The Tennessee Supreme Court has referred the case of Maury County lawyer Ashlyn Elizabeth Blevins to the Board of Professional Responsibility for “whatever action” it deems warranted. The court took the action after Blevins pled guilty to the Class B misdemeanor of reckless driving in the General Sessions Court for Maury County. She received judicial diversion in that case.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers about a number of QR code scams. While evolving QR code technology may be convenient, the codes can be exploited by scammers through emails, text messages, mailers, packages, charitable appeals and cryptocurrency payments — all of which take users to fake websites designed to steal personal information. Scams like these can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/scams if encountered. Learn more about spotting suspicious QR codes.

U.S. District Judge Samuel Mays Jr. has dismissed a lawsuit against Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and Chief Jailer Kirk Fields over the October 2023 death of an inmate. The Daily Memphian reports that the suit had been filed in January by the family of Deion Byrd, an inmate at the Shelby County Jail who died after being stabbed by another inmate, Donnie Clay, while waiting for a court hearing at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center. Clay has been charged with first-degree murder for the death. Mays found that Byrd’s parents failed to show that Bonner and Fields violated Byrd’s constitutional rights by failing to protect him from harm.

The Nashville Banner recently lost its bid to unseal court filings related to Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn’s competence. In a narrow decision, the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Blackburn’s colleague Judge Angelita Dalton did not err when she sealed affidavits made by attorneys that allegedly detailed problems with Blackburn’s performance. The court did not rule on the merits of the affidavits. The Banner notes that neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys had asked for the affidavits to be sealed and Judge Blackburn herself had not sealed the filings. It says it will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. The Banner reported the news in its Aug. 19 newsletter.

The Hamilton County Commission yesterday conducted public interviews of eight hopefuls for an appointment as a judge in General Sessions Court. It will make a decision at a meeting next Wednesday, according to Chattanoogan.com. The candidates are Kisha Cheeks, Tracy Cox, Andrew Coyle, Ron Powers, Sam Robinson III, Tori Smith, Pat Wagner and Jonathan Wilson. Whoever is selected to fill the vacancy created by the election of Judge Alex McVeagh to the Circuit Court will serve until the August 2026 general election. The winner of that election then will serve until 2030, which is when the McVeagh’s term would have expired.

Franklin lawyer Christopher Yong-Min Chi died Aug. 13 at the age of 52. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Chi worked as a lawyer at various law firms and health care companies in California and Tennessee. Prior to pursuing his law degree, Chi worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Press Enterprise and Athol Daily News (Greenfield, Massachusetts). A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. CDT at 139 Richards Glen Dr., Franklin 37067. Chi will be laid to rest at a later date at a family plot in New York state. Memorial donations may be made to the family’s 529 education accounts or to the Franklin nonprofit GraceWorks, 104 Southeast Pkwy., Franklin, TN 37064.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has opened a new office for its Eviction Prevention Program (EPP) in Knoxville. A ribbon-cutting and celebration was held earlier this month, Knox TN Today reports. LAET’s Executive Director Debra House said the EPP has been a massively beneficial program for the entire community and for people from all walks of life. “Since its inception in November 2023, the EPP has handled 357 cases and prevented 166 evictions. This program needed its own space to make it more accessible. We now have a large parking lot, and the building is on a bus line.” In addition to eviction prevention, the office also educates consumers about issues such as fair housing, discrimination, unfair lockouts and repairs and basic maintenance. It also assists with domestic violence cases to help make the home a safe place for all. The new office can be reached at 865-371-8730. Read more in a release or see photos from the event.

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a referendum, proposed by Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, that would have allowed voters to decide whether the commission should hire its own attorney, the Daily Memphian reports. The measure failed by one vote of the two-thirds majority needed to send it to the Shelby County Election Commission and put it to voters on the November ballot. Sugarmon argued the commission needed to be able to hire its own attorney independent of the Shelby County Attorney’s Office as a “check and balance” on the county administration.

Registration is now open for the next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits, set for Sept. 19 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Prospective clients should register by Sept. 16. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

Emmitt Martin III, one of five former Memphis Police Department officers charged with the beating death of Tyre Nichols, allegedly will change his plea from not guilty to guilty at an upcoming court hearing, the Commercial Appeal reports. Martin entered the not guilty plea in September of last year after being indicted on charges of using excessive force, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness tamper and witness tampering. If he does change his plea, he will be the second defendant to enter into a plea agreement. Desmond Mills agreed to a federal plea in November 2023. The four remaining defendants are scheduled to begin trial on Sept. 9. Update: read a release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee after the pleading.