Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston did not attend today’s County Commission meeting after having been asked to appear by Commissioner Tim Boyd, the Chattanoogan reports. Boyd, who was once prosecuted by Pinkston on an extortion charge, had previously called for the DA to appear before the commission to answer questions on whether he has been using county funds to pay relatives. County Attorney Rhuebin Taylor told the commission they had no subpoena power and cannot require Pinkston to answer questions. 

President Joe Biden today nominated appellate lawyer Elizabeth Prelogar to serve as solicitor general, The Hill reports. Prelogar has spent seven months as acting solicitor general and has already argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in the capacity. Prelogar has previously clerked for Attorney General Merrick Garland when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals and she served as assistant to the solicitor general from 2014 to 2019. If her nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Prelogar would be the second woman in history to serve as solicitor general. 

A new episode of the TBA BarBuzz podcast is now available on the TBA’s website or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Andrae Crismon of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands co-hosts this month’s episode to help cover upcoming bar association events and programs, legal news from across the state and beyond and special acknowledgement of several attorneys who have recently made worthwhile contributions to the legal community. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and features a new episode at the beginning of each month.

Licensed psychotherapist Lindsey O’Connell is back for the second installment of the TBA’s video series of quick tips for attorney well-being. This week, O’Connell gives advice on how to overcome three categories of thought distortions: catastrophizing, perfectionism and mind reading. One tip is to utilize the “Catch, Challenge and Change” technique by noticing a distorted thought, challenging that thought and replacing it with new and true ideas that both support and ground you in reality. “The bottom line is, you don’t have to listen to every thought that comes to mind,” O’Connell says. “Sometimes, learning to filter your thoughts is just the skill you need in order to feel your best.” Watch the video now on the TBA’s YouTube page.

Mark your calendar for the TBA LGBT Section’s Annual Forum on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT. This year’s program will focus on political concerns for Tennessee’s LGBT community, including an panel that will address how to become more involved locally in the fight for equal justice, how to build a grassroots movement and more. The section also will host a booth at the Nashville Pride Festival to answer basic questions and provide attendees with relevant resources. If you are interested in volunteering to assist at the festival, please contact section coordinator Jarod Word.

The University of Tennessee College of Law is seeking candidates for two full-time, tenure-track or tenured faculty positions to begin in the Fall of 2022. The law school is looking for candidates who will fill a range of curricular needs, including in the areas of business law, corporate and regulatory compliance, education law, environmental law, estate planning, health law, immigration law, legal writing and property. They also seek candidates who integrate cutting-edge legal issues into their courses or are interested in helping to expand offerings in areas like technology, cybersecurity, e-discovery and data privacy. Find more on the position and instructions on how to apply on the College of Law’s website.

The Memphis Bar Association and the Center for Excellence in Decision-Making will present the Recognizing Implicit Bias Issues in Sentencing virtual program on Aug. 18 from noon until 1:10 p.m. CDT. This free webinar will consist of a panel discussion exploring the effect of individual bias on the criminal justice sentencing process, specific instances of such bias and practical suggestions on how to limit its effect. The panel will include: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald, University of Memphis law professor Demetria Frank, and University of Tennessee law professor Sherley E. Cruz. The discussion will be moderated by Shelby County Chief Public Defender Phyllis Aluko.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were back in court this week, sparring over an ongoing lawsuit surrounding COVID-19 precautions at the Shelby County Jail, the Daily Memphian reports. The sheriff’s office moved to terminate a consent decree that both parties agreed to in April that offered guidelines for protecting inmates from infection, as well as how to administer the jail’s vaccination program. Nathan Tilly, who represents the sheriff’s office, argued that the jail has satisfied the three points needed to fulfill the decree: a 14-day vaccination benchmark, adequate educational materials and the implementation of non-punitive incentives. Attorneys for the ACLU, and other civil rights groups like Memphis’ Just City, called expert witness, Michael Brady, who was hired by the court in 2020 to give inspections. Brady cited several issues of “great concern,” and said the jail’s vaccination rate is “dramatically lower” than other jails. 

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been hired to represent the family of Alvin Motley, a Black man who was killed over the weekend by a Kroger gas station security guard, the Commercial Appeal reports. Motley, who was nearly blind and unarmed, was fatally shot by the security guard after an alleged argument over loud music. Crump and Motley’s family earlier today met with Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich, who agreed to show surveillance camera footage of the shooting to the family at a later date. Attorneys then plan to release the video to the public. The security guard, Gregory Livingston, remains in jail and faces a second-degree murder charge. Attorneys working with the Motley family say they want immediate civil settlement negotiations with Kroger and a third-party company who employed the security guard.

First Judicial District Chancellor John Rambo of Jonesborough says he has been asked to sit on the new three-judge panel to hear a challenge to the legality of the state’s tax on wine, the Johnson City Press reports. Speaking to the East Tennessee Republican Club yesterday, Rambo said he’d been tapped by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins to hear the case. The three-judge panel was created in the last legislative session to hear constitutional challenges to state law. Rambo also announced to the group that he will be running for re-election in 2022.