Chattanooga attorney Kisha Cheeks officially kicked off her bid for Hamilton County Circuit Court judge. She is running as a Democrat and will face current Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Alex McVeagh in the August general election. McVeagh won the Republican primary on Tuesday. Cheeks has served as the principal attorney at the Cheeks Rucker Firm for the past seven years. She says serving as a judge would be the “opportunity of a lifetime.” Read more about her campaign from Chattanoogan.com.

Join the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) on March 12 from noon to 2 p.m. CDT for QPR Gatekeeper Training, a free educational training program on suicide prevention. The event will take place in person in the Nashville office of Sherrard Roe Voit & Harbison, 150 3rd Ave S. #1100, Nashville 37201. "Question, Persuade and Refer" (QPR) is designed so that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Those trained in QPR know how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to offer help. Speakers include Lauren Castor, clinical case manager for TLAP and Erin Lynch, a member of the TLAP's Professional Clinical Team. Learn more and register.

Tennessee-based Baker Donelson has opened its first office in Charlotte, North Carolina, and named a local leader, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The new office, located in the One South tower at 101 S. Tryon St., Ste. 3600, will be led by managing shareholder Fred Wood. He will be joined by Thomas Hooper, Paul Osowski, Evan Sauda, William Starr and Noelle Wooten, all of whom are joining the firm from the Charlotte office of Nelson Mullins. Two other Nelson Mullins attorneys are joining Baker’s Raleigh and Charleston offices. The new office marks the firm's third location in the Carolinas since 2021. In October 2021, Baker Donelson opened its first North Carolina location in Raleigh and added a Charleston, South Carolina, location in September 2022. Since 2016, it also has had a presence in Columbia, South Carolina.

The University of Tennessee College of Law has received a $2 million gift from the Chattanooga law firm of Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers. The funding will support scholarships for students interested in pursuing legal careers in advocacy, as well as the College of Law Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, the College of Law Legal Clinic and the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship. Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said that the firm’s sustained investment in helps ensure the college has the resources needed to prepare future leaders in advocacy. “We are incredibly grateful for this outstanding firm’s generous and continued support. It is making a profound difference in the lives of our students.” Read more in a release.

Speaking at yesterday’s funeral for Ramon McGee, who was found unresponsive in the Shelby County Jail covered in feces and bugs, and later died, Al Sharpton called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the conditions of the jail and the various deaths inside. "The Justice Department needs to find out what is going on in Shelby County Jail," Sharpton said. Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing multiple families whose loved ones have died at the facility, also called for action. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating McGee’s death, which was attributed to "severe neglect with malnutrition, dehydration, severe body insect infestation(s) and complications” by an independent autopsy. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the jail, has called the conditions of McGhee's death "completely unacceptable." The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.

Tami Sawyer will be the Democratic nominee for Shelby County General Sessions Court clerk, the Commercial Appeal reports. Sawyer, a former Shelby County commissioner and Memphis mayoral candidate, ran on a platform of modernizing the General Sessions Court system and reducing the case backlog. Incumbent Joe Brown, who came in second in the primary, had denied a backlog existed. "My opponents are giving out misinformation. I wanted to let you know that General Sessions Civil or Criminal do not have a backlog of cases," Brown said in an email to the paper. Sawyer will face former Shelby County Criminal Court clerk's office employee and Republican nominee Lisa Arnold in August for the general election. Arnold says she has worked in the court system for her entire career and wants to make customer service a priority in the courts.

Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton says he will meet with the chamber’s chief clerk and legislative leaders over Nashville Democratic Rep. Justin Jones’ unexcused absences from the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, TN Journal reports. Committee records show that Jones missed three of six Agriculture Committee meetings before the panel’s meeting on Wednesday, which he attended.

Various state House subcommittees acted on legislation under their jurisdiction this week. In the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee, a bill that would have banned cold beer sales was amended to establish a drunken driving task force. The 12-member task force will study drunken driving trends in Tennessee over the next year and recommend ways to decrease impaired driving, repeat offenders and underage drinking. In the Higher Education Subcommittee, members rejected a bill that would have banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Tennessee public universities and colleges. The Tennessee Journal reports on these actions. In the Population Health Subcommittee, members defeated a bill designed to protect in vitro fertilization treatments. Bill sponsors argued the measure was needed after the Alabama Supreme Court found that fertilized embryos have similar rights to children, WKRN reports. Republicans opposed the measure saying it was more confusing than current law and could allow for “selective abortion during IVF.” State Rep. Bryan Terry, R-Murfreesboro, also said the bill was not needed because a 2022 opinion from the Tennessee Attorney General already found that the state’s Human Life Protection Act does not apply to IVF treatment.

Franklin trial attorney and former police officer David Veile won the Republican primary for the 21st Judicial District Circuit Court seat yesterday, defeating incumbent appointee Erin Nations. He will advance to the general election, but with no Democratic opponent currently on the ballot, he likely will be unopposed. Veile is a former TBA Board of Governors member and former president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division. Gov. Bill Lee had appointed Nations to the court following Judge Michael Binkley’s retirement in September 2023. Nations said she will support Veile’s transition into the role, according to the Williamson Herald.

Stephen Hatchett won a three-way race for the Republican nomination for district attorney in the 10th Judicial District, defeating incumbent appointee Shari Tayloe and fellow challenger and former state lawmaker Jeff Miller. Hatchett won more than 36% of the total vote in the district that serves Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. Tayloe netted 34% while Miller drew about 30%. Gov. Bill Lee appointed Tayloe in July after longtime DA Stephen Crump resigned to take over as executive director of the Tennessee District Attorney General's Conference. No Democratic candidates were on the ballot for the seat, so Hatchett will be unopposed in August and sworn in Sept. 1, Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.