The March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online! The cover story by mentor and mentee pair Buck Lewis and Brock Willis offers a proactive, strategic approach that emphasizes regular engagement and long-term growth rather than reactive crisis management. In her President's Perspective column, Heidi Barcus also encourages lawyers to mentor others, not only because it strengthens the profession, but also because it strengthens the community. A feature story by Daniel Horwitz on waiver rules in Tennessee appellate procedures and columns on TLAP's 2025 annual report, competency to stand trial and Elvis' autopsy cases offer a wide variety of reading on topics of interest to Tennessee lawyers. Also get an update from the Drowota Trust and news from the TBA, including new leadership coming in 2028 and an update on construction at the new TBA office.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is planning to step away from court battles with four major law firms that previously won rulings blocking President Donald Trump’s executive orders against them, Bloomberg Law reports. The decision to drop appeals of the rulings would end litigation over the orders, which four federal judges struck down as unconstitutional in separate decisions last year. The decision is a win for the four firms challenging the orders: WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey. Trump’s orders had, among other impacts, revoked lawyers’ security clearances and barred them from entering federal buildings. At the time the executive orders were imposed, the president said he was fighting back against law firms that had “weaponized” the justice system.

Former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is using a new book to make a closing argument for the value of public service. According to WBIR, in “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump,” Alexander will reflect on more than 50 years in politics and encourages Americans who want change to seek elected office themselves. Alexander spoke on the campus of Maryville College and said those who want to create meaningful change should seek elected office or work for an elected official. Alexander, a former Tennessee governor, U.S. education secretary and three-term U.S. senator, reportedly will recount encounters with presidents from John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump and offer candid assessments of their leadership. The book is scheduled for release in May.

U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn,  and state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, have released a letter on social media asking Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy for more information about a recent report from a local court-watch group. According to The Daily Memphian, Memphis Crime Beat alleged that three out of four felony cases prosecuted by the District Attorney General’s Office in December ended without prison time. The group analyzed 514 felony cases resolved in Shelby County Criminal Court that month, reporting that 144 were dismissed and 370 resulted in some type of sentence. In their letter, Blackburn and Taylor asked how many cases involved arrests by the Memphis Safe Task Force and why relatively few defendants received prison time. They asked Mulroy to respond by March 6. Mulroy said many of the cases involved nonviolent offenses or defendants without significant criminal histories and noted that some sentencing decisions were made by judges without his office’s agreement.

Nearly 120 years after a mob lynched Ed Johnson, he and other lynching victims have been memorialized with a historic marker in front of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. In 1906, Johnson, a Black man, was lynched on the Walnut Street Bridge before a crowd of about 100 people after being falsely accused of rape and sentenced to death despite testimony supporting his innocence. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a stay of execution, but Johnson was killed before it could be enforced. His conviction was posthumously overturned in 2000, and a memorial was installed on the bridge property in 2021. The new marker recounts Johnson’s story and the broader history of lynching in America, noting at least five documented lynching victims in Hamilton County and more than 375 in Tennessee between 1865 and 1950.

The Shelby County Election Commission approved a list of candidates for the May 5 Democratic and Republican county primary elections during its meeting last week with several key court clerk races drawing multiple contenders. Jamita E. Swearengen, the current circuit court clerk, is running unopposed for reelection. Juvenile Court Clerk Janeen Gordon, a Democrat, faces two challengers in the primary, with no Republican candidate qualifying. Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn is not eligible for reelection due to term limits and instead is seeking the county mayor’s office, leaving a field of five Democrats — Rheunte E. Benson, Lawrence Denton Jr., Wanda Halbert, Carla Stotts and Joe Towns Jr. — and one Republican, Edquardo Jamison, to compete for her seat. Probate Court Clerk Eddie Jones, also a Democrat, is up for reelection and faces challenger William Chism Jr. No Republican entered that race. Read more about the candidates in the Commercial Appeal.

Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a statewide fund to help fill gaps left by cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On Thursday, the Tennessee Senate approved $100 million for the “Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund,” along with ongoing funding to establish a four-person staff. According to Chattanooga Times Free Press, the fund would assist smaller communities that have difficulty qualifying for federal disaster declarations. The Senate approved SB2232 by a vote of 29-1. Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said the state is right to plan ahead but cautioned that $100 million, though significant in a tightening budget, could be quickly depleted if FEMA reduces funding. Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, a sponsor of the bill, said the revamped fund would provide a pathway for local governments and individuals to seek state assistance when federal aid is unavailable or insufficient.

The TBA Intellectual Property Section will host the next installment of its webcast series on April 1 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The session will focus on post-grant patent strategies in light of new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rules and trends. The program will examine recent procedural updates, including director-centric institution decisions and efforts to curb parallel validity challenges, and will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of various post-grant proceedings. The webcast will be presented by Rhett Sexton of Merchant & Gould in Knoxville. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

Volunteers are needed for an expungement clinic on March 14 from 9 a.m. to noon CDT at Greenhouse Ministries located at 307 Academy St., Murfreesboro 37130. The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will be collaborating with Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands to hold the event. To volunteer contact YLD District Representative Alyssa Fox. View a flyer for the event.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee has announced the recent hiring and assignment of five new assistant U.S. attorneys. They are Jennifer Collins, Meghan Fowler, Raven Icaza, Gavin Smith and Irris Williams. He also announced one new special assistant U.S. attorney, Darrius Samples, and two new support staff positions in his office. “With the dramatic increase in our case filings since October, these new positions are much needed, and a welcome addition to our outstanding staff who effectively represents the United States, enforces the rule of law, and protects public safety in West Tennessee every day,” Dunavant said. Read more about the new hires in a press release.