Lawyers gathered in downtown Chattanooga last week for the TBA Young Lawyers Division’s Civil Rights Walking Tour CLE. Sites toured by the group included the historic third floor courtroom in the Joel W. Solomon Federal Courthouse, the Abby Crawford Milton Suffrage statue, the Ed Johnson Memorial and the site of civil rights protests at the former Woolworth Store on Market Street. The event concluded with a discussion of the future of civil rights law. Speakers included Judge Curtis Collier, former TBA President Sam Elliott, Immediate Past YLD President Brittany Faith, and Chattanooga lawyers Michael Jones, Donna Mikel and YLD Board member Claire Tuley. Last spring, the YLD held its first Civil Rights Walking Tour in Nashville. See photos from last week's event.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued a statement yesterday condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. He joined with attorneys general from 25 other states in expressing outrage over the attack and support for Israel as it defends itself. Earlier in the week, Skrmetti announced that 19 other states joined Tennessee in submitting a comment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) opposing a rule related to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA was passed by a bipartisan coalition of Congress to protect the rights of pregnant workers and their babies, requiring workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions." The comment opposes the rule due to the inclusion of "abortion-accommodations" language.

Lawyers gathered in downtown Chattanooga today for the TBA Young Lawyers Division’s Civil Rights Walking Tour CLE. Sites toured by the group included the historic third floor courtroom in the Joel W. Solomon Federal Courthouse, the Abby Crawford Milton Suffrage statue, the Ed Johnson Memorial and the site of civil rights protests at the former Woolworth Store on Market Street. The event concluded with a discussion of the future of civil rights law. Speakers included Judge Curtis Collier, former TBA President Sam Elliott, Immediate Past YLD President Brittany Faith, and Chattanooga lawyers Michael Jones, Donna Mikel and YLD Board member Claire Tuley. Last spring, the YLD held its first Civil Rights Walking Tour in Nashville. See photos from today's event.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has denied an appeal by Billy Ray Turner, who was convicted in the murder of former Memphis basketball star Lorenzen Wright, Local Memphis reports. The opinion affirms the trial court’s judgement in the case, which sentenced Turner to life plus 41-years. In his appeal, Turner claimed the trial court prevented him from impeaching a witness, allowed prosecutors to ask leading questions, and allowed a “speaking objection” by the state. He also claimed that Shelby County was not the proper venue for the trial and that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction.

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, with offices in the Nashville suburbs, has rebranded as GRSM50, becoming the first law firm to add a “numerical identifier” to its name, the ABA Journal reports. According to the firm, the new moniker is meant to emphasize its presence in all 50 states. In a release announcing the name change, the firm says it is the “first and only full-service law firm” to open offices in all states.

The Covenant School shooter's manifesto still has not been released, but the Tennessee Court of Appeals is set to hear oral arguments on Monday regarding a lower court’s decision to allow Covenant church members, school staff and parents to intervene as they try to block the writings from being released publicly. Individuals connected to the school argue that release of the writings would traumatize families and children. The National Police Association is seeking all records, emails, texts and communication about the shooter from the Metro Police Department, WCYB reports.

The State Building Commission has approved funding for selecting a designer and construction manager for renovations at the structures currently housing the Tennessee Supreme Court and former state library, the Nashville Post reports. Department of General Services Commissioner Christi Branscom told the commission that with the opening of a new state library, there is an opportunity to combine the two structures “to house more administrative offices of the court’s divisions.” Branscom said the project will preserve the historic elements of both buildings while providing a more modern and functional space. The plan includes additional office space and parking and an evaluation for a secure access corridor between the buildings.

Cleotha Abston-Henderson, the man charged with abducting and killing Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher, will go to trial on April 8, 2024, in a separate rape case, the Commercial Appeal reports. Abston-Henderson is accused of raping Alicia Franklin about a year before Fletcher was killed. Franklin had filed a civil suit against the city of Memphis and Memphis Police Department for failing to adequately investigate the rape but the suit was dismissed earlier this year. Abston-Henderson’s new defense attorney, Juni Ganguli, has requested that jurors from Nashville be brought to Memphis for the trial, citing extensive local media coverage and public comments on social media. The Shelby County District Attorney's Office opposes that move.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee announced today that two former tactical officers for the state’s Department of Corrections Strike Force pleaded guilty for their roles in the assault of an inmate, and the cover up that followed, at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. Javian Griffin of Nashville pleaded guilty to using unlawful force on an inmate and providing false information in his official report for the incident. His co-defendant, Sebron Hollands of Clarksville, pleaded guilty to providing false information in his official report regarding the same incident. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Griffin will serve a 48-month prison sentence. Hollands faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 19, 2024.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Midwestern State University in Texas must face a Malaysian political science professor's race discrimination lawsuit, reports Reuters. The panel ruled that a lower court judge was wrong to toss out Sugumaran Narayanan's suit against the university because it did not involve an "ultimate employment decision" such as hiring, firing and setting pay – a test it previously used to determine whether cases should be allowed to continue. Narayanan claimed in 2018, that the university refused to let him teach summer courses based on his race and in retaliation for a previous discrimination complaint he filed against the school. Read the decision.