Gov. Bill Lee last night unveiled his $41.8 billion spending plan during the annual State of the State address, WPLN reports. Included in that plan are raises for state employees, a plan to set up broadband in rural communities, money for the maintenance of state buildings and the expansion of postpartum coverage through TennCare. Lee also said that, because Tennesseans “want a strong commitment to the Second Amendment and the right to protect themselves,” he will re-introduce a bill that would allow people to carry guns without a permit. Lee says he is hopeful for the future of the state, according to the Tennessean. “ Tennesseans will know tonight that tragedy has no hold on who we are or where we are headed," he said. "Tragedy will not define us and will not rob us of the opportunity that 2021 holds."

After a failed referendum effort last fall, Nashville attorney Jim Roberts is making a second attempt at limiting the city’s property tax rate, the Tennessean reports. Roberts’ original ballot measure, which sought to repeal Nashville’s 34% property tax increase, was ruled invalid by Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs in November. Roberts said he’s confident his renewed effort will be successful, announcing yesterday that 200,000 petitions have been mailed this week to collect signatures. In addition to the provision on property taxes, the new petition seeks to cap future tax increases to 3% without voter approval, eliminate lifetime or other benefits for elected officials and more. The petition will need a minimum of 33,000 signatures and would still need to be approved by the Davidson County Election Commission and likely again by a judge before going before voters.

Newly licensed attorney Austin Warehime of Nashville’s Ortale Kelley co-hosts the February episode of TBA’s BarBuzz podcast! Austin gives listeners his account of the fall 2020 bar exam and helps recap bar and legal news from across the state. BarBuzz is a monthly show and is part of the TBA Podcast Network. It can be found anywhere you listen to podcast or on the TBA’s website.

Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Tony Parker has been sworn in as president of the American Correctional Association, the Associated Press reports. The virtual ceremony took place Saturday and marked the first time a TDOC commissioner has been chosen to lead the national organization in its 151-year history. During his two-year term, Parker says he plans to focus on initiatives to enhance safety, improve public perception and understanding of corrections, offer correctional staff higher educational opportunities, expand behavioral health training and expand technology use for rehabilitation and training. 

TBA CLE will host Real Estate Concerns in Elder Law on March 23 from 11 a.m. until noon CST. This live virtual event will be led by Barbara Moss from Elder Law of Nashville and George Mudter of Mudter, Patterson & Cox PLLC, who will discuss the intersection of elder and real estate laws, including, best practices, common concerns and more.

A new survey released last week found that 43% of law firm partners took a pay cut in 2020 directly related to COVID-19, the ABA Journal reports. Law360’s inaugural Law Firm Partner Compensation Survey: Partnership and Pay in an Unprecedented Year also found that nearly half of those partners said their salary was cut by 20% or more, and the median pay decrease due to the pandemic was 15%. In addition, 34% of partners said their firms de-equitized partners, while 38% said their firms asked partners to retire. A third of the respondents also said their firms were reducing physical space in light of COVID-19. Director of surveys for Law360 Pulse, Kerry Benn, says the results show that the pandemic has affected “a huge swath of the legal industry.” The survey was conducted from September to October 2020 at law firms with at least 25 attorneys. Read more from Law360 Pulse.

Former Hamilton County prosecutor and later private attorney Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lanzo has died at a facility in Boston, Chattanoogan.com reports. A native of Revere, Massachusetts, Lanzo graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1968. He joined the office of Hamilton County District Attorney Gary Gerbitz and handled a number of high profile cases, including the 1975 prosecution of Kenneth Stanley King and Jackie Renner Robinson, who were accused of killing Hixson dentist Robert P. Elliott. Robinson, who was the suspect in multiple murders for hire, was convicted and later died in prison. Lanzo went on to practice law for 54 years.

You will get your day in court, but it probably won’t be today, the Daily Mempian reports. Because of the pandemic, Shelby County has not held a criminal jury trial since last March and according to those familiar with the situation, it could take up to two years to deal with delayed cases. By the end of last month, five of Shelby County’s 10 criminal divisions had a backlog of 450 jury trials. The paper also reports that efforts to keep jail populations down are creating new challenges with domestic violence and child abuse cases. Read more about both of these stories from the paper.

Brig. Gen. and 14th Judicial District Circuit Judge L. Craig Johnson, whose long and distinguished service in the military culminated with his appointment as commander of the Tennessee State Guard in 2016, has retired from that post. Johnson first joined the guard at the age of 18 in 1983. He was commissioned as an engineer in 1985 and has been deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1990, and after several years in private practice, was elected to the 14th Judicial District bench in 1998. The announcement of his retirement from the state noted that as a judge he has made it a priority to help veterans struggling with substance use disorders and mental health issues. He has served over the Coffee County Veterans Treatment Court since its founding in 2016. Though he is stepping down from the guard, he will continue serving as a judge.

In an effort to prevent mass evictions, the Davidson County General Sessions Court has transferred nearly 2,000 pending eviction cases to a newly established housing court, the Nashville Post reports. The goal of the new court, to be overseen by Judge Rachel Bell in partnership with the Metropolitan Action Commission and Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk Richard Rooker, is to use nearly $21 million in federal rental assistance to pay landlords on behalf of tenants at risk of eviction. The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center is providing additional mediation work as part of the project. Supporters hope the effort will keep evictions off tenants’ records, a mark that can make it more difficult to find future housing. A federal eviction moratorium is in place through the end of March, but it does not prevent all evictions and the process for using the protection can be confusing, according to housing advocates.