, and how bias affects the sentencing phase of criminal trials. The Bench/Bar Luncheon followed with remarks from Brandon Gibson, chief operating officer of the state, and Lang Wiseman, deputy and chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee. They talked about how the state responded to the COVID-19 crisis and how the pandemic impacted the legislative process. The afternoon’s activities included the Better Right Now program, which focused on the harmful effects of stereotyping, discrimination, marginalization and microaggressions. The first panel focused on what bias is and how lawyers can help clients and colleagues who have experienced it. The second panel shared personal stories about their own experiences and how they responded to past offenses, including what they did to protect their mental health. The day wrapped up with a panel exploring how bar associations in the state are working to improve diversity in the profession and address racial and social injustice.

Nashville lawyer and Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison member Cornell Kennedy will lead the firm’s new healthcare services group focused on dentists, optometrists and veterinarians. Kennedy said the new group will focus on helping clients with issues related to operating as a small business owner and health care provider. At the firm, Kennedy practices in the areas of general corporate law and health care. For corporate clients, he handles business formation and dissolution, acquisitions, employment matters and covenants not-to-compete. For health care clients he also handles transactional matters, including practice start-ups, practice acquisitions and equity buy-ins. Read more in a press release from the firm.

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld ObamaCare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, against the latest Republican challenge, The Hill reports. The justices ruled 7-2 that Republican states challenging the law lacked standing to sue. Led by Texas, the states bringing the suit focused on the law’s tax penalty designed to induce the purchase of health insurance by most Americans. They argued that former President Trump’s 2017 tax cut, which zeroed out the penalty, made that provision unconstitutional. It was the third major challenge to the law to be rebuffed by the court in roughly a decade.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar for new business owners on June 29 at 9 a.m. CDT. Participants will learn which state taxes apply to their businesses and how to get started properly. The session is part of an ongoing effort by the department to educate Tennesseans about tax issues. Upcoming webinars and an archive of past webinars also are available on the department's website.

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have passed, and President Biden has signed legislation to recognize July 19 as a federal holiday, Reuters reports. The first celebration will take place this Saturday but federal workers will get the day off tomorrow. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Among Tennessee’s delegation, only Rep. Scott Desjarlais, R-Murfreesboro, voted against the measure according to Fox 17.

In related news, Baker Donelson announced this week that it will designate Juneteenth as a permanent firm holiday and will encourage workers to use the day as a time of service, education and engagement. The firm will observe the commemoration tomorrow. Frost Brown Todd says it will mark the day by making a $10,000 donation to ParentPreneur Foundation to fund 10 grants for Black parent entrepreneurs.

Republican members of the House Government Operations Committee yesterday grilled Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, accusing her department of targeting minors for mass vaccinations without parental consent. The main point of contention centered on how the state is using the “Mature Minor Doctrine,” which holds that youth age 14 to 18 have the ability to make their own health care decisions. Piercey assured the members that, “Under no circumstance is the department encouraging children to seek out vaccination without parental consent.” The committee ultimately ordered Piercey to soften the state’s efforts to vaccinate children, mainly by bringing parents into the fold, and report back in July, Tennessee Lookout reports.