Join the TBA Young Lawyers Division on Sept. 24 at noon CDT for the next installment of the "Rookie Series: Making the Most of Mediation." The webcast will feature Tennessee attorney and Rule 31 Civil Mediator Susan McDonald as she addresses the preparation needed by lawyer-advocates for mediation sessions. Learn more and register on the TBA website.

Less than a month after Mason city officials approved contracts to reopen the West Tennessee Detention Facility to house detained immigrants, the facility has already received its first detainees, the Daily Memphian reports. A spokesperson for CoreCivic confirmed that the facility, which can house 600 people, was receiving detainees arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE representatives responded Wednesday with a statement saying the first detainees arrived Monday and there are about 20 in the facility so far. Mason Mayor Eddie Noeman said he was unaware they had already arrived. The decision to reopen the center has drawn opposition and legal challenges from the ACLU of Tennessee, which contends the city’s approval vote was invalid under its charter.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has received five applications for a vacancy in the 20th Judicial District following the retirement of Judge Phillip R. Robinson on Oct. 17. The 20th Judicial District covers Davidson County, and the circuit court seat will be assigned domestic relations cases. Applicants for the vacancy are Audrey L. Anderson, Bethany P. Glandorf, Harold E. Rushton, Morgan E. Smith and John R. Wilks. A public hearing for the position will be held Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Drive, Nashville 37204. The commission is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward nominees to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. For more information, contact John Jefferson, assistant general counsel at the Administrative Office of the Courts, at john.jefferson@tncourts.gov.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) is seeking attorney volunteers to help commemorate Constitution Day by leading one-hour classroom programs on the U.S. Constitution at three Knoxville elementary schools. The programs will be held Sept. 19 at Fountain City Elementary from 8 to 9 a.m. and South Knox Elementary from 1 to 2 p.m., and Sept. 26 at Dogwood Elementary from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. All times EDT. Organized by the KBA Barristers School Outreach Committee, the interactive sessions will include videos, activities and Q&A opportunities with students. No prior teaching experience is required, and all materials will be provided. Attorneys interested in volunteering can reach out to co-chairs Grace Ewell or Hannah Clyde.

Democratic candidates for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District pitched their platforms to voters at a Fairview forum on Sept. 7. The four candidates — state Reps. Bo Mitchell, Vincent Dixie and Aftyn Behn, and political strategist Darden Copeland — spoke to about 70 people inside the Fairview Recreation Complex gymnasium. They commented on the Trump administration’s proposals to deploy the National Guard in Democratic-led cities and expressed support for comprehensive immigration reform and immigrant communities. All also pledged to hold regular town halls if elected. The Nashville Post has the story.

The City of Memphis has contracted with a private company to install 30 new traffic cameras to target speeders, primarily in 15 school zones. According to the Daily Memphian, beginning Sept. 30, the cameras will be used to issue warnings to drivers who are speeding in those 15 areas, officials said. On Oct. 30, the grace period will end, and citations will begin with violators being mailed a ticket for $50. The cameras will be installed at 15 different locations. A 2015 state law classifies citations from unmanned cameras as nonmoving violations, meaning they carry no license points, insurance consequences or credit impact. City officials say the goal is to encourage safer driving, particularly in school zones and S curves, despite the limited penalties.

The American Bar Association (ABA) and American University Washington College of Law will host a virtual program, “On the Docket: Looking Ahead at the New Supreme Court Term,” on Sept. 25 from noon to 1:20 p.m. EDT. Panelists will preview major issues before the court when it reconvenes in October, including state bans on transgender athletes in sports, voting rights, campaign finance laws, the death penalty, state regulatory authority, challenges to conversion therapy and redistricting in Louisiana. The event will feature Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law; Gregory G. Garre, partner at Latham & Watkins; William W. Berry III, professor at the University of Mississippi Law School; and Boston Globe columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Stephen Wermiel, a professor at American University Washington College of Law, will moderate. Register here.

A Chattanooga man on Wednesday was sentenced to 24 months in prison for transmitting interstate threats. In 2024, Garry Lebron Hayes, 45, left voicemails that included death threats and violent language directed at two members of Congress. Hayes pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier in Chattanooga, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Collier also ordered Hayes to serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence allowed under the guidelines, stressing the need to protect public officials from threats of violence.

Georgia lawyer Sarah Medley Smith was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 4. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Smith has been on inactive status since Dec. 17, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Smith’s petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.

Davidson County Lawyer Anne-Marie Moyes was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 5. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Moyes has been on inactive status since May 27, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Moyes petition for reinstatement was satisfactory, and she had met all requirements for reinstatement.