The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office has responded to complaints from a member of the state Registry of Election Finance about the time it took to investigate a case, the Tennessee Lookout reports. In a letter to the registry, the attorney general’s office wrote that it is “not an investigative agency” and because referrals to it are not mandatory, the registry could choose to refer its cases to another entity. The registry had asked the office to investigate a complaint that the group Sumner County Constitutional Republicans was acting as a political action committee without registering with the state. The attorney general’s office completed a report on the case in late June, about five months after receiving the referral.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, has introduced articles of impeachment against U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, The Hill reports. The congresswoman said in a statement that the justices’ "pattern of refusal to recuse from consequential matters before the court in which they hold widely documented financial and personal entanglements constitutes a grave threat to American rule of law." She also says the pair should be removed for their “failure to disclose” millions of dollars in gifts over decades.

The TBA’s Court Square Series will be in Chattanooga this Friday with an impressive line up of judges. The three-hour session will feature Judge Marie Williams talking about courtroom best practices, Judge Barry Steelman discussing criminal law and Rob Malin providing an update on estate planning. Other participants include Judge Michael Dumitru, Judge Kathryn Sell and Brennan Wingerter with the District Public Defenders Conference. The Court Square Series is intended to bring top speakers to local legal communities and foster relationships and collegiality among lawyers across the state.

Burch, Porter & Johnson tomorrow will hold a reception for retired judge Bernice Donald to commemorate naming of the “Judge Bernice Bouie Donald Street.” The event will take place from 4-6 p.m. CDT at the firm’s office at 130 N. Court Ave., Memphis 38103. Donald joined the firm following her retirement from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. View the invitation.

The Nashville Banner reports on the recent scrutiny and differing opinions regarding Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn’s mental acuity, prompted by an April 8 order in which she recused herself from the case of a man charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping and rape. Attorneys who have spent years practicing in her courtroom have varying takes on the ongoing questions about Blackburn's competence on the bench, the news outlet reports. Blackburn, who is in her mid-70s and suffered a stroke in 2021 has been on the bench in Nashville since 1996. 

Question 1: Is a biological half-sibling of a person a “family member” under Tenn. Code Ann. § 57-1- 108?

Opinion 1: Yes.

Question 2: If so, does that status as a “family member” under Tenn. Code Ann. § 57-1-108 change if one of the half-siblings is adopted by different parents than the other sibling?

Opinion 2: Likely not.

The Metro Human Relations Commission on Monday accepted the terms of a conciliated agreement, the next step in resolving a civil rights complaint filed by a group of artists in October. The agreement contains a “make-whole” financial provision that will fully fund applications for 26 public art projects — most of which are murals — that were left out of the Arts Commission’s 2024 funding allocations. The Nashville Post reports that the agreement contains no admission of fault by any party, including Metro Legal and the Metro Arts Commission, and requires the artists to drop any related legal claims against the city.

The Defendant, Dontell Dewayne Sawyers, appeals the Davidson County Criminal Court’s summary denial of his motion to correct clerical errors in his judgment of conviction pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36. The State responds that the Defendant has waived his claims because he failed to prepare an adequate record on appeal. Based on our review, we agree with the State and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Byron Jerome Hix, appeals the trial court’s reinstatement of his effective eleven-year sentence for his Class B and Class C felony drug convictions following the revocation of his probation, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion by ordering his original sentence into effect and by denying his request for credit for the five-plus years he successfully served on probation. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is accepting nominations for its three annual Access to Justice Awards: the Janice M. Holder Award, B. Riney Green Award and New Advocate of the Year Award. Nominations and any supporting documents must be submitted by the new deadline of July 12. The awards will be presented at the Equal Justice University (EJU) Conference. See photos of the 2023 honorees. EJU 2024 will take place Aug. 28-30 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Learn more about the conference and register to attend.