The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) will honor Monica Mackie during its 2023 Hall of Fame Gala on Oct. 26 from 6-8:30 p.m. CDT at City Winery, 609 Lafayette St., Nashville 37203. Mackie will be recognized for her efforts, dating back to 2013, to create the TJC’s annual fundraising event as well as her work as a board member and ongoing support for the center's lasting success and impact. Get tickets here. Mackie is the former executive director of the Nashville Bar Association and a former TBA staff member.

The Board of Law Examiners has released statistics about the July 2023 bar exam. According to the board, 713 individuals — 574 first time test takers and 139 repeaters — took the July exam. They represent more than 90 different law schools and saw an overall pass rate of 67.18%. For first time test-takers at Tennessee law schools, Belmont University College of Law saw the highest pass rate at 93.4%, followed by Vanderbilt University Law School at 88.89%, University of Tennessee College of Law at 81.82%, Nashville School of Law at 78.37%, University of Memphis School of Law at 75% and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 60.61%. See all statistical information from the July exam or from past exams on the board’s webpage. The list of those who passed the July exam was released Oct. 6.

The deadline to reserve a discounted hotel room for the TBA's Health Law Forum is tomorrow, Oct. 11. The $279 rate at the Hyatt Centric Nashville will be honored for the nights of Nov. 1-2. Reserve your room here. Now in its 35th year, the Health Law Forum remains the premier event for Tennessee health care lawyers. In addition to timely topics such as AI and telehealth, this year’s event will feature a Thursday night reception allowing attendees to catch up with colleagues from across the state. Register for the forum now.

On Oct. 3, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Samuel Ervin White to the active practice of law. White was temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court of Tennessee for misappropriating funds for his personal use and posing a threat of substantial harm to the public. White sought to dissolve the temporary suspension and a hearing was held before a three-member disciplinary panel on Aug. 31. On Sept. 27, the panel recommended dissolution of the temporary suspension with conditions.

Campbell County lawyer Terry Matthew Basista received a public censure today from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Basista won an award of child support for his client by agreement of the parties during a hearing in Claiborne County Chancery Court on July 21, 2015. The court found that he failed to file an order for over two years and failed to stay abreast of the case, resulting in an order of closure being filed on August 18, 2017. By these acts, Basista violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4 and 3.2.

James Arthur Graham Jr., an attorney licensed to practice law in Louisiana but not in Tennessee, received a public censure on Oct. 5 from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Graham filed an application for comity admission in Tennessee and was authorized to practice law “pending admission” in Tennessee under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, §10.07. Graham later withdrew his application for comity admission and was informed that his ability to practice “pending admission” had been revoked. Graham stated on his website for approximately 60 days after that point that he was licensed in Tennessee, which was a false statement and resulted in potential harm to the public.

The Memphis Bar Association will hold its Second Saturday Legal Clinic on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon CDT at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111.  Volunteers should arrive by 9:30 a.m. for instructions. Sign up here to volunteer.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the Tennessee Supreme Court's Justice for All Initiative and Belmont University College of Law, will hold a Virtual Debt Relief Clinic on Oct. 28 from 9-11 a.m. EDT. (This is a correction from previous announcements that shared an incorrect date.) Those in need of legal advice about debt relief should call 423-794-2496 to register. A link to join the Zoom clinic will be sent following registration. Attorneys who would like to volunteer for the clinic should email Kendra Cheek.

Tennessee clergy and pediatricians are declaring gun violence a public health crisis, reports the Commercial Appeal. The African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee and the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics say they will start collecting data on gun violence and developing new prevention strategies. The groups say they are launching a statewide campaign to pivot from legislation-driven efforts to more direct action. The groups worked with state lawmakers to address gun violence as a public health crisis but legislation they supported did not advance.

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to consider a bid by a former West Virginia mining company executive to make it easier for public figures to sue news organizations for defamation, Reuters reports. The case would have challenged longstanding protections for media set by the court in 1964. The justices turned away former Massey Energy CEO Donald Blankenship's appeal of a lower court's decision that threw out his defamation lawsuit against major media outlets including Fox News and MSNBC for characterizing him as a "felon" during his unsuccessful 2018 run for the U.S. Senate. Blankenship was convicted in 2015 of a federal conspiracy offense, a misdemeanor, after a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 coal miners. He had asked the Supreme Court to overturn its landmark ruling, which set stringent limits on defamation claims by public officials under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and the press.