A bill to require public schools in Tennessee to teach children age-appropriate firearms safety concepts as early as pre-Kindergarten is on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk after a final Senate vote last week. The Senate passed HB2882 in a party-line vote of 24 to 3 last Thursday. It passed the House of Representatives in February. Sponsor Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, said, "This curriculum would be developed to instruct children on how to properly stay away from a firearm if they happen to see a firearm, and what to do as far as reporting if they find a firearm." Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, argued that the training requirement represents a hurried effort to address the symptom of a systemic problem, and lawmakers should be doing more to address the root cause. The Tennessean has the story.

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.

Washington County Republican state representatives will have Democratic challengers in the August primary. Brad Batt of Johnson City will run against current District 6 Rep. Tim Hicks of Gray. Sylvain Bruni of Johnson City will face District 7 Rep. Rebecca Hicks of Jonesborough. WJHL reports that both Batt and Bruni have stated that they are focused on improving the region's health care quality and opposing Gov. Bill Lee's voucher program.

Nashville attorney Robert "Bob" Edmond Parker died April 2 at the age of 80. A native of Shelbyville, he attended Vanderbilt University for both undergraduate and law school, going on to the serve in the Marines as a judge advocate. He was a founder of the law firm of Parker, Lawrence, Cantrell & Smith, and served in leadership and board positions with Family and Children’s Service, Westminster School (now Curry Ingram Academy) and Pastoral Counseling Centers (now Insight), among others. Services will be held April 9 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave., Nashville 37205. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. CDT, followed by services noon. The service will be livestreamed at www.nashvillewpc.church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to Westminster Presbyterian Church or Alive Hospice.

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.

Join the Corporate Counsel Section for its annual forum on April 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will be held virtually via Zoom, with topics including how the Corporate Transparency Act affects in-house counsel, guiding your company through a government investigation, the recent FTC guidance on noncompetes and no-poaching agreements, and what in-house counsel needs to know about parent/subsidiary relationships. Learn more and register here.

Cleveland attorney J. Allen Murphy Jr. died on March 8. He graduated from Emory University in 1991, where he earned degrees in English and philosophy and served as a governor's intern with the Georgia Indigent Defense Council. After college, Murphy enlisted and served honorably in the U.S. Army. He later went on to obtain a teaching fellowship and pursue a master's degree in philosophy and religion at the University of Mississippi. While at Ole Miss, he was accepted to the University of Mississippi School of Law. After obtaining his law degree, he opened a solo practice in Cleveland. Services were held March 23. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in his memory to The McCallie School, The Friends of the Greenway Fund or the charity of the donor's choice.

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.