A Tennessee senator wants to transfer the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, an early Ku Klux Klan leader from the state, to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Tennessean reports. Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, has filed a bill to transfer the bust to the Sons of Confederate Veterans General Headquarters in Columbia. The group commissioned and donated the bust to the state in 1977. The bust was removed from the state Capitol in July 2021. It is currently on display at the Tennessee State Museum.

Two new candidates have filed to run in the Republican primary for the newly redrawn 5th Congressional District, the Nashville Post reports. They are former State Department aide and Fox News personality Morgan Ortagus and attorney and retired brigadier general Kurt Winstead. The district, which traditionally has covered Nashville, will now cover portions of Davidson County, Williamson County and Wilson County as well as Lewis, Maury and Marshall counties. Ortagus, who recently moved to Nashville, works with health care investment firm Rubicon Founders. Winstead is an attorney with Rudy Winstead Turner in Franklin. They join businessman Baxter Lee and music video producer Robby Starbuck in the primary. On the Democratic side, longtime incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper is retiring while Odessa Kelly, who had already announced a primary challenge against Cooper, is considering a switch to another district.

Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a set of new Senate, House and congressional district maps yesterday, the Tennessean reports. In January, Lee told the Rotary Club of Nashville he believed state lawmakers "made every effort to follow the law" when crafting the new congressional districts. But Democrats have spoken out against what they call partisan gerrymandering designed to draw power away from booming Nashville. The Tennessee Democratic Party says it is "prepping a lawsuit."

Tennessee is joining 15 other states in a renewed challenge of the federal government’s vaccine mandate for health care workers, Mainstreet Nashville reports. The group of states – which represent locations where an injunction against the mandate is not in effect – filed suit in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Participating states included Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. In December, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a nationwide injunction blocking the mandate, limiting it to just the states in its circuit. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate for health care workers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it would start enforcing the requirement in states not impacted by an injunction.

The Black Law Students Association at Vanderbilt University Law School has a number of events planned for Black History Month. Next Wednesday from 3-4 p.m. CST, the group will hold a session on disability rights and the law. Topics will include ableism, accessibility and the experiences of disabled lawyers. On Feb. 14 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST, the group will hold a panel discussion on Black lawyers in sports and entertainment. Participants will discuss their career paths, current trends in the entertainment and sports law space, and how to break into and navigate this niche practice area. Finally, on Feb. 22 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST, the group will present “Black in the Law” with alumni panelists discussing their careers.

University of Memphis School of Law students Holden Branscum and William Gebo were awarded first place in the 21st Annual Law Student Tax Challenge, sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation. The students were coached by William Kratzke. The annual contest is designed to give law students an opportunity to research, write about, and present their analyses of a real-life tax planning problem. This year, teams presented their oral arguments virtually before a panel of tax lawyers and tax court judges. Winners were announced at a virtual awards ceremony.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law will hold a virtual open house for prospective students on Feb. 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. EST. Sessions will include an overview of the law school, career services and student organizations as well as presentations on admissions, financial aid, academic support and opportunities for experiential learning. Those interested in attending the virtual open house should register here. Then on March 2, the school will hold an in-person open house from 5:30 to 8 p.m. EST. Register here for that event.

President Joe Biden last week announced he is nominating federal judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Davis currently serves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was named a district court judge in December 2019 after serving as a magistrate judge in the district for three years. Before joining the bench, she worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and in private practice at Dickinson Wright in Detroit. Davis earned her law degree from Washington University School of Law in 1992. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve on the court from Michigan, and only the second Black woman – behind Judge Bernice Donald of Tennessee – to serve on the court. In May, Judge Donald notified President Biden that she intends to take senior status as soon as her replacement is sworn in on the court. In November, Biden nominated Memphis lawyer Andre Mathis for the seat.

Ogletree Deakins has elected Nashville shareholder Liz Washko as the firm’s new managing director. Washko succeeds Joe Beachboard, who completed a six-year term. Washko joined Ogletree Deakins in 2000 as an associate and was elected shareholder in 2003. She previously was managing shareholder for the Nashville office and member of the firm’s compensation committee and board of directors. She also was founder and co-chair of the firm’s Pay Equity Practice Group. Her practice focuses on representing employers in single plaintiff and class/collective action litigation and in matters before state and federal agencies. She has particular experience defending employers in Fair Labor Standards Act and pay discrimination cases. She also conducts proactive pay audits and pay equity analyses.

Under redistricting maps approved by the General Assembly, a new 35th House district will cover Hendersonville, most of Gallatin, Bethpage, Castalian Springs and all of Trousdale County. The seat has already drawn interest from at least two candidates, Mainstreet Nashville reports. Deanne DeWitt, a Republican on the Sumner County Commission, has already announced her intention to run for the open seat while William Slater, dean of adult and online studies at Welch College, plans to formally kick off his campaign for the Republican nomination this weekend. DeWitt was elected to the commission in 2018. She will not seek reelection to that body. Slater worked in business consulting services for IBM for 16 years and was headmaster at Hendersonville Christian Academy for 21 years. In 2011, he ran unsuccessfully in a special election for the 18th District Senate seat now held by Ferrell Haile.