A Middle Tennessee State University professor is suing state Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, after Faison blocked him on Facebook, WPLN reports. MTSU adjunct professor Dean Fox argues that being denied access from an elected official’s account violates his First Amendment right to speak freely in a public forum. Fox and Faison earlier this month exchanged words on the social media platform, resulting in the lawmaker deleting comments he had written to Fox and blocking the professor from his page. His attorneys are asking that Faison unblock Fox and stop him from deleting Fox's comments. 

Nashville-based private prison contractor CoreCivic faces two new lawsuits from the parents of inmates who died behind bars, Tennessee Lookout reports. The parents accuse the company of intentionally understaffing the four prisons it runs in Tennessee to boost profits for shareholders, holding costs at bay by refusing to seek outside medical care for ailing inmates, ignoring drug smuggling by its own guards, and failing to keep inmates safe. “CoreCivic needs to be held accountable, and the [parents] intend to do just that,” attorney Janet Goode wrote in one of two wrongful death lawsuits filed recently in U.S. District Court.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the Chattanooga Bar Association YLD and the TBA YLD are hosting an expungement clinic workday on Sept. 30 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. EDT at the Edney Innovation Center in Chattanooga. Volunteer attorneys will gather and work together to review client records for expungement eligibility. To volunteer sign up online or email mdevoe@laet.org.

Former Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate was recently honored with the 2022 Friend of the Conference Award from the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. Hamilton County Judge Alex McVeagh presented Tate with the award, commending her “passion and care” for the work she has done to help those with mental illness and substance abuse issues in the state. Tate expressed how much the award meant to her and turned praise back on the event’s attendees for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The AOC has more on the story.  

The TBA’s BarBuzz podcast and its executive producer Kate Prince have received the top media award from the NABE national legal communications group. Now in its third year, the monthly podcast is an anchor for the TBA’s Podcast Network, which includes four other shows. Each episode features a quick and entertaining rundown of Tennessee legal news, bar association events and announcements and shoutouts to members who deserve a #humblebrag. To date it has recorded more than 7,000 downloads. Prince, who is the TBA’s Digital Media & Leadership Development Coordinator, also co-hosts the program, which features a different member each month as co-host.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on Tuesday at 9 a.m. CDT to discuss out-of-state companies and nexus in Tennessee. Participants will learn about sales tax, business tax and Tennessee’s franchise and excise taxes. Register for the program here.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold a veterans clinic next Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37203. To volunteer for the clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all September clinics.

In a first step to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert, State Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, says he will soon file a bill that would make it easier to trigger a recall election, the Commercial Appeal reports. Halbert, who was elected in August with 49% of the vote, has recently been criticized for a months-long backlog in the mailing of license plates, which she now says has been resolved. To deal with that backlog, Halbert closed the clerk’s office for two weeks. She faced further backlash after making a trip to Jamiaca during the first week’s closure. “Citizens of all community deserve the best from their elected officials,” White said in a news release. “The issues that have plagued the Shelby County Clerk’s Office are simply unacceptable. The bill would reduce the number of signatures needed for a recall election and would require a county legislative body to pass a resolution of no confidence of the officer at center of the recall election. According to the Daily Memphian, Halbert says she shouldn’t be subject to a modified state recall election bill because she is a whistleblower.

Conservative activist Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to participate in a voluntary interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Associated Press reports. Thomas' lawyer said she is “eager to answer the committee’s questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election.” The panel announced Wednesday that it will reconvene for a hearing on Sept. 28, likely the last in a series of hearings that began this summer.

The Rogersville Review reports that Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny has chosen long time Coffee County resident and attorney Ed North as the temporary part-time Coffee County attorney, effective Oct. 1. North received his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2003. He has practiced continuously as an associate and partner of the Manchester-based law firm of Rogers, Duncan and North, and he is the owner and operator of North Properties and North Farms. North has served on the Tennessee Bar Association's House of Delegates since 2009, representing the 14th district.