FBI agents conducted interviews with state lawmakers throughout the 2021 legislative session as part of their probe believed to be focused on political vendor Phoenix Solutions, TNJ: On the Hill reports. The interviews were with lawmakers who had political consulting work with former House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who both had their homes and offices raided by the FBI in January. Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, spoke with agents as recently as the last day of session, telling the Times Free Press that his interview “centered around” Casada and Smith and a survey he did with Phoenix Solutions. Several lawmakers have said Smith was a vocal advocate for Phoenix, but this is the first time Casada has been publicly linked to the group. Both have declined to say whether they have any ownership stake in the business. Zachary said he didn’t feel he provided any new information to agents “because Glen never pressured me, he didn’t hound me” to use the firm.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 17 attorneys today for failure to pay the annual registration fee and/or file proof that client funds are being held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order or the IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended for fee and IOLTA violations in 2021 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Metro Nashville is suing the Davidson County Election Commission over its decision last night to allow an anti-tax referendum to go before voters, the Tennessean reports. The commission voted 3-2 to place the measure on the ballot for a July 27 special election. The decision came after the commission received a legal opinion from its counsel and Vanderbilt University Professor Jim Blumstein saying it was the commission’s “duty” to get the measure on the ballot in 75 to 90 days. The petition aims to limit the city’s power over property tax rates, public property transfers, recall elections and more. It would roll back Davidson County’s property tax rate to the level it was before last year’s 34% increase. Metro’s lawsuit questions the validity of different versions of the circulated petition, which proposed different election dates. It also calls the petition language defective and argues it did not meet the threshold of required signatures to trigger a special election.

Five attorneys have applied to fill the 19th Judicial District Circuit Court vacancy that was created when Judge Jill Bartee Ayers was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Middle Section. Robert T. Bateman, Carl Daniel Brollier Jr., Max D. Fagan, Nathaniel Ray Flinchbaugh and Joseph P. Weyant will be considered for the position. The candidates will be interviewed by the Trial Court Vacancy Commission at a public hearing on June 16 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Montgomery County Historic Courthouse, One Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040. Three candidates will be forwarded to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each applicant.  

Gov. Bill Lee has opted Tennessee out of a federal $300 weekly unemployment supplement, following after several other Southern states that have refused the additional payments, the Tennessean reports. "We will no longer participate in federal pandemic unemployment programs because Tennesseans have access to more than 250,000 jobs in our state,” Lee said in a statement. The state’s unemployment benefits of $275 weekly are among the lowest in the country and significantly below the national average of $387. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Montana have all recently opted out of the supplement. The federal assistance program in Tennessee will end on July 3.

Former Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau has joined communications firm Finn Partners, the Nashville Post reports. Martineau signed on as senior partner and will lead the firm’s environment, energy and sustainability practice in the Southeast. He previously led the environmental practice group at Waller and was an attorney at the federal Environmental Protection Agency before joining TDEC during former Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration. Martineau’s work at the Nashville office will include environmental protection, energy efficiency, regulatory compliance and innovation. 

Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, missed the entire 2021 legislative session due to complications from COVID-19, the Tennessean reports. Byrd was diagnosed with the virus in early December and spent more than a month in the intensive care unit and weeks on a ventilator. Since then, he has been back and forth between rehab centers and hospitals. Rep. Kent Calfee, R-Kingston, announced from the House floor on April 29 that Byrd had “been in Vanderbilt about 10 days.” His absence, though rarely discussed during session, was excused, a common occurrence for legislators out with illness. Byrd has faced calls for resignation since 2018 when he was accused of sexually assaulting three women when they were underage in the 1980s. He has never publicly denied the allegations.

The TBA’s Family Law Section will host an Alimony Bench Book Roundtable on May 17 from 11 a.m. until noon CDT. The event will cover all 2021 updates and changes to the 19th edition of the publication. Speakers will include the book’s authors: Judge Mary Wagner, Kurt Myers, Amy Amundsen and Siew-Ling Shea. The roundtable is free and available to all TBA members. You can purchase the bench book or access it for free as a Family Law Section member. 

The TBA Entertainment & Sports Law Section will host its annual CLE program on May 13 from 11 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. CDT. Presenters will provide up-to-date information and inside knowledge on some of the hottest topics in the entertainment and sports industries, including: catalog sales and the related financial and ethical components that come into play on both the buyer and seller sides; sports betting in Tennessee; the new age of artist development through TikTok; and the impact of cancel culture and morality clauses when it comes to holding artists accountable for their actions. The program is virtual and attendees will be able to ask questions through Zoom’s chat feature. Read more about the program and get registered.  

Every Mother’s Day the Tennessee Justice Center honors courageous moms, foster moms, grandmothers and other caregivers. This year, the center named nine women as Tennessee Justice Center Mothers and Caregivers of the Year. Read about each of these women on the center’s website and hear from Executive Director Michele Johnson on why the organization bestows this honor each year. In other news, the center has named Tim and Amanda Smith of Caryville as its “Parents of the Year.” WATE.com has their story of fostering a medically fragile child.