A North Carolina task force on racial justice has formally released recommendations for changes to the state’s police, criminal justice and court systems to help combat racial inequity. The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice was assembled under Gov. Roy Cooper’s direction in the days following the death of George Floyd earlier this year. The task force’s final report urges more vigorous formal police standards involving the use of force, more education of officers on racial bias, and more transparency about officer misconduct. It also recommends decriminalizing low-level offenses like marijuana possession. The report ultimately gave 125 recommendations, including eliminating cash bail for criminal suspects not believed to be threats to the public and reducing court costs and fines paid by those who are convicted. The Associated Press has more on the report.

The Knoxville Bar Association recently held its annual meeting to elect new officers and present awards. The president’s gavel was passed to Cheryl Rice, with Jason Long assuming the office of president-elect. Loretta Cravens was elected treasurer and Catherine Shuck was chosen as secretary. Membership also elected Jonathan Cooper, Daniel Ellis, Eric Lutton and Carlos Yunsan to the KBA board. Dwight Tarwater was presented with the KBA’s Governor’s Award, Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz was honored with the Judicial Excellence Award and Denise Moretz was recognized with the President’s Award for 2020. The awards for outstanding writing were presented to Phillip Hampton and William T. Ramsey, with special recognition going to Nick McCall. The KBA’s website has more on the new officers and award winners.  

The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that, under the Drug Dealer Liability Act, drug companies manufacturing opioids may be sued by babies who have been harmed by their mothers’ use of opioids. Under the Act, they may sue for damages caused by the use of illegal opioids if there is clear and convincing evidence that the companies knowingly facilitated the distribution of opioids in the illegal drug market. The high court also ruled that District Attorneys General who individually sue the drug companies on behalf of their districts do not have standing to sue under the Act. The ruling is a result of Effler, et al. v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et al., in which seven District Attorneys General and two unnamed children sued Endo Health Solutions Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. under the Drug Dealer Liability Act in response to the opioid crisis in East Tennessee. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Attorney General Herbert Slatery today announced he has joined attorneys general from 38 states in suing Google LLC for anticompetitive conduct in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The complaint alleges that Google illegally maintains a monopoly over general search engines and related advertising markets through a series of anticompetitive exclusionary contracts and conduct, thus depriving consumers of competition that could lead to greater choice, innovation and better privacy protections. The states are asking the court to stop Google’s illegal conduct. They also seek to unwind any advantages that Google gained as a result of its anticompetitive conduct, including divestiture of assets as appropriate. The AG’s website has a full summary of the complaint.

The Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus today voted to keep its leadership team the same ahead of the 2021 legislative term, the Nashville Post reports. The caucus unanimously voted to keep Nashville Sen. Jeff Yarbro as minority leader, Memphis Sen. Raumesh Akbari as caucus chair and Nashville Sen. Brenda Gilmore as floor leader. The caucus added a sixth member earlier this year after Heidi Campbell flipped a seat in Nashville. Campbell was chosen by the group as a nominee for the Fiscal Review Committee.

Tennessee Higher Education Commission Executive Director Mike Krause yesterday announced he will leave that post to join Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Nashville, the Associated Press reports. Krause, who has been in state government for 14 years, will become senior adviser for government affairs and economic development at Bradley. Krause worked as a member of former Gov. Bill Haslam’s senior staff before being appointed to lead the higher education commission in 2016. He led the launch of the Tennessee Promise program offering free tuition for community and technical colleges. Krause is a U.S. Army veteran and holds an undergraduate degree from Austin Peay State University and a master’s in public policy from Vanderbilt University.

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson yesterday said he will not seek a seventh term in office, the Tennessean reports. Wilson, who has been the state’s comptroller for 12 years, sent a letter to members of the state legislature informing them of his retirement and endorsing his deputy, Jason Mumpower, for the position. The General Assembly is responsible for electing the state's comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state. They will vote on the position when they return to session in less than a month, leaving little time for other candidates to run against Mumpower. A former state House member who represented Sullivan and Johnson counties, Mumpower became deputy comptroller in 2010.

The U.S. Senate last week voted 48-47 to confirm Katherine Crytzer to serve as U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Associated Press reports. Crytzer will replace former U.S. District Judge and former TBA President Pamela Reeves, who died earlier this year after battling cancer. Crytzer is currently the principal deputy assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.

Need last-minute CLE? The Attorney Wellness Package is now available and worth six hours of dual credit CLE. This virtual package includes presentations on emotional intelligence and wellness segments from the 2020 Better Right Now, Criminal Law Forum and Tennessee FastTrack programs. The package is part of the TBA’s Year End CLE Blast, offering last-minute CLE all month long. TBA members save money on all CLE programs. Questions about how to get the hours you need? Contact the TBA staff for help. And thanks to Blast presenting sponsor Clio and event partner Geico for supporting this month-long event.

Chambliss Bahner & Stophel attorney Logan Threadgill was earlier this month featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press Rising Star series, where he discussed his practice and his life as a former soccer prodigy. Threadgill played Division I soccer at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he was a four-year letterman. He was also a midfielder between his junior and senior years in college for one of the first Chattanooga Football Club (CFC) teams to play for a national championship. In the article, Threadgill also discusses his stint as an intern for then-U.S. Rep. John L. Duncan in Washington, D.C. and how his time there inspired him to pursue law. Threadgill is now a litigation associate with Chambliss, representing construction companies, financial institutions and a variety of other commercial clients. He is the District 5 Representative for the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division and a member of the Litigation Section.