Davidson County election commissioners agreed last week that a sufficient number of petition signatures have been filed by the 4 Good Government group to trigger a special election, Mainstreet Nashville reports. Commissioners have not yet voted to send the measure to the public on a special election ballot. The referendum effort seeks to limit Metro’s ability to raise property taxes.

Nobody wants to be THAT person. Learn how to avoid diversity, equity and inclusion faux pas during a live webcast with Kansas City, Missouri, attorneys Keith and Dana Cutler on May 27 beginning at 1 p.m. CDT. The Cutlers will define and explain the concepts of microaggressions, non-binary bias, implicit biases and allyship, and share ideas for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in your work environment and the legal profession. The couple are partners in the law firm of James W. Tippin & Associates where they practice in the areas of civil defense litigation, education law and small business representation.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold one phone clinic 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. The clinic will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. To help answer questions, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The Tennessee Bar Association is seeking to fill two new positions —  Special Projects Coordinator and CLE Coordinator II. These are both part-time positions that involve administration and coordination of programming for the Tennessee Bar Association, which was recently recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as a "Best Place to Work" in Nashville. Both positions will involve remote work and work at the Tennessee Bar Association offices. 

The TBA is seeking a part-time CLE Coordinator II to facilitate, coordinate and administer development of continuing education seminars.  The successful candidate will coordinate communications, meetings, initiatives and programs (including CLE and pro bono) for the sections and committees of the TBA. Learn more and find out how to apply.

The TBA is seeking a part-time Special Programs Coordinator (hereafter referred to as the SPC) of the Tennessee Bar Association (“TBA”) to provide organizational and administrative support to the TBA and its activities, and work directly with the Executive Director. The individual is expected to work semi-independently and manage multiple projects at one time. Learn more and find out how to apply.

Tennessee Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, and Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, are moving SB282/HB1386, which will cap attorneys’ fees for attorneys representing both counties and county officials in lawsuits, provided for in T.C.A. 8-20-102, brought by county officials, including sheriffs, clerks and registers of deeds, if the county refuses to provide the resources required to perform their duties. The TBA has spent hours working with the sponsors on legislation that would implement judicial oversight to ensure that fees are reasonable, but the amendment to the bill that will be considered by the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday still caps attorneys’ fees at $35,000, among other things.

Please take a minute to reach out to the members of the House Local Government Committee by calling or emailing them and asking them to oppose HB1386 when it is considered by the committee next week. Passing legislation that caps attorneys’ fees is a terrible precedent and must be stopped. The amendment provides that if fees for either party exceed $35,000, or the amount of recovery for the first budget year of the petitioner, the fee and expense plan is presumed to be unreasonable, and that presumption may only be overcome by clear and convincing evidence.

The U.S. Senate yesterday passed legislation aimed at combating a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reports. The bill, which passed 94-1, now goes to the House of Representatives where leaders are expected to bring up their version of the legislation. The bill directs the Justice Department to designate an official to review coronavirus-related hate crimes and strengthen state and local resources. The move comes after a California State University study of 16 cities found a 149% increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020.

Private prison operator CoreCivic has reached an agreement in principle to pay $56 million to settle a 2016 lawsuit filed by shareholders who accused the company of inflating stock prices by misrepresenting the quality and value of its services. CoreCivic’s stock initially fell when the federal Department of Justice said it would no longer work with private prison operators. But the company argued that the DOJ directive was rescinded by the Trump administration and stock prices went on to fully recover. It says it decided to settle the suit to eliminate the risk, cost and distraction litigation would have caused. A jury trial had been scheduled to begin on May 10, the Associated Press reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place an appeals court decision that Tennessee’s rationing of life-saving hepatitis C drugs to prisoners was constitutional, the Associated Press reports. The court decided this week it would not take up an appeal of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision from last August. The appeals court sided with the trial court that state officials did not act with deliberate indifference to prisoners’ medical needs and were reasonable in prioritizing the sickest patients for treatment. The prisoners sued the Tennessee Department of Corrections in 2016 for indifference to their serious medical needs.