The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will conduct two clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics will take place Thursday from 3-4 p.m. CDT at Greenhouse Ministries in Murfreesboro and Saturday at the McHugh Clinic in Nashville from 8:30-10:30 a.m. CDT. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the list of all September clinics.

Former Brunswick, Georgia, district attorney Jackie Johnson, has been indicted on criminal charges stemming from her handling of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, the ABA Journal reports. Arbery, a Black man, was chased and shot by a white father and son while out for a run in February 2020. Johnson was indicted on the felony charge of violating her oath as a public officer and the misdemeanor charge of obstruction of a police officer. The indictment alleges that Johnson showed “favor and affection” to one of the men involved in the killing who had also worked as an investigator in Johnson’s office. It says Johnson also failed “to treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity” when she recommended the appointment of another county’s prosecutor without disclosing that she had previously sought the assistance of that prosecutor in the investigation. If convicted, she could face up to six years in prison.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday said the U.S. Department of Justice will protect women in Texas who are seeking an abortion as it “urgently explores all options” to challenge the state’s near-total ban on abortions, the ABA Journal reports. Texas’ new state law incentivizes private citizens to sue doctors and others who knowingly help a woman get an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Garland said the DOJ would rely on civil and criminal enforcement provisions of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The 1994 FACE Act bans the use or threat of force against people seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services. Abortion rights groups were handed a narrow victory on Friday after a state court judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking Texas’ largest anti-abortion group from suing Planned Parenthood. The order applies to Texas Right to Life and parties “in active concert and participation with them.” Meanwhile, The Hill reports that rideshare companies, Uber and Lyft, have announced they will pay legal fees for any of their drives who are sued under the new law.  

Judy Wood Franks, longtime Signal Mountain resident and attorney, died on Aug. 26 in Nyack, New York. She was 77. Franks earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1981 and was editor in chief of the school’s Law Review. Franks clerked for Judge John Beyers in the Court of Criminal Appeals and later for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Frank Drowota. She was also staff attorney for the Supreme Court. She is preceded in death by her husband, former Chancellor and Chief Judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals Herschel Franks. A memorial service will be set at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made to the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas or St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church of Signal Mountain.

LaFollette attorney, Keith Hatfield, died on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 50. Hatfield earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was licensed in 1997. He primarily handled criminal defense cases in Knox and Campbell counties. An avid sports fan, Hatfield hosted sports talk show, “Holding Court,” on Knoxville’s WLAF radio station. A celebration of Hatfield’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in Hatfield’s honor to Campbell County Animal Shelter, 745 Towe String Rd, Jacksboro, TN 37757.

The TBA YLD’s first CLE of the bar year will take place Oct. 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. CDT. “Cultural Competency for the Young Lawyer” will include a discussion on implicit bias, how it impacts lawyers and why it matters. The webcast will offer two hours of ethics credit and feature real-life examples from the courtroom and with clients. Speakers include Knoxville lawyer Sherley Cruz with the University of Tennessee College of Law and Brentwood lawyer Julie Peak with the Law Offices of Julie Bhattacharya Peak. Registrants will complete the Harvard Implicit Bias Test prior to attending the course.

Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. is expected to formally announce that he is running for governor of Tennessee tomorrow, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The Commercial Appeal reports that Smiley’s campaign sent a media advisory inviting the press to an event tomorrow at the Orpheum Theatre where Smiley will address his potential run for the office. Smiley was elected to Memphis City Council in 2019. He represents Super District 8.

Shelby County General Sessions Judge Louis Montesi today ruled that surveillance video showing the fatal shooting of Alvin Motley cannot be released until a preliminary hearing takes place, the Commercial Appeal reports. Montesi’s order barred the release to ensure the protection of the defendant’s right to a fair trial and impartial preliminary hearing and to protect public trust. The judge had already told the prosecutor’s office to hold off on releasing the video until today’s written order. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28.  

Charles Levada Shelton, 31, a man being held at Hamilton County’s Silverdale Jail, has died of COVID-19 complications, the Chattanoogan reports. Shelton is the second Silverdale inmate to die from complications of the virus in recent weeks. Morghan Jean Elmore died from apparent COVID-19 complications late last month shortly after she’d given birth in a local hospital. The Silverdale facility is owned by Hamilton County and is run through a private third party. Because this is considered an in-custody death, the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office has requested the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division to conduct an investigation.

TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson has been elected to serve as secretary for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, the Nashville Post reports. Stevenson has served as neighborhood representative since being appointed to the board by Nashville Mayor John Cooper in June 2020. The group also elected Bill Freeman as board chairman and Nancy Sullivan as vice chair. Dr. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University, was also added to the board.