An amendment to HB1072/SB915 that was set for discussion by the Senate today has been pushed to May 3. The legislation from Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, would ban local governments from filing lawsuits to challenge the constitutionality of state laws. It would also allow the state to file an interlocutory appeal in any case in which the constitutionality of a statute is challenged and stay any injunction issued by the court pending the final outcome of the appeal. TBA has been expressing concern to bill sponsors and committee members.

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office has created a Cold Case Unit (CCU), the Chattanoogan reports. District Attorney Chris Arnt said the unit will work "with local and state law enforcement agencies to review evidence and bring a fresh perspective to unsolved murders and sexual assaults in the circuit." The CCU will leverage scientific and technological advancements as well as assistance from the public to move these cold cases forward. The team will be led by Assistant District Attorney Clay Fuller. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime can contact lmjcda@pacga.org.

The Lawyers’ Association for Women – Marion Griffith Chapter has announced that 20th Judicial District Chancellor Anne C. Martin is this year’s recipient of the Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Award. The award is given each year to “active LAW members who model personal and professional achievement in the practice of law.” Martin practiced with Dodson, Parker & Behm PC and later with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC before she was elected to the Chancery Court bench in 2018. Daughtrey was the first woman to become a judge on a court of record when she was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1975 and was also the first female justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. She is now a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The resolution to add Tennessee’s “right to work” law to the state Constitution today cleared the General Assembly and will now appear on the 2022 ballot, the Associated Press reports. The resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, says the constitutional amendment is needed because it will make it harder to repeal or weaken the “right to work” law. Opponents counter that the measure discourages workers from joining unions, while others argue that right-to-work states have more workplace fatalities and lower wages. To amend the state Constitution, changes must pass by a majority in both chambers during one two-year General Assembly, and then pass by at least two-thirds of the vote in the next. The amendment would then go before the voters in the year of the next gubernatorial election.

The Nashville Bar Association will host its spring memorial service virtually on May 27 at 11 a.m. CDT via Zoom. A project of the NBA’s Historical Committee, the memorial service honors the memory of those Nashville lawyers and judges who have recently passed away. Attendees must RSVP in order to receive a link to view the service. See the NBA’s extensive collection of memorial resolutions.

Colorado lawyer Katrina M. Jones recently filed a petition for reinstatement. On Jan. 7, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility notified Jones that she had not paid reinstatement fees or the professional privilege tax. The CLE Commission also notified her that she was not compliant with CLE requirements for 2018, 2019 and 2020. The board sent a second letter advising that if she did not respond by April 15, the petition would be dismissed. Jones did not respond so the Tennessee Supreme Court dismissed her petition on April 19.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville have partnered together to present monthly Black-Owned Small Business and Nonprofit Legal Clinics. The clinics, held on the third Thursday of each month throughout 2021, are by appointment only and help provide accessible and affordable business-oriented legal services. Among other services, attorneys will provide corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance navigating local ordinances and state regulations. The next clinic will be held on May 20. Appointments can be made online.

A new episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates Podcast is now streaming. In today’s episode, TBA Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley of Adams and Reese discuss SB868/HB1130 that would create a statewide chancery court, successful efforts to help kill SB282/HB1386 that would have capped attorney’s fees in lawsuits brought by county officials and TBA-sponsored SB881/HB1190 concerning a conveyance to a trust, which has just passed the state House and Senate. Finally, they also discuss news regarding the professional privilege tax. Instead of reducing the tax gradually over the next four years, Senate and House leaders have instead opted to lay out a plan to completely eliminate the tax next year. Tune in to find out more on the TBA’s Facebook page, website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 19 attorneys today for failure to pay the annual registration fee and/or file proof that client funds are being held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order or the IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended for fee and IOLTA violations in 2021 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners today released results from the February 2021 bar exam. Congratulations to all who passed! See the list of all those who were successful.