The latest episode of the TBA Sidebar podcast focuses on Bill Ramsey, an attorney with Neal & Harwell in Nashville, and his friendship with legendary fife and drum musician Otha Turner. It highlights how Ramsey helped preserve Turner’s legacy and music and the annual Ode to Otha event that was created to celebrate their joint birthdays and to raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Ode to Otha will be held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but you can still make a donation to Second Harvest in the event’s name. Sidebar is part of the Tennessee Bar Association Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA’s website and anywhere you listen to podcasts.  

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of Tallahassee ruled Sunday that, in some circumstances, Florida cannot require felons who have completed their sentences to pay legal fees before allowing them to vote, the ABA Journal reports. Hinkle said requiring payment is unconstitutional if the felons cannot afford to pay or if the financial obligation was imposed to fund the criminal justice system. Florida voters had restored voting rights to many former felons in 2018 by approving the Amendment 4 ballot initiative, which restored voting rights “upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation.” Hinkle said the requirement violated the equal protection clause and the 24th Amendment’s ban on poll taxes or other taxes as a condition of voting.

Nashville’s public health department will continue to provide COVID-19 patient information to first responders, despite yesterday’s announcement from Gov. Bill Lee that his office will discontinue that practice, WPLN reports. Metro Public Health Director Michael Caldwell said Nashville was never signed onto the state’s program and that first responders have been receiving patient’s addresses directly from the local health department. Caldwell said access to that data is limited and expires within a month or when the patient recovers from the virus.

Belmont University College of Law student Ally Hicks has been selected for the Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellowship, a program from Equal Justice Works in partnership with Legal Services Corporation. Hicks was one of 35 students selected from an applicant pool of 446. The fellows will spend eight to ten weeks in the summer exploring a career in civil legal aid, by providing direct legal services and building capacity at the organizations where they serve. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s group will work to support those efforts remotely. Hicks will be hosted by Kentucky Legal Aid, where she will help the organization implement its Eviction Diversion Project, an initiative aimed at reducing homelessness in rural, economically-depressed areas by connecting individuals facing or at-risk of eviction with civil legal services. More from Belmont’s website.

Pending approval from the Tennessee Supreme Court, courthouses in Shelby County will reopen next week, the Daily Memphian reports. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced the reopening plan today, which includes new rules for anyone coming to court at any of the three county courthouses. According to the new rules, all those entering the courthouse will be required to wear a mask and will need to enter and exit through designated areas. Those who refuse to wear a mask will not be allowed in and will have to call the court clerk’s office to inform the court that they will not be able to attend. Only people with court cases, crime victims and witnesses will be allowed to enter the buildings. Children not involved in court cases will not be allowed to enter.

Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle will decide next week on whether to issue a temporary injunction that would allow all voters to cast ballots by mail in the August primary to decrease their risk of contracting COVID-19, the Associated Press reports. State officials have said they “cannot feasibly implement” a quick shift to let all voters cast absentee ballots in the 2020 elections. Next week’s hearing will include discussion on two similar state court lawsuits, one from the Memphis-based voting rights group #UpTheVote901 and another from the American Civil Liberties Union. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Campaign Legal Center have also filed similar federal suits.

The state House’s Departments & Agencies Subcommittee today approved two bills that restrict Gov. Bill Lee’s authority to opt Tennessee into the federal refugee resettlement program, the Daily Memphian reports. The subcommittee passed HB1929, brought by Rep. Ron Gant, R-Rossville, which prohibits the governor from obligating the state to participate in the program without authorization of a joint resolution by the General Assembly. It also approved HB1578 from Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, requiring the state and local governments to refuse to consent to receive refugees for resettlement. Both bills will next be heard in the House State Committee, but the Senate isn’t expected to consider its version of the bills in this truncated COVID-19 session.

The U.S. House on Thursday passed legislation that grants flexibility to small businesses using loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, The Hill reports. The bipartisan bill from Reps. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, would give small businesses up to 24 weeks, up from the current eight weeks, to use the loans and extend the deadline for rehiring workers from June 30 to the end of this year. It would also allow the businesses to spend more of the money on non-payroll costs. The bill passed easily on a 417-1 vote, but lawmakers say more changes to the program are needed following complaints from small businesses that cannot qualify for the loans under the current terms.  

The Intellectual Property Law Forum originally scheduled for April 17 will now be a virtual CLE event, held over two days, July 15 - 16. The TBA's IP Section Executive Council has put together a fantastic program to discuss IP with vices front and center. The first day of the program will provide accounts of bad actors running afoul of trade secret law, provide insight into the life of hackers and finishes with ways to avoid trouble with online information. The sessions run from 1 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attendees can earn two general and one dual CLE hours. The program continues on day two exploring the various forms of available IP protection for the cannabis industry and ends with insights into how to best distinguish and protect your home brew from others. Those sessions run from 1 to 3 p.m. CDT. Attendees can earn two general CLE hours. In an effort to provide flexibility, folks can register to attend day one, day two or the full, two-day program.  Find out more about the sessions, speakers and registration options available by clicking here.

Chief United States District Judge Pamela L. Reeves will be honored next month with the inaugural Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. The award is presented each year to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. “Judge Reeves has achieved extraordinary things within the profession,” TBA President Sarah Sheppeard says of Reeves, “but she has also been an incredible leader in her community and a mentor and supporter to those who have followed her. She has worked through a number of organizations to provide leadership training and instill confidence in young women. Many of the current leaders in the Tennessee legal community and beyond have Judge Reeves to thank in significant part for encouraging them to pursue those roles and for equipping them to effectively serve.”