President Donald Trump today announced plans to nominate former state House Speaker Beth Harwell and East Tennessee State University President Brian Noland to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. In 2011, Harwell became the first female speaker of the House. She retired to launch an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018 and has since worked for private companies and taught a political science class at Middle Tennessee State University. Noland has been ETSU’s president since 2012 and previously served as chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education System for six years. The TVA board is made up of nine members who must first be nominated by the president and then approved by the U.S. Senate before serving their five-year terms.

Tullahoma lawyer Kenneth J. Shelton Jr. died Jan. 25 at the age of 65. Shelton earned his law degree from Memphis State University before going on to serve as an assistant district attorney in Coffee County for 36 years. Funeral services were held today in Tullahoma at the Trinity Lutheran Church, followed by burial services at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either Trinity Lutheran Church, 705 Wilson Avenue, Tullahoma 37388, or the Tullahoma Sports Council, c/o Financial Management Advisors, 115 N. Jackson St., Tullahoma 37388.

The Knoxville Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section is partnering with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, with the support and involvement of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight, to create a Pro Bono Debt Relief Clinic that will provide pro bono legal services to income eligible consumer debtors. The next clinic will take place on Feb. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Learn more or volunteer for the clinic on the KBA’s website.

The TBA's new website is up and running, with a new database to help members better connect with each other, manage their accounts from a personalized dashboard and get the full benefit of their TBA membership. The TBA Today e-newsletter and section Connects also get a new format. Visit this page to learn about new features on the website or take a virtual tour.  Questions and comments are welcome, so please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Call 615-383-7421 or email membership@tnbar.org.

The Trump Administration can move forward with a rule to make it harder for immigrants who rely on public assistance to gain legal status while a court challenge plays out, the Supreme Court ruled today. The vote of 5-4 lifts a nationwide injunction on the proposal while the case plays out in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, the Hill reports. The rule would make it easier for immigration officials to deny entry or legal status to people deemed likely to rely on government assistance.

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries in 2018, the ruling appeared to shut down legal challenges that claimed the policy was rooted in anti-Muslim bias. But a federal appeals court in Richmond is set to hear arguments tomorrow from civil rights groups hoping to keep the challenges alive, WATE.com reports. The court will consider three lawsuits filed by U.S. citizens and permanent residents whose relatives have been unable to enter the country because of the ban. They argue that the high court rejected a preliminary injunction to block the travel ban but did not decide the merits of the case. The administration is asking the court to dismiss the suits.

In a move that would dovetail with an effort to end the observance of Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, a Knoxville Democrat is calling for removal of the Forrest bust from the state capitol and replacing it with recognition of other Tennesseans. Rep. Rick Staples has introduced House Joint Resolution 686, which would honor state Rep. Anne M. Davis of Knoxville and Gatlinburg and William F. Yardley of Knoxville in place of the Forrest bust, the Daily Memphian reports. Davis was among the state’s first female House members when elected in 1925 and sponsored legislation that led to creation of the Great Smoky Mountains. Yardley was the first African American to launch a serious gubernatorial campaign in the state in 1876.

Lipscomb University’s Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society will host “A Conversation with the Women of the Tennessee Supreme Court” on Feb. 10 at the George Shinn Center. The event will feature sitting justices Cornelia A. Clark, Holly Kirby and Sharon G. Lee and former justices Janice Holder and Penny White, who will talk about the law, the court and their lives. TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson will moderate the event. A reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 each. Proceeds benefit the Fred D. Gray Scholarship, which is given to students majoring in Law, Justice and Society.

Davidson County lawyer Philip Joseph Perez was suspended today based on his failure to respond to two complaints of misconduct. He is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing existing clients by Feb. 26.

The Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board has released a new form lawyers can use to initiate an appeal of an opinion from the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims to the board. Two current forms — Compensation Hearing Notice of Appeal-LB-1103 and Expedited Hearing Notice of Appeal-LB-1099 — are being retired. The new form will be used for all appeals to the board with the appealing party indicating on the form what type of order is being appealed (e.g., an expedited hearing order, motion order, compensation order or other order). Deadlines will remain the same.