The Tennessee Bar Association is making available the program Empowering Lawyers as Leaders for viewing during February and March. Produced jointly by the TBA and the Tennessee American Inns of Court, this program brings together influential lawyers and leaders from across the state to share their experiences and to examine the role of leadership in the legal profession. Speakers discuss the importance of leading by example to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and professionalism in everyday practice. Among those featured are former Supreme Court Justice and Nashville School of Law Dean William C. Koch Jr., former Sen. Lamar Alexander and the Hon. Bernice B. Donald. 

After a bill was introduced last month to erect a statue of Dolly Parton on Capitol grounds, the country music icon is asking legislators to nix the proposal, the Tennessean reports. The East Tennessee native told the paper today that she doesn't "think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.” She thanked the legislature for its consideration of the bill before confirming that she asked lawmakers to remove it “from any and all consideration.” HB0135 from Rep. John Windle, D-Livingston, would create the "Dolly Parton fund" to pay for the design, construction and maintenance of the statue. It’s scheduled to go before the House state government committee on Tuesday. Windle said he won’t withdraw the bill, but instead hopes that Parton’s fans will change her mind.  

Nashville's Metro Council on Tuesday approved the addition of four members to the city’s Community Oversight Board, WPLN reports. Among them is retired Magistrate Judge Joe B. Brown, who has worked in the legal system for five decades. Brown and three others join the group, which was created to review police misconduct allegations and vote on whether to recommend discipline. The 11-member board also includes attorney Andrew Goddard of Bass Berry & Simms. Brown will serve on the board until 2024.

More than two dozen bills aimed at changing voting laws have been filed by Tennessee legislators, the Daily Memphian reports. Among the proposals, filed by both Democrats and Republicans, are bills that would eliminate early voting, require fingerprint checks, allow absentee voting by mail for anyone who requests it and eliminate partisan primaries in local elections. SB1510 from Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, would abolish early voting and bar the use of voting machines, instead using watermarked paper ballots. HB0597 from Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, and Rep. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, would allow absentee mail-in voting for any reason and permit college ID cards to be used as valid identification. The Daily Memphian has a full rundown and links to each bill.

Kingsport lawyer Gorman Waddell died on Feb. 13. A graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Waddell would go on to practice law for 56 years. In 1966, he helped establish Moore Stout Waddell Law Firm in Kingsport, which would later become Wilson Worley Moore Gamble and Stout. Gorman served on a number of boards in the Kingsport area and was involved with many service clubs within the community. Gorman will lie in state tomorrow from noon until 4 p.m. EST at Hamlett Dobson Funeral Home and a private graveside service will be held per his wishes. A celebration of life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to make a donation in Waddell’s memory may do so to Second Harvest Food Bank, 1020 Jericho Dr., Kingsport, TN 37663.

The Biden administration is extending the foreclosure moratorium and mortgage forbearance through the end of June, Politico reports. The extensions would block home foreclosures, offer delayed mortgage payments until July and offer six months of additional mortgage forbearance for those who enroll on or before June 30. The eviction moratorium remains in effect through March, but was not included in this week’s announcement of extensions. According to the White House, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture will work together to enact these actions.

Due to inclement weather, the Tennessee Historical Commission has delayed what is potentially the final vote on whether to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state Capitol, the Associated Press reports. The vote, originally scheduled for today and tomorrow, has been moved to March 9. State House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, earlier this week asked Attorney General Herbert Slatery to issue an opinion on proper protocol for removing the statue, as they believe a step has been missed in the process.

TBA member and University of Tennessee College of Law alumna Brooklyn Sawyers Belk has been selected to serve as an advocate in residence and visiting professor at the school. In addition to teaching and mentoring students, Belk will also present a community-wide lecture. Her class, titled “Race and the United States Supreme Court,” will examine the high court’s decisions on race and racism and the court’s struggle with fundamental issues of racial bias, bigotry and inequality. Belk was previously an assistant U.S. attorney, in-house counsel and a former law firm partner. She is a member of the Federal Practice and Labor and Employment Sections, a committee member of the TBA’s Mentoring Program and a 2015 graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program. Read more on Belk’s new position on the College of Law’s website.

What have the first 100 days under President Joe Biden’s administration looked like for immigration law? Find out during the 2021 Immigration Law Spring Forum on May 6 from 9 a.m. until noon CDT. Bruce Buchanan of Sebelist Buchanan Law in Nashville will also tackle immigration cases at the Supreme Court and pending litigation, ethics and more. Become a member of the Immigration Law Section today for discounted savings on this program.

The Tennessee General Assembly closed this week due to inclement weather, but the TBA’s Public Policy and Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz still checked in on the Legislative Updates podcast. This week, Schwarz provides listeners with a quick status report on TBA-sponsored bills, the association’s efforts to end the professional privilege tax and more. Watch the full episode on the TBA’s Facebook page or listen to the podcast version on the TBA’s website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.