The indigent representation proposal from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on behalf of the Tennessee Supreme Court is expected to provide a range of benefits. These include increasing the number of attorneys willing to accept appointments, enhancing the quality of representation with training and mentorship opportunities, focusing on complex cases and smaller rural communities to build capacity, and eliminating the need for judges to find attorneys to take cases. The plan also is expected to lead to more timely representation and better outcomes for children needing guardian ad litem services, and a smoother process in adoption cases. In addition, it will assist in the proper determination of indigency by developing processes and safeguards to protect against misuse. The TBA applauds the collaborative efforts of the Supreme Court, the AOC and stakeholders in developing and advocating for a new plan moving forward. Learn more about the plan and indigent representation in Tennessee.

Author and past TBA Convention speaker Elaine Weiss will share insights from her new book “Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement” at an event in Nashville this week. She will speak with community relations expert Joyce Searcy on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CST at the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., Nashville 37219. The event is being held in conjunction with Parnassus Books, Fisk University, American Baptist College and Tennessee League of Women Voters. Tickets are required. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

Several wrongful death lawsuits recently have been filed across the state. In Memphis, the mother of Shelby County Jail inmate Ramon McGhee — who died malnourished and covered in bed bugs — has filed a lawsuit against the county and its jail health care provider, the Commercial Appeal reports. In Chattanooga, the son of a man beaten to death in 2018 at the McMinn County Jail has filed a $25 million wrongful death suit. Gavin Cook says that "deliberate indifference" by the county sheriff led to his father Timothy Brian Cook’s death, according to the Times Free Press. And in Knoxville, a court has ruled that a suit can proceed against three police officers in the shooting death of Anthony Thompson. That case alleges the officers failed to provide medical care to Thompson after he was shot by police. The appellate decision reverses a lower court ruling that the officers could not be sued personally, Knox News reports.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has sued Fayette County over its 2021 electoral map. The suit alleges that the map adopted by commissioners was chosen “at least in part with the intent to racially discriminate against Black voters” and that the decision was made against the advice of the commission’s redistricting committee and legal counsel. The filing comes after the U.S. Justice Department sued the Fayette County Board of Commissioners in January, similarly alleging the board violated the Voting Rights Act when it adopted the redistricting plan. Tennessee Lookout has more on the suit and a copy of the filing.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced two judicial appointments. Valerie L. Smith was named to the Tennessee Court of Appeals (Western Division) while Steven W. Sword was named to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (Eastern Division). Smith serves as a circuit court judge for the 30th Judicial District in Shelby County. She was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Arnold B. Goldin. Sword serves as a criminal court judge for the 6th Judicial District in Knox County. He was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the passing of Judge James C. Witt Jr. Both must be approved by the legislature.

Funding for domestic violence and sexual assault centers has been dropping off in recent years and now is facing greater uncertainty, WPLN reports. Advocates tell the station they fear the current situation could have devastating consequences for crime victims if services like court advocacy, emergency shelter hotlines, rape crisis counseling and sexual assault exams are more limited or eliminated altogether. Advocates had hoped to see additional funding in the governor’s budget. Now more than 100 nonprofits have signed a letter asking the legislature to dedicate $25 million annually to victim services.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced President Donald Trump’s picks to be second-in-command at the Justice Department and head of the antitrust division, setting them both up for expected confirmation by the full Senate, Bloomberg Law reports. The panel voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche to be deputy attorney general, and by a 20-2 vote to advance the nomination of Gail Slater to lead the antitrust division. Blanche is a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who was Trump’s criminal defense attorney. Slater formerly served as economic policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance when he was a senator. Her background also includes more than 10 years at the Federal Trade Commission, as well as stints as a policy adviser at Fox Corp. and Roku Inc.

The Knoxville Bar Association and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will hold a Debt Relief Clinic on March 8 to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors. The clinic will begin at 9 a.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Judge Suzanne Bauknight will present a short overview of the bankruptcy system and then volunteer lawyers will conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options. Those interested in helping should register online. Clients seeking advice should call 865-637-0484.

The TBA Corporate Counsel Section will hold its annual forum virtually on March 28. The event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT, will include sessions on the complexities of attorney/client privilege for in-house counsel, an employment law update, a Supreme Court update and a look at how AI can impact contract negotiations. Participants include Nashville lawyer John Edwin Gerth with Epstein Becker Green, Atlanta lawyer Alex Koskey and Memphis lawyer Matthew White with Baker Donelson, and University of Tennessee professor Hemant Sharma. Section members receive discounts on registration costs. Not a member yet? Join here.

A new advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General issues serious warnings of a significant link between alcohol and fatal cancers, and studies now show alcohol is one of the three leading causes of preventable cancer, falling just below tobacco and obesity. In this installment of "The Buddy System," Buddy Stockwell unpacks what the new warnings mean and how TLAP can help.