According to the Associated Press, progressive prosecutors from across the U.S. are increasingly refusing to enforce some GOP-backed laws. The AP included Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk as an example of the trend after several instances in which he has vowed to not enforce certain laws, including those pertaining to low level marijuana offenses, abortion and, most recently, Gov. Bill Lee’s school mask opt out order. Funk told the AP that prosecutors need to use the “levers of power” to provide “a check and balance on overreaching” by other branches of government. 

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery on Monday criticized a proposed ballot initiative that would require the state AG be confirmed by state lawmakers after being selected by the Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports. Speaking to the Nashville Rotary Club, Slatery said it “would be a shame” to make the position a “political office.” Slatery said the measure would allow involvement by companies under investigation by the attorney general’s office and worried could leave the attorney general position empty for months due to when annual legislative sessions take place. “Legislators will then be lobbied and the Supreme Court would have to say, ‘Instead of the top lawyer, we’ve got to be sure, we’ve got to get somebody who can actually be confirmed, that the legislators will like,’” Slatery said. The amendment would also cut the AG’s term from eight to six years.

Nashville attorney Danielle Nellis has announced that she will run for Nashville district attorney, Axios Nashville reports. Nellis worked as a prosecutor in current Nashville DA Glenn Funk’s office and says her time there taught her "how crime impacts victims and families involved on all sides, as well as how the community at large is impacted." She resigned from the position in 2018 after it was revealed that she had applied for the job of a man she was prosecuting. Funk alerted the Board of Professional Responsibility to the issue, but the board found no ethical issues with Nellis’ actions. A Boston University School of Law graduate, Nellis spent two years clerking for Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton and recently joined the firm of Klein Solomon Mills. Nellis is the first to challenge Funk for his position since his election in 2014.

The Wilson County Commission yesterday voted to appoint attorney Jimmy Lea as General Sessions Division II judge after current Judge Haywood Barry retires at the end of this year, the Tennessean reports. Lea became an assistant district attorney for the 15th Judicial District in 2007 and in 2020 was named deputy district attorney general. He will assume the judge's position on Jan. 1, 2022, and serve the remainder of the term through the August election. The person elected to the General Sessions Division II judge seat in August will begin a new eight-year term. Lea was the only nominee for the seat.

The Department of Revenue will discuss how to prepare and file your Tennessee sales tax return during a free webinar on Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. CDT. Revenue staff will discuss requirements, how to file, schedules, amending a return, general tips, and common mistakes. The webinar is part of a free series of programs the department offers each month on various tax topics. You can find archived recordings of all previous tax webinars and a calendar of upcoming programs on the department’s website.

Hendersonville attorney Russ Edwards has announced he is running for Sumner County General Sessions Court judge on the Republican ticket. Edwards practices civil and criminal law at Hendersonville’s Edwards & Edwards law firm. He has previously taught criminal justice as an adjunct professor at Volunteer State Community College and has coached Gallatin High School’s mock trial team. According to a press release from his campaign, Edwards prioritizes public safety. “My duty as judge will be to ensure that we preserve the safety of our community in which our citizens live, work, play and raise their families.” 

The Memphis Bar Association will present its Access to Justice Committee awards during an Oct. 29 ceremony, from noon until 3 p.m. CDT. Speakers for the virtual program include: Constance Brown, Memphis Area Legal Services managing attorney; Linda Seely, Butler Snow pro bono counsel; Danielle Woods, MBA Access to Justice chair; Morgan B. Hanna, Children’s Project staff attorney & Welcome South pro bono coordinator; and Tina Lum Perrusquia, Community Legal Clinic pro se divorce clinic attorney and pro bono coordinator. The awards ceremony will immediately follow the program, titled “Pro Bono During the Pandemic.” Learn more and register here.

Register now for the “Bankruptcy Webcast: Cases, COVID, Cares and CAA” on Nov. 8 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. This seminar will discuss recent cases of interest as well as options for debtors impacted by COVID under the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, including options for repaying mortgage forbearances and escrow shortages as a result of forbearances. Bankruptcy Section members will receive a discount on the program. Not a section member? Join today.  

Nashville law firm MTR Family Law has announced it will merge with Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin effective Jan. 1, 2022, the Nashville Post reports. The Gullett Sanford team will consist of 33 practicing attorneys once the deal is complete. MTR's six attorneys will establish Gullett Sanford’s new Family Law Practice Group. “We feel privileged to combine two long-standing, Nashville-based law firms who share similar values, commitment to client service and investment in the Nashville community,” managing member Phil Welty said in a statement. The firm will operate from its two current locations: GSRM Law Downtown at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place and GSRM Law West at 23rd Avenue North.

Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman yesterday announced his recommendation that veteran Metro attorney Margaret Darby take over as legal counsel for the Metro Council, the Nashville Post reports. Darby, the assistant Metropolitan attorney, currently leads a legal team dealing with fiscal administration issues for Metro Council and supervises Metro’s property tax litigation. She would replace attorney Jon Cooper, who left Metro Council for Bone McAllester Norton earlier this year. In an email to Metro councilmembers, Shulman said Darby “brings a wealth of information to this role and the history and knowledge of how Metro has operated, specifically from a financial standpoint.”