The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee today launched "In Our Backyards: Money Bail in Rural Tennessee," a web resource and storytelling campaign designed to raise awareness of the impact of money bail by highlighting the stories of rural Tennesseans who have experienced the consequences of being caught in the criminal justice system because they cannot afford to make bail. The project features stories from individuals in McMinn, Warren and Obion counties. In conjunction with the interviews, the group also hosted virtual community forums in six counties to encourage discussion of local money bail practices and alternatives to pretrial detention. Read more about the effort. The project is being funded by the Vera Institute of Justice.

Former U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell, a longtime Nashville legal mind and adviser to a vice president, died Sunday at 64. The Tennessean reported that the cause of death was multiple system atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease Campbell battled for years. A 1982 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Campbell first joined the Nashville law firm of Gullett, Sanford, Robinson & Martin, where he focused on constitutional law and federal election law. Several years later, he became a legal adviser to U.S. Sen. Al Gore Jr.’s 1988 presidential campaign. Gore’s selection as then-President Bill Clinton’s running mate and the campaign’s electoral win took Campbell to Washington, D.C., where he served as counsel to the transition and then counsel and director of administration in the vice presidential office.

Campbell returned to Nashville and private practice in 1995, but Clinton soon appointed him to fill a district court seat after Judge Thomas A. Wiseman Jr. took senior status. Campbell served on the bench for 21 years, including seven years as chief judge. While on the court, he heard several high profile cases, including the murder trials of Abu-Ali Abdur'Rahman, Perry March and serial killer Paul Dennis Reid. Off the bench, he took a special interest in the Tennessee School for the Blind, visiting often to teach the students about the U.S. Constitution and judicial system. Campbell retired from the court in 2016, but went on to serve as an adjunct law professor at his alma mater, as well as the Nashville School of Law and Belmont University College of Law. He will be buried in a private ceremony tomorrow. A public event in his memory will be planned for a future date. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has more on Campbell's career.

Gov. Bill Lee is scheduled to present his annual budget amendment this week; a move that usually signals the legislative session is nearing its end, the Tennessee Journal reports. The updated spending plan comes at a time of uncertainty given the influx of federal COVID-19 relief funds and the prospect of even more money from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package. At a speech last week at the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, Lee hinted that a tax cut will be part of his budget amendment though the federal guidance specifies that COVID relief cannot be used to fund tax cuts. State Attorney General Herbert Slatery and his counterpart in Kentucky recently filed a lawsuit seeking to remove the strings attached to federal funds.

Lamar Alexander, who served three terms in the U.S. Senate and two as governor, was set to be honored by a joint convention of the General Assembly this afternoon, the Tennessee Journal reports. Alexander, a Maryville Republican who did not seek re-election last fall, also was in town to tour the new Tennessee State Library and Archives facility. The publication notes that Alexander’s first speech to a joint convention of the House and Senate occurred more than 42 years ago when he delivered his first budget address in February 1979.

Join your colleagues at the end of the month for a “crash course” on depositions and e-discovery. This year’s topics include deposition prep and strategy, the do's and don'ts of depositions and written discovery, and a panel discussion about e-discovery law and technology. The program, set for April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT, is being produced by Memphis lawyer Aurelia McBride with Glankler Brown.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has referred a vacancy in the 10th Judicial District Circuit Court to the governor to be filled after only two lawyers applied for consideration. The commission began seeking applicants on March 25. By the April 8 deadline, two candidates — David Mitchell Bryant and Michael Everett Jenne — had applied, leaving the commission unable to provide the governor with three names. Under the law, the governor can now fill the vacancy with any person who is qualified to serve. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Judge Lawrence H. Puckett on July 1. District 10 covers Bradley, Polk, McMinn, and Monroe counties.

In a ruling this week, Sullivan County Chancellor E.G. Moody granted a default judgment on liability against Endo Health Solutions Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the case of Staubus vs. Purdue, widely known as the “Sullivan Baby Doe” case. According to Second Judicial District Attorney General Barry Staubus, the judgment details a dozen false statements Endo’s attorneys made to the court and describes a “coordinated strategy between Endo and its counsel to … interfere with the administration of justice." The ruling reserved determination of damages for a jury trial set to start on July 26. The Nashville law firm of Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings is representing Baby Doe and is seeking $2.4 billion in damages. The suit against Endo was first filed in 2017 by the district attorneys general of the First, Second and Third Judicial Districts. It was one of the first in the nation to challenge major opioid producers. The district attorneys general sued under Tennessee’s Drug Dealer Liability Act, arguing that if a company facilitates over-prescription or diversion of controlled substances, it can be identified as a drug dealer. Read Moody's ruling and learn more about the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week announced that it will close out oral arguments for the current session as it began, in teleconference sessions with justices and lawyers participating remotely. The public information office said the argument sessions scheduled for later this month and on May 4 will be held telephonically in keeping with COVID-19 public health guidance. Under usual court tradition, oral arguments would not resume until next October, but there is no word yet what plans are in place for the 2021-2022 term, CNN reports. The justices have not conducted arguments in their courtroom since March 2020. They heard their first case by teleconference last May.

Memphis lawyer Elbert E. Edwards III died Wednesday at 71. A graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, Edwards spent his career practicing law in private practice, at Memphis Area Legal Services and later at the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office. Visitation will take place tomorrow from 9 to 10 a.m. followed by a memorial service at Whitehaven Baptist Church, 4800 Elvis Presley, Memphis 38116.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is soliciting CLE session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU), being held virtually on Sept. 9 and 10. The organization is seeking proposals in the areas of elder law, employment law, family law, health and benefits, housing and consumer issues, education, juvenile justice, professional skills and financial management. Get more information about the conference and see the full list of topics. Submissions are due May 21.