Make plans now to gather with colleagues at the Olsen Law Firm in Chattanooga on Feb. 1 to join the TBA's Tax Law Forum livestream. This year's program, in person in Knoxville and also livestreaming in Nashville, will focus on the tax implications of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) new policy on name, image and likeness (NIL) activities. E. Michael Brezina, a Knoxville attorney and law professor who also co-founded Next Level Athletics and Varsity Sports Group, will lead this fascinating discussion.

Tennessee House members looking into the feasibility of rejecting federal education funding want a comprehensive study of food waste in school cafeterias under federally funded child nutrition programs, reports the Tennessean in a story originally published by Chalkbeat. Members are evaluating recommendations outlined in a 13-page report submitted Jan. 19 by the House members of the Joint Legislative Panel on Forgoing Federal Education Funding. The report recommends additional oversight of requirements that accompany federal funds, review of new federal rules and directives, and review of federal requirements for student testing. The report was submitted nearly two weeks after Senate members of the joint panel issued their own report, citing disagreements with House colleagues about findings and recommendations.

Tennessee attorney Frank Douglas Newman died Jan. 21 at 91. Newman was born in Coral Gables, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, receiving his law degree in 1957. After serving as a captain in U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam, Newman practiced law in Jacksonville and DeLand, later becoming a partner in a Miami law firm, where he spent most of his law career. In 2002, Newman relocated to Tennessee, opening a law office in downtown Elizabethton. He was involved with the Elizabethton Kiwanis Club and in 2019, was presented the East Tennessee Foundation Citizen of the Year Award. Memorial donations may be made to the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, 104 Hudson Dr., Elizabethton, TN 37643. The family says it will hold a celebration of life at a future date.

Frank Buck, a former state representative, died yesterday at 80. Buck was born in 1943 in Trousdale County and graduated from Tennessee Technological University before receiving a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He first joined the law office of McAllen Foutch and later formed his own practice, Buck & Buck Attorneys, with his wife Lena. In 1972, Buck successfully ran for the General Assembly and represented District 40 for 36 years, retiring in 2005. While in the House, Buck served as chair of the House Judiciary and Conservation and Environment committees and vice chair of the Transportation Committee. The Tennessean has this in-depth look at his time in office. Buck was named Tennessean of the Year in 2005 and served four years as chair of the Tennessee Judicial Council. Visitation is scheduled at Love Cantrell Funeral Home, 100 East Church St., Smithville 37166 on Jan. 27 from 3-7 p.m. and on Jan. 28 from 11a.m.- 2p.m. CST. A celebration of life will follow the visitation on Jan. 28.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance has asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate two Constitutional Republican groups to determine if they should register as political action committees (PACs). The registry took the action Tuesday following a complaint that the groups — Sumner County Constitutional Republicans and Tennessee Constitutional Republicans — should register. The groups deny they are PACs, saying they are private social clubs that do not provide financial support to candidates, though they have endorsed candidates. They also say the complaint lacks substance and appears to be politically motivated. Tennessee Lookout reports on the developments.

The American Bar Association (ABA) on Monday hosted “The Impact of Deepfakes on the Justice System,” a program covering topics such as deepfake regulation, authentication and the potential burden to the justice system. The program featured law and research professors from Duke University and the University of California Berkley, as well as U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm of the District of Maryland. The group discussed the limits of tools such as watermarking and Rule 901 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regarding authenticating evidence. Read more about the discussion.

The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates will meet at the ABA's upcoming 2024 Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 5. The House has 31 resolutions on the agenda, including a measure requiring ABA-approved law schools to have broad free speech policies. The House encompasses 597 delegates from ABA-affiliated entities as well as state, local and specialty bar associations. Read more about issues to be debated.

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and two of its top employees have been ordered to pay $485,000 to a family after a jury found that the office unlawfully seized nearly 50 beef cattle from their Chapel Hill farm. The sheriff's office took the action after the couple was accused of animal cruelty, reports the Tennessean. The jury also found the office unlawfully forced a family member to escort the officers to the farm. According to documents filed in the lawsuit, the sheriff’s office routinely did not obtain warrants for accusations of animal cruelty for at least five years before the lawsuit. In some cases, the office sold the cattle for a profit according to a deposition by the county sheriff. The couple recently located to another county.

Robert Conrad Jr. will take over as director of the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts as of March 1, Bloomberg Law reports. Conrad will replace Roslynn R. Mauskopf, who is stepping down at the end of this month. Lee Ann Bennett, the office’s deputy director, will lead the agency in an acting capacity for the month of February. Conrad has spent nearly two decades on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, including seven years as chief judge. He took senior status this past May. The office oversees administrative business affecting the federal court system, including drafting the judiciary’s budget requests to Congress. Read more in a press release from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is opposing sunsetting of the Board of Court Reporting and elimination of the licensure requirements for court reporters in the state. In a statement, the council writes that, “properly trained and licensed court reporters” are necessary for certain juvenile court proceedings, including termination of parental rights. Because of the high stakes involved in these cases, the council says it is vital that transcripts accurately reflect what happens. Without licensed court reporters, the group says it is concerned that the “legitimacy and authenticity of the transcript may be challenged” — potentially leading an appellate court to vacate or reverse a juvenile court decision with “catastrophic consequences for the child and prospective adoptive family.” Public comments on possible sunsetting of the court reporting board were accepted through Jan. 19.