NashvilleSites.org has launched a new driving tour centered on sites related to the civil rights movement, Tennessee Tribune reports. The tour includes stops at the location of sit-ins, the beginning of school desegregation at East Nashville High School, the bombing of lawyer Z. Alexander Looby’s house, and swim-ins at the Centennial Park Swimming Pool. Each stop has audio narration, a map and historic images. The tour was researched and written by Dr. Lea Williams with the Tennessee State University, Dr. Brandon Owens with Fisk University and Linda Wynn with the Tennessee Historical Commission. Wynn, a graduate of TSU and retired Fisk professor, narrates the tour, which can be taken virtually or in-person.

Nearly eight months after the American Civil Liberties Union and Shelby County advocacy groups threatened to sue the county for its bail and pretrial detention practices, the county is poised to change those practices and create a bail hearing room for arrestees. According to the Commercial Appeal, the county commission will consider the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday. If approved, the county would fund a $2 million bail hearing room and agree to only impose bail on arrestees if their release on recognizance or unsecured bail would not "reasonably assure” their return to court. Judicial commissioners also would be required to consider an individual’s ability to pay when determining bail.

President Joe Biden nominated three attorneys on Friday to fill U.S. attorney posts in Tennessee. In the Eastern District, Biden nominated Casey Arrowood, who has been an assistant U.S. attorney in the district since 2018. He previously held that same position in the Western District of North Carolina and was also a trial attorney in the Counterintelligence & Export Control Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. In the Middle District, Biden nominated Henry Leventis, who focuses on litigation and dispute resolution at Spencer Fane’s Nashville office. He previously was an assistant U.S. attorney in the district and was a trial attorney in the criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. In the Western District, Biden nominated Kevin Ritz. He is a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in the district, serving since 2005. A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, said the senator would support the candidates, Bloomberg Law reports. U.S, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, did not comment for the story.

The University of Tennessee College of Law is seeking a director for its executive education and non-law degree programs. The director will provide vision and leadership for the “Master of Legal Studies” and “Graduate Certificate in Legal Studies” programs. In addition, the director will be responsible for creating and leading a comprehensive, executive education program for attorneys and other professionals, as well as opportunities for undergraduate students. Candidates should have a law degree from an ABA-accredited law school, a minimum of five years in law practice and/or substantial comparable experience in a law-related professional or educational setting, and prior teaching experience in a law school or university setting. Get the full job description and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

Don't miss a webcast replay next Wednesday of a program that explores the impact of secondary trauma. Join Cindy Sharp and Becky Howlett from The Legal Burnout Solution on Aug. 10 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT for “How Secondary Trauma Affects Attorney Mental Health." The program will discuss the emotional stories, disturbing evidence, and highly charged situations legal professionals can encounter and how those experiences can cause secondary or vicarious trauma. Howlett, a certified meditation instructor and attorney, will lead mindfulness practices throughout the session.

The overall employment rate for 2021 law school graduates came in at 91.9% — a 15 year high — according to new data released by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). The 2021 figure represents a 3.5% increase from the class of 2020, which stood at 88.4%, according to Reuters. The strong employment rates were driven by the largest law firms' hiring activity, said James Leipold, executive director of NALP. Read more from the association.

Former Tennessee Valley Authority Chair Joe H. Ritch could soon be returning to the TVA board a decade after he first joined the federal utility, Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. President Joe Biden nominated Ritch, an Alabama attorney, to the post on Wednesday. Ritch was first appointed to the board in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama and was elected in 2014 as the chair. He was renominated for another term in 2016 but the U.S. Senate did not vote on the nomination before Obama left office. Ritch practices law with the firm of Dentons Sirote, with a focus on government contracts, corporate and tax law. He also has served as chair of the Redstone Regional Alliance, a coalition of communities in north Alabama and south-central Tennessee that support the growth of military facilities in the area.

The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to take up a Texas death penalty case in which the defendant was convicted on DNA evidence and testimony from a police laboratory that was later deemed unreliable by the state. The case represents the first opportunity for the ABA to bring its “Criminal Justice Standards on DNA Evidence” to the court’s attention, the group reports. The standards were approved as policy by the ABA House of Delegates in 2007 and recommended “minimum requirements for the collection, handling, analysis and use of DNA evidence in criminal cases.”

The University of Tennessee College of Law today announced the death of Micki Fox, business manager of the Tennessee Law Review and continuing legal education (CLE) coordinator. Fox had been with the college for 50-plus years and had become known affectionately as the “mother of the Law Review.” Fox began working with the publication in 1971 as a manuscript typist. Within the decade, she was promoted to senior bookkeeper and eventually business manager. Almost 20 years ago, Fox took on an additional role at the college, becoming the CLE coordinator. In 2015, she answered questions about her time at the school. Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said in an email today said that Fox — “an institution” at the college of law — died yesterday evening. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Board of Judicial Conduct last week suspended 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Lee Young for 30 days. The board found that Young made improper comments about an opioid case and although the comments were made outside of court, they were serious enough to void a ruling he entered against an opioid company. The board also cited comments Young made to a woman in an adoption case filed in his court. In that case, the board found that Young requested explicit photos of the woman and met her multiple times outside of court, including at a hotel, and that he gave her advice on an unrelated custody matter in another court, including how to get the judge disqualified. According to reporting by the Tennessean, Young lost his Republican primary election in May and the suspension runs to the end of his term Aug. 31. He had previously been reprimanded in 2020 for sending inappropriate messages to women on social media platforms.