Democrat London Lamar took the oath of office during Monday’s Senate floor session to temporarily replace Katrina Robinson. Robinson was ousted from her position by the state Senate because of a federal wire fraud conviction. The Bristol Herald Courier has more.

Metro Nashville Councilmember and special education coach Delishia Porterfield has picked up a petition in an effort to qualify to run in Nashville’s state House District 52, the Nashville Post reports. Porterfield, a Democrat, is the first candidate in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville. 

Former Shelby County Probate Court Clerk Paul Boyd has pulled a petition for the August Republican primary in Senate District 31, which is currently held by Republican Brian Kelsey but who will not be running for reelection. Boyd told The Daily Memphian he has not yet decided whether he will get into the primary. The primary for the state Senate seat includes Brandon Toney of Germantown and former Shelby County Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor.

A three-judge panel has declined a request by the plaintiffs in a Democratic Party lawsuit to expedite proceedings, The Tennessee Journal reports. The judges said they were not convinced they had the authority to hurry up the case and that “expediting these proceedings as requested would not allow the important constitutional questions to be fully and meaningfully considered and adjudicated on the merits.” The lawsuit claims the state House maps could have been drawn with fewer than 30 split counties and that the Senate plan violated a constitutional requirement for districts to be consecutively numbered in Nashville.

Nashville lawyer David Anthony and his firm Anthony Legal PLLC will donate all revenue generated on March 10 to support Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. He says he and his children discussed how best to help and decided to support World Central Kitchen, which has mobilized along the border in Poland to provide hot meals and basic necessities to refugees in Poland and, now, are set up at eight border crossings and also in large cities inside Ukraine. Anthony says he hopes other lawyers or law firms will accept the challenge and donate to a charity to help Ukraine. If you do, let him know!

The 20th Edition of the Alimony Bench Book is now available. Published by the TBA’s Family Law Section, the book provides a ready source for dealing with alimony cases in Tennessee. Current Family Law Section members can access their copy at no cost on the Family Law eCommunity page, but must be logged into their TBA account. Others may purchase an electronic copy for $25, a hard copy in loose-leaf format for $40, or a hard copy in a binder for $50 from the TBA Store.

A request from Knoxville group Unmask Knox County Kids to remove the county’s mask mandate has been denied by federal Judge J. Ronnie Greer, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Greer’s order said the families behind the suit had to show "irreparable injury, loss or damage" in a verified complaint or affidavit, which they did not do. The mask rule—which Greer had implemented in the original lawsuit brought by four families of children with disabilities who asked for help protecting their kids from COVID-19—was kept in place. The judge has not addressed the families' request to tie the mask rule to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which show masks are not required indoors in Knox County. He did, however, order the Knox County Board of Education and the four families in the lawsuit to enter mediation. The board and the families have 60 days to meet and file a mediation report.

Former Memphis City Councilman Brent Taylor today announced that he will run to represent state Senate District 31, a seat that will soon be vacated by Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey, the Commercial Appeal reports. Taylor has previously served on the Shelby County Commission and last week resigned from the Shelby County Election Commission. “My focus will be on fighting violent crime, reducing inflation, helping small businesses and supporting schools,” Taylor said in a statement. Taylor has not yet pulled a nominating petition. Brandon Toney, Nasser Fazlullah and Paul Boyd have also pulled nominating petitions for the seat.

Stanley Daniel Kupiszewski Jr. of Tallahassee, Florida, died on Feb. 16. He was 89. Kupiszewski was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in combat during the Korean War before earning his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During his career, Kupiszewski served as assistant attorney general for Florida and general counsel for the Florida Department of Education. He appeared before the Supreme Court, was a member of both the The Florida Bar and Tennessee Bar Association, was an adjunct professor at FSU and past president of the National Advocate Society where he was presented as its 1997 Man of the Year. Donations can be made in Kupiszewski’s name to the Kosciuszko Foundation, St. Jude or Blessed Sacrament or a charity of your choice.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) received 5,561 complaints in 2021, a 37% increase compared to 2020. The top three complaints categories include Home Improvements, Home Repairs and Home Warranties, which received 787 complaints; Landlord/Tenant with 466 complaints; and Health Services & Products with 372 complaints. Rounding out the top 10 were: Personal/Professional Services, Motor Vehicle–Used Sales & Advertising, Debtor/Creditor, Internet Sales, Motor Vehicle–Repairs & Warranties, Timeshare/Vacation Clubs and Imposter Scams. The AG’s Office has more on each category.