Knoxville lawyer Emily Arline Winchester Guyton died Jan. 30 at age 87. A native of Biloxi, Mississippi, Guyton moved to Knoxville in 1962 with her physician husband and children. In 1971, she fulfilled a longtime dream when she graduated from the University of Tennessee College Law despite facing questions about whether the law was an appropriate profession for a woman and mother. Guyton opened a solo practice and later joined with Amelia and Harry Strauss. After they died, she joined Myron Ely to form the firm of Ely, Hogin & Guyton. When her son-in-law Matthew Frère earned his law degree, she joined him at Guyton & Frère. Her daughter, Kelly Guyton Frère, soon graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and joined the firm. At various times, Guyton also served as a special judge in the Knoxville circuit and chancery courts. She retired from the practice of law in 2004. Several years ago, Guyton participated in the Knoxville Bar Association’s Legal History Video project. Listen to her interview. Per her request there will be no memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. James R. Guyton Jr. Leadership Scholarship Endowment c/o Bethel University, Office of the President, 325 Cherry Ave., McKenzie, TN 38201. The fund supports health care personnel serving rural communities.

Six weeks after Aaron Blayke Adams was found dead at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, his family still does not know who is responsible, the Tennessean reports. Adams, 29, was in protective custody while being held on a probation violation at the time he died. He reportedly had expressed concerns about his safety to his family. It is not clear what happened to him but the coroner had to “rebuild his jaw and his face and put a wig on him” to make him presentable for the funeral. The family says it has attempted to get details from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Hartsville District Attorney's Office, the medical examiner and prison officials, but to no avail. The Department of Correction told the paper the investigation is ongoing with the death being investigated as a homicide.

Appellate jurists from across the country, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, recently talked with the Journal of Appellate Practice and Process about their experiences with remote arguments. Breyer lauded the tools, saying the court's audio format produces shorter, crisper and more succinct answers from lawyers. There are downsides though, he said, including the loss of a conversational tone and lack of eye contact. Despite the challenges of operating during the pandemic, the full group agreed that remote arguments are likely here to stay. They also share their tips for making the most of remote proceedings. Read more in Law.com. In Tennessee, the Greeneville Sun recently looked at how the pandemic is affecting the local legal community there.

The Biden administration yesterday took additional steps on immigration, signing three executive orders, WKRN reports. The actions included ordering a review of all immigration policies put in place by the previous administration, creating a task force to address the separation of families, and creating a framework to address the root causes of migration to the Southern border. The orders however, do not address a coronavirus-era order that allows U.S. authorities to expel almost all people caught crossing the border illegally.

The legal industry has faced a reckoning with mental health and substance abuse problems in recent years, Law.com reports. That is why two years ago, it says it launched Minds Over Matters: An Examination of Mental Health in the Legal Profession to offer a range of resources for law firms and lawyers. One of the first projects of the initiative was a mental health and substance abuse survey designed to better understand what law firms were doing to address problems. In conjunction with ALM Intelligence, Law.com now is launching its second survey. All members of the legal community are encouraged to participate. Personal information will remain confidential and findings will be presented in the aggregate with no identifying data included. Lend your voice here.

This year’s Law Tech CLE kicks off Friday with two sessions and then continues on Feb. 12 and 19 with two sessions each day. The final installment, set for the afternoon of Feb. 19, will take a deep dive into the various platforms available for remote depositions. Nashville attorney A.J. Bahou joins Brad Wickard and Paul Withrow with Huseby Global Litigation to explore the options and the pros and cons of each. The one-hour program will begin at 1 p.m. CST. Each of the sessions will offer a technology prize giveaway so be sure to register now!

Ahead of tax season, the Tennessee Department of Revenue is trying to spread the word about the taxability of relief payments received through the Tennessee Business Relief Program (BRP) and Supplemental Employer Recovery Grant (SERG) program. The department says that BRP and SERG payments are subject to Tennessee franchise and excise tax, but they are not subject to business tax. A webpage has been created to help answer questions in this area. Those needing assistance should call 615-253-0600 or email revenue.support@tn.gov.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake yesterday announced he has implemented several changes in his department to stop an “absolutely unacceptable” rise in violent crimes and to pull repeat offenders out of the justice system, the Tennessean reports. In an attempt to address criticism that officers are too aggressive toward low-level offenders, gang unit detectives and juvenile crime task force officers have been rerouted to create six new teams dubbed the TITANS. Drake said those groups would supplement the work of MNPD's homicide unit and fight an uptick in gun crimes. An “enhanced shift” has been implemented at all precincts, adding 80 personnel on a shift from 5 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Drake also touted the creation of the Office of Alternative Policing Strategies as a long-term focus on reducing violence with crime intervention by connecting individuals with services and advocates.

For the first time in 101 years, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has elected a Black president, the ABA Journal reports. Deborah Archer, a New York University School of Law professor with expertise in civil rights, will serve as the organization’s eighth president. Fighting against racial injustice is expected to be a top priority for Archer, alongside voting rights, abortion rights and discontinuation of get-tough immigration policies. The ACLU describes Archer as an established civil rights lawyer, scholar and teacher. At the NYU School of Law, she is a tenured professor of clinical law, director of the civil rights clinic, and co-faculty director of the school’s Center on Race, Inequality and the Law. A graduate of Yale Law School, Archer has been a board member of the ACLU since 2009, general counsel since 2017 and a member of the board’s executive committee since 2016.

The Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday entered into a deferred discipline agreement with Stewart County Judicial Commissioner Joyce Tomlinson. The agreement says Tomlinson is alleged to have “injected herself into an active criminal case involving a family member and acted in a discourteous and intemperate manner inappropriate for a judicial officer.” Tomlinson is said to have “questioned and challenged” officers at the Stewart County Sheriff’s Department about a family member’s case. She was “sarcastic, argumentative, raised her voice, and banged her hands on the table,” and taunted the officer who had investigated her family member’s case, making it clear she did not believe his account of the case. Under the discipline agreement, Tomlinson will resign from her position no later than Feb. 14 and will not seek an appointed or elected judicial office in the future.