Bar Buzz is back with a new episode featuring TBA President Jim Barry. BarBuzz is a monthly show from the TBA Podcast Network that recaps legal happenings from across Tennessee, upcoming events at the bar, attorney shout outs and more. Check out the November episode and discover past shows in the Bar Buzz archive.

After a public reprimand from the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct for failing to abide by the terms of an earlier suspension order, Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd has admitted to possessing and using illegal drugs since her August 2022 election. The Daily Memphian reports that information was revealed in a letter from the board officially referring Boyd to the Tennessee General Assembly for “further action,” including potential removal. The letter acknowledges the seriousness of referring Boyd to the General Assembly, the only body that has the power to remove a sitting judge. State law requires the board to notify the General Assembly after a judge has received a second public reprimand while on the bench. Boyd received a reprimand in May and again in October of this year.

Tennessee state government offices and state courts were closed today in observance of Veterans Day, which is tomorrow, so there are no opinions today. See a full list of holiday office closures on the state’s website.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) held its 2023 Pro Bono Night in Knoxville on Nov. 2. The event brings together attorneys, law firms, bar associations, law schools and partner agencies to recognize excellence in volunteerism with the region-wide Pro Bono Project. The Pro Bono Project is a program of LAET and is a collaborative effort to provide essential civil legal assistance to individuals in need of support to secure housing, financial stability, safety and overall well-being. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs served as the event’s emcee. Awards also were presented. Thomas Dickenson was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year; the Knoxville Bar Association was named Pro Bono Community Partner of the Year; and Kim Riddett was named Pro Bono Law Student of the Year. The University of Tennessee Legal Clinic and the LMU Duncan School of Law Expungement Clinic were recognized as the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. And retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee was inducted into the Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Read more in the group's news release or see photos from the event.

Sean and Leigh Ann Touhy have filed a court-ordered financial accounting that reveals Michael Oher received $138,311.01 from the family since 2007, the Commercial Appeal reports. That figure represents approximately one-third of the net profit the Tuohys received off the success of the movie "The Blind Side." The Memphis couple set up a conservatorship for Oher when he lived with them in the early 2000s. Oher, the former Briarcrest Christian School and Ole Miss star and NFL offensive lineman, filed a petition in August to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship, which Shelby County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Gomes granted. In that filing, Oher also asked for the financial accounting, alleging the family enriched itself at his expense.

Giles County lawyer Richard Hannah Dunavant was reinstated to the active practice of law on Oct. 26 after being on disability inactive status since Jan. 21, 2016. He filed a petition on Sept. 28 demonstrating that the disability had been removed. The Tennessee Supreme Court removed the disability status and Dunavant is immediately eligible to resume the active practice of law in Tennessee.

Dickson County High School has a new four-legged student. The Tennessean reports that CJ, an 11-week-old Chocolate Labrador Retriever, will work alongside students enrolled in the criminal justice career and technical education pathway. The dog will provide the high school's criminal justice students with a hands-on learning approach to a number of scenarios they may face in the field upon employment. Criminal Justice Career and Technical Teacher John Patterson says students will have to work to motivate CJ and be able to recognize his indicators when performing jobs, such as sniffing out drugs.

A lawsuit filed last week in Memphis federal court against the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) alleges that two teenage boys with disabilities were denied their constitutional rights while being detained in the DCS-run Wilder Youth Development Center in 2021. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the suit alleges the boys were denied their regular medications, which were prescribed for psychiatric diagnoses. The suit claims that one suffered injuries after being assaulted by fellow inmates and was hospitalized; the other was assaulted by two security guards who joined other youth in an attack and then was denied medical treatment for his injuries. The state announced in October that it is investing millions of dollars into upgrades at the facility.

The Biden administration today announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will expand health care coverage for certain groups of veterans and their families and create new programs meant to make care more accessible. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the administration also will create a new graduate medical education program to help expand health care availability for veterans in rural, tribal and other underserved communities, and that the VA will spend $5 million on an advertising campaign aimed at getting more veterans to sign up for services.

On Monday, reports emerged that Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s office was closing its Poplar Plaza location and that the office had been evicted for non-payment of rent. Halbert later issued a statement confirming the office closure but, according to the Daily Memphian, denied reports of eviction. She did however admit that the office was two months behind on rent payments, saying, “We were not evicted. Whether or not we may have gotten behind on a rent or two — that’s a different issue.”