The Shelby County Election Commission is accepting petitions through April 12 at noon CDT to fill the Criminal Court Division 9 seat formerly held by Melissa Boyd. The Daily Memphian reports that candidates must be at least 30 years old, be a resident of Shelby County and be licensed to practice law. Accepted petitioners’ names will appear on the Aug. 1 ballot. Early voting is July 12-27. Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips said in a release to the news outlet that all petitioners should be aware of pending legislation that could remove Boyd’s former seat, making any petitions null and void.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney on Monday ruled that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant acted in self-defense when he punched Joshua Holloway (then 17) at Mornant's home in July 2022. The decision states that Morant "enjoys a presumption of civil immunity" under Tennessee's self-defense immunity statute and that the burden of proof shifts to Holloway and his legal team to prove that Morant did not act in self-defense. ESPN has the story.

TBA leadership will travel to Washington, D.C., this week to participate in the American Bar Association's (ABA) annual Day on the Hill. Executive Director Sheree Wright, TBA President Jim Barry, TBA President-elect Ed Lanquist, TBA YLD President-elect Sean Aiello and ABA Resource Committee Chair Jonathan Cole will meet with the Tennessee congressional delegation to discuss funding for the Legal Services Corporation, which provides grants to civil legal aid organizations in Tennessee and across the country. Other legislative initiatives being promoted this year include increased funding for federal public defenders, support for attorney-client confidentiality over prison email systems, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and reforms to student lending.

Jury selection began Monday in the first of two criminal cases against Cleotha Abston, who is accused of the 2021 rape of Alicia Franklin. He is also charged separately in the 2022 kidnapping and killing of Memphis schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher. The Daily Memphian reports that the trial on Abston’s charges in the Franklin case — including aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping — is expected to last through the week, and the jury will be sequestered. Abston will go on trial for Fletcher's murder later this year.

Bass, Berry & Sims was named the firm recipient of the 2024 National Public Service Award by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Business Law Section. This annual award honors significant pro bono legal contributions of law firms, corporate law departments and individual lawyers that demonstrate a commitment to providing legal services to individuals and entities that could not otherwise afford them. The award was presented to Pro Bono Member David Esquivel at the ABA’s Business Law Spring Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on April 5. Read more about the award and the firm's pro bono work in a press release.

Tennessee Eastern Bankruptcy Court Judge Shelley Rucker retired on April 1. A graduate of Texas Christian University and the University of Georgia School of Law, Rucker joined Miller & Martin in Chattanooga in 1983 and remained with the firm for 27 years. She was one of Miller & Martin’s first female partners and served as the chair of the firm’s bankruptcy practice group, playing a key role in many large Chapter 11 cases. Rucker was appointed to the bench in 2010. The Hamilton County Herald has this tribute to her long career.

Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) held its annual Camp TLAP Conference last weekend at Montgomery Bell State Park in Dickson. Dr. Michael Baron received TLAP's "Stephenson Volunteer of the Year" Award. Baron serves on the TLAP Commission. He is a medical doctor and psychiatrist and also the director of the Tennessee Medical Foundation and Physician's Health Program. Baron has dedicated many hours of expert medical support to TLAP in designing approved diagnostics, treatment and monitoring. With Baron's input, TLAP's programming is delivering "gold standard" clinical and monitoring services to the legal profession in Tennessee. See photo from the event.

A new TBA Legislative Updates podcast is now available featuring attorney and TBA lobbyist Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Ashley Harbin. This week they discuss HB2710/SB2254 (the TBA Conservatorship bill), HB2645 (the adoption birth certificate bill), HB2002 (removing two Shelby county judicial districts), HB2215/SB2448 (the Real Estate Fraud Reduction Act), and HB2644 (the adoption clean-up bill.) Legislative Updates airs each week on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Tennessee Bar Association and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are accepting nominations for the 2024 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award through today, April 8. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the West Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Memphis June 12-15.

Former Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd on Friday pleaded guilty in her criminal trial to a single harassment charge and was given judicial diversion for 11 months and 29 days. She also was ordered to a 28-day stay at a Jackson rehabilitation facility, after which she will have to enter the Shelby County Veteran’s Court Program. Boyd’s plea agreement also means that she cannot contact Lashanta Rudd, a woman she was allegedly in a personal relationship and the person who she pleaded guilty to harassing. The Daily Memphian has the story.