Vanderbilt University John L. Seigenthaler Professor of American History Rhonda Y. Williams will deliver the next lecture in Vanderbilt Law School’s Dean’s Lecture Series on Race and Discrimination beginning tomorrow at noon CDT. Williams is a historian of low-income Black women’s and marginalized people’s experiences, everyday lives, politics and social struggles. Her research contributes to the rethinking of gender, political identity, citizenship, civil rights, Black liberation struggles and interactions with the U.S. state. The lecture series seeks to provide foundational knowledge on race, civil rights, discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, and critical historical milestones and their importance. The event is free and open to the public. Register online.

A Nashville court created to resolve evictions before the national moratorium ends in June has settled more than 100 eviction cases, WPLN reports. The housing court was established in February and overseen by Judge Rachel Bell in partnership with the Metropolitan Action Commission and Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk Richard Rooker. The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center provided additional mediation work for the project. The goal of the court is to mediate eviction claims and use federal money to pay late rent bills. Those who have had their cases resolved have benefitted by avoiding an eviction on their record and their landlords have gotten paid. Part of the challenge with resolving so many cases is that landlords must agree to participate and the court is trying to work through a large backlog of cases.

Four people have been indicted on misdemeanor charges stemming from a July 4 protest at the home of Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, the Daily Memphian reports. All four have been charged with disorderly conduct and two with vandalism. They are accused of joining a crowd of roughly 40 others last summer in a protest outside Weirich’s East Memphis home, where they called for her to be fired, for release of jail detainees during the COVID-19 pandemic and for an end to cash bail. A video from the incident showed Roman Candles being fired toward Weirich's roof, which did not catch fire, removing flags from Weirch's yard, crossing a physical property line and subsequently setting those flags and another, larger flag, on fire. District Attorney General Kim Helper of the 21st Judicial District was appointed to investigate the incident. A court date has not been set in the cases and it is unclear if more will be charged.

Two cases are scheduled to go before the Tennessee Supreme Court tomorrow. One will be livestreamed and the other will be submitted on briefs. Oral arguments for State of Tennessee v. Jeremy Reynolds can be heard live on the Administrative Office of the Courts’ YouTube page beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. In re Loring Edwin Justice will be submitted on briefs. The AOC’s website has more on each case.

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday reinstated the death sentence of Tennessee inmate Anthony Hines, reversing a lower court decision that Hines had received inadequate defense counsel, The Hill reports. Hines was convicted of the 1985 murder of a maid, but was granted a new trial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit last year. The appeals court ruled that Hines’ lawyer had failed to advance an alternative legal theory that pinned the murder on another man. SCOTUS reversed that ruling in an 8-1 decision, which found that any shortcomings in Hines’ defense failed to clear the high legal hurdle needed to set aside his conviction. The justices also ruled that the 6th Circuit failed to take into account evidence supporting Hines’ guilt, including “His flight in a bloody shirt; his possession of the victim’s keys, wallet, and car; his recurring association with knives; or his ever-changing stories about tussling with imaginary assailants.”      

The Tennessee House of Representatives has approved legislation that would allow state residents to carry handguns without a permit, the Tennessean reports. The bill, backed by Gov. Bill Lee, would allow for permitless concealed or open carry for most adults 21 and older. The Senate passed the bill two weeks ago, and the governor is expected to sign it into law. In related news, on Friday, the Memphis City Council passed a resolution opposing the bill. Council members said the proposed legislation would endanger the “health, welfare and public safety” of Memphians. Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings, District Attorney General Amy Weirich and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also have said they oppose the measure.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a virtual program allowing mentors and mentees, or those who are interested in becoming mentors and mentees, to share successful ways to network remotely and ask questions of colleagues. Each group will meet separately in a Zoom breakout room and then come together to share insights. The program will take place April 6 from 4 to 5 p.m. CDT. RSVP here.

TBA CLE will present the Biden Your Time Until the Next Tax Bill program on April 28 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The CLE will cover potential changes to the Tax Code that have been discussed by the Biden administration, both during and prior to his 2020 presidential campaign. This presentation will consider the ramifications such changes could have for taxpayers and their planning on an income, gift, and estate tax level. The program is one installment of the Tax Law CLE Series 2021, a collection of one-hour webinars that look at current issues impacting taxpayers.

Across the state, women hold key leadership roles as executive directors at the state and four largest city bar associations. Nashville lawyer Joycelyn Stevenson is director of the Tennessee Bar Association. Prior to joining the TBA, Stevenson spent 12 years at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings before becoming a shareholder at Littler Mendelson PC. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and has served as president of the Nashville Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Association for Women in Nashville and the Council on Aging of Greater Nashville. She also serves on the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board.

Lynda Minks Hood heads the Chattanooga Bar Association. Hood is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and was nominated for the group’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. She has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, Erlanger Health System Foundation, Rotary of Chattanooga and the Women’s Fund of Chattanooga. She was named one of the city’s “Women of Distinction” in 2011.

Marsha Watson heads the Knoxville Bar Association. A graduate of George Mason University in Northern Virginia, Watson first worked at the Association of Trial Lawyers of America in Washington, D.C., as a fundraiser. She later was named executive director of Maryland Trial Lawyers Association. Wanting to be closer to family, she moved to Knoxville and was hired as the first director of the KBA. She remains the only person to hold that position, marking her 30th anniversary with the organization in September 2020.

Maury Tower has been the Memphis Bar Association's interim executive director since August 2020. She graduated from the University of Tennessee and earned a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Memphis. Tower’s experience includes positions at Good Advertising, WREG-TV and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She also has served as president of the American Advertising Federation Memphis Chapter and the Midtown Memphis Rotary Club.

Finally, Monica Mackie has been executive director of the Nashville Bar Association since 2015. Mackie ran her own consulting business before joining the NBA. She worked at the TBA from 1998 to 2012, first as financial administrator and then as director of the Leadership Law program.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today censured Roane County lawyer Jason Ralph Hines. The court took the action after determining that Hines engaged in inappropriate text communications with a client, failed to deposit client funds into his trust account, provided inappropriate financial assistance to his client, and failed to promptly refund advance payment of unearned fees. He agreed to a conditional guilty plea admitting his conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.7(a), 1.15 (a), 1.8(3) and 1.16(d).