The Tennessee Bar Association offers Group Health Insurance Plans for its members, and last fall's addition of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plans brought a 100% increase in participation. Many firms found savings and were able to offer a better national provider network to their attorneys, employees and covered dependents. Enrollment starts this fall, but you can start planning now. Even if you have already renewed your current plan, you can still move to the TBA plan. Contact Buck Orrison with the TBA Member Insurance Group for a 15-minute consultation to review your current plan and the options available this year. Find out more or get a quote now. Open enrollment starts on Sept. 30.

The third installment in TBA’s Mockingbirds & the Rest of Us series will take place Sept. 19. This highly interactive three-part series, taught by Doug Blaze and Buck Lewis — founders of the Institute for Professional Leadership at UT Law — examines the book, movie and recent Aaron Sorkin adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the lens of contemporary times. Panelists examine the lynching scene on the porch of the jail, the trial and the final scene on the Finch porch after an attempt on the Finch children’s lives. The full program qualifies for 4.5 dual hours of CLE. Register for part 3 here. View recordings for part 1 and part 2 using the respective links.

The TBA Administrative Law Section will host its Annual Forum on Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST at Burr & Forman in Nashville. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The program is designed to help Tennessee administrative lawyers stay current in their practice. Watch for more details on speakers and topics coming soon to the TBA website.

A legal clinic in Campbell County on Saturday helped more than 40 individuals expunge their criminal records, thanks to the efforts of local officials and legal professionals. Campbell County General Sessions Judge Bill Jones, 8th Judicial District Public Defender Leif Jeffers and District Attorney General Jared Effler, Circuit Court Clerk Bobby Vann, the Bullock Law Firm, and members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division and University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic contributed their time and expertise to the event. The Campbell County Sheriff's Office provided courthouse security for the clinic. See photos from the event.

TBA's Women in the Profession Committee will host the 3rd Annual Raising the Bar program Dec. 4 in Nashville, offering attendees 5 CLE hours. The event will include breakfast, educational sessions and a networking reception. The program will be held at Baker Donelson, 1600 West End Ave., Nashville 37203. Watch for more details on speakers and topics coming soon to the TBA website.

The University of Tennessee College of Law has welcomed five new faculty members and appointed three associate deans. The new faculty members specialize in various legal areas, including health care law, environmental and energy law, legal writing and academic success, criminal law and procedure, and legal research and pedagogy, according to a press release. In a separate release, the school announced that Zack Buck will serve as associate dean for faculty development, Michael Higdon will serve as associate dean for academic affairs, and Briana Rosenbaum will serve as associate dean for diversity, inclusion and community engagement. "It was a banner recruiting year for us, and we are so fortunate to have attracted these outstanding teachers and scholars to further strengthen our faculty and expand the breadth of our academic offerings and scholarly expertise,” said Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump will premiere his documentary "How to Sue the Klan" at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Sept. 17. According to Chattanoogan.com, the film chronicles a landmark legal victory by five Black women who sued the Ku Klux Klan in 1982 for violence and intimidation. A panel discussion featuring Crump and the film's director will follow the screening. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

U.S Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan in an interview with a professor at New York University's law school, talks about the court's increasing reliance on its emergency docket, arguing that it hinders the justices' ability to provide thoughtful and thorough decisions. Reuters reports that Kagan also said the docket has become overcrowded, particularly in recent years, as both government and non-government parties have turned to the court for quick rulings. She expressed concerns about the potential for errors in decisions made without a full review of the facts and legal issues. Reuters also reports that during the interview Kagan advocated for enforcing the court's ethics code to improve public trust in the institution.

In July, Katie Hagan, a former Nashville assistant district attorney, was seated as a juror on a case prosecuted by her own office. That situation and subsequent discipline imposed on Hagan have raised a number of ethical questions, the Nashville Banner reports. In addition to serving on the jury, Hagan was selected as the foreperson and voted for a not-guilty verdict in the case. Following the trial, Hagan told the Banner that Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk reprimanded her for an alleged ethical breach, arguing that her participation presented an inherent conflict of interest and could undermine the defendant's right to a fair trial. Hagan, who had disclosed her professional connections during jury selection, believed she could remain impartial. Following the trial, she was reassigned to desk work and subsequently resigned. Funk's office cites an opinion from the Board of Professional Responsibility supporting the view that Hagan’s service violated professional conduct rules. Hagan says she was following office policy that employees “are expected to honor subpoenas for jury duty” and “serve rather than to seek to be excused or exempted.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued new guidance to state election officials on managing voter registration rolls, emphasizing compliance with federal laws that prohibit discrimination and coercion. The Tennessean reports that the guidance comes after Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins sent letters in July to 14,375 individuals, deemed "potential non-U.S. citizens," demanding proof of citizenship and threatening penalties for illegal voting. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated its intention to sue the state if the "voter list maintenance program” was not dropped. Soon thereafter, the state said it would not remove any of the individuals from the voting rolls. The federal guidance warns that erroneously targeting voter groups, such as newly naturalized citizens, could violate the National Voter Registration Act. It also cautions against practices that may violate voter record keeping standards.