Davidson County lawyer Ivan Omar Lopez was censured Monday for violating Rule of Professional Conduct Rule 1.15. The court found that in the representation of two clients, Lopez paid the full cost of medical bills out of his operating account rather than paying a portion out of his trust account and the rest out of his operating account as he should have. When he discovered the error, Lopez made a second error in depositing too much into trust, resulting in commingling of $3,149 of his funds with his client funds for two weeks. The court found that his conduct was negligent, not intentional, and did not result in harm to his clients or to the medical provider at issue. As a condition of the censure, the court directed him to attend the Board of Professional Responsibility’s next Trust Account Workshop.

State Rep. Karen D. Camper, D-Memphis, led a roundtable discussion Monday as part of the Southern Legislative Conference, which was held in Nashville this week. Camper, who is the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus leader and president of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative (NOBEL) Women, was joined by other legislators of color, who discussed last year’s protests around the 2020 presidential election and this year’s protests around voter suppression. Camper noted the importance of capitalizing on the next generation’s interest in politics, and when opportunities come to pass bills, Black lawmakers should consider whether communities of color will benefit. Tennessee Lookout has the story.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission today voted to send three candidates to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration in filling a seat on  the Seventh Judicial District Circuit Court, which covers Anderson County. After conducting a public hearing and interviews, the commission voted to recommend Dail R. Cantrell of Clinton, Karen G. Crutchfield of Oak Ridge and Ryan Michael Spitzer of Clinton. The vacancy was created by the July 2 retirement of Judge Donald R. Elledge. Read more about the three candidates on the Administrative Office of the Court’s website.

Tennessee death row inmate Stephen Hugueley died today, just three days after the state filed a motion to set his execution date. His attorney Amy Harwell said she received a call just before 6 a.m. notifying her of the death. She also told WMCA News 5 that Hugueley had been suicidal for years but prison officials did not think that was the cause of death. Hugueley was sentenced in 2003 for fatally stabbing a prison counselor at the Hardeman County Correctional Complex. At the time, he was serving a life sentence for killing his mother.

State Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, says his constituents are split over legalizing marijuana so he is proposing legislation to ask Tennesseans for feedback, Fox Chattanooga reports. His bill, HB1634, would require county election commissions to include the following three non-binding questions on the 2022 November ballot: (1) Should the state legalize medical marijuana? (2) Should the state decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana? and (3) Should the state legalize and regulate commercial sales of recreational use marijuana?

This month, Tennessee became only the sixth state to create an avenue for convicted individuals to use fingerprint databases to prove their innocence, Mainstreet Nashville reports. Jessica Van Dyke with the Tennessee Innocence Project said the law is a great thing for the state: “Tennessee lags behind other states in exonerations relative to overall prison population. As we learn about the unreliability of eyewitness identification and other issues that can inadvertently cause wrongful convictions, it is important to utilize scientific testing to ensure that no one who is innocent remains in prison ...” Adam Braseel is one convicted felon who would have benefitted from the new law. Read about his case and his attorneys from Burr Forman.

An administrative law judge has upheld a decision by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to suspend the license of a Chattanooga facility for migrant children, Chattanoogan.com reports. The ruling against the Baptiste Group came after two staff members at the facility were charged with inappropriate sexual contact with children. Read TBA’s past coverage of the situation.

Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge L. Marie Williams has announced she is seeking re-election for a fourth term on the court, Chattanoogan.com reports. In 1995, Williams was appointed to the bench by then Gov. Don Sundquist, making her the first female trial court judge in the county. Williams said she wants to continue serving the county, "believing each individual is entitled to be treated with dignity and to receive a fair resolution of their dispute."

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani announced it will relocate to McEwen Northside, a new development in the Cool Springs area of Franklin in September. The national firm first opened a Nashville office in 2018, the Nashville Post reports. Branded as a "walkable, urban village,” McEwen Northside will eventually have 750,000 square feet of office space and 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.

Leaders with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference joined supporters of death row inmate Pervis Payne in Memphis this week to continue their calls for Payne’s freedom, WBIR reports. Events designed to bring attention to Payne’s case, including a press conference and rally, were held Wednesday and Thursday. A gathering this morning near the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center featured prayers by faith leaders. Attorneys for Pervis were expected in court today to present evidence supporting his intellectual disability claim.