U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger's American Music Tourism Act has passed the U.S. House floor with bipartisan support. The legislation would require the assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism to implement a plan to support and increase music tourism for both domestic and international visitors. It also would mandate a report to Congress on the success and challenges related to achieving those tourism goals, the Jefferson County Post reports. “We’ve been working longer than nine to five to get this legislation passed through the House, and I’m thrilled that it passed with such overwhelming support,” the Kingsport Republican said. “This legislation will have a direct impact on Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District … we play a vital role in the music tourism industry.”

A Franklin city ordinance is facing pushback from a First Amendment organization for potentially violating the Constitution by regulating how residents can display flags and signs on their properties. According to The Tennessean, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen last week saying the city’s policies violate the First Amendment. The letter followed a September citation issued to a Franklin resident for displaying too many American flags in his yard. The ordinance regulates flags and temporary signs, stating that residents may display only two temporary signs at a time and no more than three flags. While the city has held workshops to explore revisions, FIRE contends the proposed changes still unlawfully restrict free expression and discriminate based on content, citing a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that referenced a 4th Circuit case finding such ordinances unconstitutional.

Davidson County lawyer Luvell Leigh Glanton received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 30. The court found that Glanton violated Rules of Professional Conduct 5.3 and 8.4(d) when he instructed his paralegal to appear in his stead at a case management conference. The paralegal did not disclose that he was not an attorney and was perceived by the Special Master and opposing counsel to be an attorney. The court also found that Glanton failed to supervise his paralegal and allowed the paralegal to hold himself out in an attorney’s capacity. The action was determined to be prejudicial to the administration of justice and required that the case management order later be vacated.

Hamilton County lawyer Zachery Steven Darnell received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 10. The court found that Darnell violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4 and 8.4(d) when he failed to timely notify the trial court, a custodian appointed to oversee his finances, and opposing counsel of the receipt of an asset subject to court injunction. The Supreme Court also found that Darnell should have asked the court’s permission to deposit the proceeds into his trust account. The Supreme Court released notice of the censure on April 29. A similar censure was imposed on Darnell’s colleague Daniel Olen Barham.

Reporters from across the state gathered in Nashville recently to learn about open meetings law, investigative journalism and more during the fifth annual Reporters Workshop program, produced jointly by the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation. Participants were selected from applicants interested in developing a deeper understanding of media law issues that may affect their everyday work. Friday's programming began with a panel of veteran investigative reporters — Jennifer Krause from NewsChannel 5, Meribah Knight from WPLN News and Stephen Elliott from the Nashville Banner — moderated by Amy Mohan of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. Other speakers included Jennifer Safstrom with Vanderbilt's First Amendment Clinic, who presented on reporter's privilege; Jay Harbison from Neal & Harwell, who spoke to attendees about staying on the right side of the law in reporting; and legal media experts Paul McAdoo from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Deborah Fisher from Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, who discussed the open records law. Saturday's session featured an overview of defamation with Ron Harris of Neal & Harwell and a panel on covering state and local government with Alex Apple from Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell's Office, Steve Cavendish from the Nashville Banner, and Holly McCall from the Tennessee Lookout. That panel was moderated by Clint Brewer from Imperium Public Strategies. The day wrapped up with a panel moderated by Robb Harvey of Holland & Knight on covering the courts with Judges Valerie Smith, Ana Escobar and Sam Coleman. See photos from the event. Thanks to this year's sponsors Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Neal & Harwell and Holland & Knight.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued a public censure for Williamson County lawyer Daniel Olen Barham on March 20. The court found that Barham violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.4 and 8.4(d) when he failed to timely notify the trial court, a custodian appointed to oversee his finances, and opposing counsel of the receipt of an asset subject to court injunction. The Supreme Court also found that Barham should have asked the court’s permission to deposit the proceeds into his trust account. The Supreme Court released notice of the censure today. A similar censure also was imposed on Braham's colleague Zachery Steven Darnell.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued a request for comments on three rules change proposals. The first, proposed by the CLE Commission, makes a number of changes to the commission’s regulations. The changes are detailed in a red line document attached to the order. The second proposes changes to Rule 21 Section 4.05 to reflect the fact that the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners no longer prepares bar examination questions and replace “Tennessee or any of the sister states” with “any state” in a section dealing with earning CLE credit through service as a bar examiner. The third proposes changes to Rule 21, section 5.01(g)(10) to align it with the current version of section 4.08(a). The deadline for submitting comments for any of these proposals is June 27. Written comments should reference docket No. ADM2025-00453 and be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov or mailed to James Hivner, Clerk, Re: Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21, 401 Seventh Ave. N., Ste. 321, Nashville, TN 37219-1407.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted amendments to Rule 9, Section 10.6; Rule 21, Section 7.07; and Rule 43, Section 15. The court said it was making the changes to “clarify and bring consistency” to rules dealing with the effective date of suspensions for non-payment of annual registration fees, non-compliance with requirements for Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA), and non-compliance with continuing legal education requirements. The amendments took effect immediately.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The award will be presented at the Bench Bar Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Franklin. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said the association is honoring Craft for his leadership in judicial education, ethics and professional well-being: “The TBA is pleased to honor Judge Chris Craft for 30 years of service to the Tennessee legal community. Throughout his career, Judge Craft has worked to improve the practice of law, foster excellence among state judges and help colleagues in need. We are grateful for his contributions. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed working with him when he previously served on the TBA Board of Governors when he was president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference.” Craft, who was nominated for the award by a group of fellow judges, has served on the criminal court since 1994. The Drowota Award is presented to a judge or judicial branch official who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice. Read more about Craft's selection in the TBA's press release.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has found that a trial court could order a man who voluntarily dismissed his own lawsuit to pay his ex-wife’s attorney fees associated with that suit. The court said that under Tennessee law, “the challenger who forfeits, loses, and his opponent wins.” Even if the dismissal was voluntary, it held, the wife successfully kept her alimony and prevailed over efforts to end it. Justice Sarah K. Campbell wrote a separate opinion that concurred in the judgment and cautioned that the majority’s reasoning in the case should be limited to the family law context. She was joined in the concurring opinion by Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins. Read more about the case in a news release from the Administrative Office of the Courts or read the opinions.