Ukraine pleaded with the United Nations’ top court Monday to order Russia to halt its devastating invasion, saying Moscow is already committing widespread war crimes and “resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare” in its military onslaught. Russia snubbed the International Court of Justice hearings and its seats in the Great Hall of Justice remained empty, the Associated Press reports.

Vanderbilt Law School will host a short program featuring Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery and Chancellor Anne C. Martin of the Chancery Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, on March 15. They will will discuss the national business court movement, best practices for attorneys with business disputes, and substantive issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic as they have impacted business disputes.

Robin Smith was set to appear in a Nashville courtroom this afternoon to plead guilty to a federal charge, The Chattanoogan reports. A criminal indictment against her was unveiled on Monday that charges her with one count of federal wire fraud in connection with a conspiracy involving former House Speaker Glen Casada. She resigned from the Tennessee House of Representatives yesterday. 

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law is hiring a visiting faculty position, to begin July 1. Applications will be accepted until April 15 or until the position is filled. Read more about the position and how to apply.

Democrat London Lamar took the oath of office during Monday’s Senate floor session to temporarily replace Katrina Robinson. Robinson was ousted from her position by the state Senate because of a federal wire fraud conviction. The Bristol Herald Courier has more.

Metro Nashville Councilmember and special education coach Delishia Porterfield has picked up a petition in an effort to qualify to run in Nashville’s state House District 52, the Nashville Post reports. Porterfield, a Democrat, is the first candidate in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville. 

Former Shelby County Probate Court Clerk Paul Boyd has pulled a petition for the August Republican primary in Senate District 31, which is currently held by Republican Brian Kelsey but who will not be running for reelection. Boyd told The Daily Memphian he has not yet decided whether he will get into the primary. The primary for the state Senate seat includes Brandon Toney of Germantown and former Shelby County Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor.

A three-judge panel has declined a request by the plaintiffs in a Democratic Party lawsuit to expedite proceedings, The Tennessee Journal reports. The judges said they were not convinced they had the authority to hurry up the case and that “expediting these proceedings as requested would not allow the important constitutional questions to be fully and meaningfully considered and adjudicated on the merits.” The lawsuit claims the state House maps could have been drawn with fewer than 30 split counties and that the Senate plan violated a constitutional requirement for districts to be consecutively numbered in Nashville.

Nashville lawyer David Anthony and his firm Anthony Legal PLLC will donate all revenue generated on March 10 to support Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. He says he and his children discussed how best to help and decided to support World Central Kitchen, which has mobilized along the border in Poland to provide hot meals and basic necessities to refugees in Poland and, now, are set up at eight border crossings and also in large cities inside Ukraine. Anthony says he hopes other lawyers or law firms will accept the challenge and donate to a charity to help Ukraine. If you do, let him know!

The 20th Edition of the Alimony Bench Book is now available. Published by the TBA’s Family Law Section, the book provides a ready source for dealing with alimony cases in Tennessee. Current Family Law Section members can access their copy at no cost on the Family Law eCommunity page, but must be logged into their TBA account. Others may purchase an electronic copy for $25, a hard copy in loose-leaf format for $40, or a hard copy in a binder for $50 from the TBA Store.