The Tennessee Supreme Court last week rejected a conditional guilty plea submitted by Davidson County lawyer Charles Martin Duke to resolve a petition for discipline filed against him on Feb. 1, 2018. The plea was negotiated by the Board of Professional Responsibility, which recommended the court accept it. But the court stated that it had “concerns about the recommended punishment in light of the nature of the misconduct and the apparent failure of the attorney to take full responsibility for it.” It referred the matter back to the board for further proceedings.

The Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University and Tennesseans for Historical Justice (THJ) presented a forum on past crimes involving racism last week. Cynthia Deitle, THJ board member, lawyer, retired career FBI special agent, and current head of the Mathew Shepard Foundation, presented her experience working cold civil rights cases. John Ashworth, also a THJ board member, presented about the ongoing effect of racial violence on the families of victims. And Jim Emison, founder of THJ, presented on the unsolved murder of NAACP officer Elbert Williams, who was killed in Brownsville. WATE.com and WBIR.com both covered the event and have more on the program.

The Youth Advocacy Center that was to serve as an alternative to juvenile detention is on hold because of differences over how quickly juveniles can be transferred to the center, the Daily Memphian reports. Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich told WKNO Channel 10 that the effort “has been put on the back burner” because it was “not progressing in the way" they wanted. The center operates independently of the county juvenile court and offers access to counselors and other professionals. Law enforcement was pushing for referrals to occur as soon as teens were detained. The court, however, was requiring appointments up to six weeks after the arrest. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland weighed in on the debate today saying the differences need to be cleared up quickly.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today announced execution dates for Bryon Lewis Black (Oct. 8) and Pervis T. Payne (Dec. 3). Black was convicted of the 1988 murders of Angela Clay and her daughters, Latoya Clay and Lakeisha Clay, in Davidson County. Payne was convicted of the 1987 murders of Charisse Christopher and her daughter, Lacie Jo, in Shelby County. View the orders setting the dates.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued warrants for state Sen. Katrina Robinson’s home and business on Friday and searched both places, the Daily Memphian reports. Robinson, a Democrat representing District 33, could not be reached for comment and the FBI did not release details. Her business, Healthcare Institute, provides training for certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and advanced phlebotomy. The company website said it received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2015 to provide scholarships for people “looking for a jumpstart to their education and also to provide patient education to the elderly community.” Memphis attorney Edward Stanton of Butler Snow said late Friday he has been retained by Robinson to handle the case.

The chair of the House Subcommittee on TennCare says he will hold a full and fair hearing on Medicaid expansion this year, Nashville Public Radio reports. Details of a bill expanding Medicaid coverage have not been finalized but Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, and Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, have committed to reintroduce their legislation despite resistance from party leaders. State Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, told WPLN that as chair he will give the bill plenty of time and allow outside witnesses to testify.

TBA Communications Section Chair and media lawyer Paul McAdoo will join the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press as a local legal initiative attorney on March 2. The group announced its expansion into Tennessee several weeks ago. Local attorneys provide news organizations with the direct legal services needed to gather and report the news, gain access to public records and court proceedings, and hold state and local government agencies and officials accountable. McAdoo is making the move from Adams and Reese, where he worked on a variety of complex litigation issues, including with media clients.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated four lawyers who were placed on inactive status. Angela Spinella Bonovich was reinstated effective Jan. 17. She had been placed on inactive status in 2013. Alexandra Huber Cain was reinstated Feb. 18. She had been placed on military exempt status in 2014. Christopher Troy Clark was reinstated effective Feb. 12. He had been placed on inactive status in 2012. And Jennifer Leah Roche was reinstated effective Feb. 11. She had been placed on inactive status in 2014.

The 12th Judicial District Annual Bar Dinner will take place April 24 on the Southern Belle Riverboat in Chattanooga from 7 to 9 p.m. EST. Guest speaker for the dinner will be former U.S. Attorney General and current Belmont University College of Law Dean Alberto Gonzales. Tickets are $65 per person, which includes a buffet dinner, cash bar and question and answer session with Alberto Gonzales. All tickets must be purchased by April 1 and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first 164 tickets sold will be seated on the main deck with the remaining tickets being seated on the second deck with a video feed of the presentation. Tickets may be purchased by mailing a check, money order or cashier’s check to Nicole Rogers at P.O. Box 511, Jasper, TN 37347. Questions can be directed to Rogers.

The Brennan Center has released an update to its July 2019 “State Supreme Court Diversity” report that highlights the vast racial, ethnic and gender disparities that exist on state Supreme Courts across the country. The new analysis reports on the current composition of state high courts as of Feb. 4, noting 19 new state supreme court openings since May 2019. Fourteen of those openings have been filled, with seven seats going to white men, including in four states where people of color make up over 30% of the population. Four openings were filled by white women, one by a black woman and two by a male and female Native American justice. The report says 23 states have an all-white supreme court bench. The percentage of women who hold a supreme court seat is up one point to 37 percent. Read more from the Brennan Center.