The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission will meet on May 21 in Gallatin to consider nine applicants for a circuit court judge vacancy in the 18th Judicial District, which serves Sumner County. The new judicial position was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in March and will take effect Sept. 1. The applicants are Sumner County attorneys Michael Begley, Thomas B. Dean, Keith C. Dennen, Matthew Grosland, Eric Mauldin, Jennifer S. Nichols, Kathryn Strong, William J. Whalen Sr. and Tara A. Wylie. The public hearing will take place at Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pk., Gallatin 37066, beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. The commission is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a 23-state coalition opposing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that require it to consider “disparate impacts” to forward race-conscious “environmental justice” initiatives. The group argues that the regulations are illegal and distract the EPA from its core mission of lawfully enforcing the nation’s environmental laws. Read more about the issue.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has held a hearing on the nomination of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz for a position on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ritz, who serves the Western District of Tennessee, answered questions about past cases he has prosecuted as well as the crime rate in Memphis. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, expressed her displeasure with the Biden administration’s choice of Ritz for the post, accusing him of ethics violations and mistreating public defenders and indigent defendants. Bloomberg Law reports on those allegations. Ritz, who was nominated in March, received a unanimous “well qualified” rating from the American Bar Association. Watch the hearing here. Coverage of Ritz begins at 34:18.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission will meet on May 20 in Columbia to consider five applicants for a circuit court judge vacancy in the 22nd Judicial District, which serves Giles, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne counties. This vacancy will be created by the upcoming retirement of Judge David Allen on Aug. 3. The applicants are: Lewisburg attorneys Lee E. Brooks and Richard M. Murrell; Columbia attorney Wesley M. Bryant; and Lawrenceburg attorneys Jessica H. Parrish and Amy L. Wilson. The public hearing will take place at Columbia Central High School, 921 Lion Pkwy., Columbia 38401 beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. The commission is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is planning to sue Live Nation on antitrust grounds, Axios reports. The ticketing and live event company has faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups over botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" in late 2022. Live Nation acquired Ticketmaster in 2010. At that time, the DOJ did not attempt to block the deal, but it barred the company from pressuring concert venues to use its ticketing software. The 10-year consent decree was extended for more than five years in 2020.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) has extended the deadline for submitting session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU). Proposals are now due April 24. Topics of interest include employment law, family law, health and benefits, housing and consumer, special education and juvenile justice, as well as professionalism. See all topics and submit proposals online. The 2024 EJU is set for Aug. 28-30 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro.

The 2024 Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative (CCPBI) Gala will be held Saturday evening at the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims, located at the Pinnacle at Symphony Place. The event will be a cocktail supper, with live music and a brief presentation, including awarding the inaugural Branham Grants. The CCPBI, a partnership between the TBA Access to Justice Committee, TBA Corporate Counsel Section and the Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, established the grants in honor of long-time access to justice champion Andy Branham, who died in 2022. The Branham Grants support pro bono projects designed to provide civil legal resources and support for people with, affected by, or at risk for addiction in Tennessee, as well as those in recovery. Individual tickets may be purchased here. See photos from last year's event. 

Nashville Chancellor I’Ashea Myles started hearing arguments this week from lawyers hoping to have records related to the mass shooting at The Covenant School released to the public. The hearing, which is expected to last into Wednesday, will determine whether some records are released. The Tennessean reports that the key to the case is whether to apply a state rule exempting records that are part of a "pending or contemplated criminal action" from release. Lawyers on different sides of the case differed on the application of the rule given the current status of the police investigation of the shooting.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) is losing its largest source of funding, effective June 30. According to the Daily Memphian, the congressionally funded Legal Services Corporation sent a letter to MALS Board Chair Brian Heim on April 5, stating that MALS had failed to improve operations and had not engaged in best practices to effectively provide legal services. Heim responded to the news saying, “MALS is assessing that funding decision’s impact on our ongoing operations. We are assessing the opportunities to convince LSC to reverse their decision.” The funding — roughly $1.7 million — will be turned over to West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS), which is based in Jackson. That office is preparing to take over operations July 1.

Gov. Bill Lee has joined five other Southern governors in issuing a joint statement opposing the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) unionization campaign. The statement comes days before votes will be cast in a unionization effort at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga. The Tennessean reports that the election is being watched as a sign for whether unions can gain ground in the South, a region that has long resisted organized labor and in recent years has attracted both American and foreign car manufacturers.