Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeffery S. Bivins recently was presented the Distinguished Alumnus in Public Service Award by his college alma mater, East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Bivins graduated from ETSU in 1982 with a bachelor degree in political science and a minor in criminal justice, the Elizabethton Star reports. Bivins graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1986. He practiced law with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry PLC in Nashville and was assistant commissioner and general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Personnel before joining the bench. He served as a circuit court judge for the 21st Judicial District and then as a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Bivins was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2014. In 2016, his colleagues elected him chief justice, a position he held until 2021.

Memphis lawyer Clarence Wilbon has been elected chair of the executive committee at Adams and Reese, the Commercial Appeal reports. He will be the first Black person to hold that position when he takes over on Jan. 1. Wilbon, currently a litigation partner, has practiced with the firm since 2014, and was elected to the executive committee in 2021. Wilbon previously served as TBA associate general counsel and is a graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program. Adams and Reese has close to 300 attorneys and advisors in 21 offices across 10 states. 

Gov. Bill Lee has announced that Kentucky doctor and legislator Ralph Alvarado will take over as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health on Jan. 16. Alvarado is a sitting Kentucky state senator and chief executive officer of Alvarado Medical Services. A release from the governor’s office states that Alvarado has decades of experience as an attending physician and in hospital management. He will succeed Interim Health Commissioner Dr. Morgan McDonald.

Tennessee state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, last week pleaded guilty to two of five counts in his campaign fraud case: conspiracy to defraud the United States and accepting excessive campaign contributions. The Daily Memphian reports that he faces up of five years in prison and $250,000 fine on each count. Kelsey also gave up his right to a trial and prosecutors agreed not to try him on the other three charges. Kelsey is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. Last year Kelsey pleaded not guilty to all five counts, calling the charges a “witch hunt” and blaming them on President Joe Biden. He recently requested a change of plea hearing after co-conspirator Joshua Smith pleaded guilty to helping him implement the scheme.

The Forge Companies is seeking an associate general counsel for its Nashville office. The position will assist the general counsel with legal and regulatory matters affecting the company and its affiliated entities, including Advocacy Trust LLC, Advocacy Wealth Management, Forge Consulting, Forge Capital and Forge Capital Services. The position also will collaborate with the risk and control manager on control processes, regulatory relations and cybersecurity management, and with the Human Resources Department. A minimum of 10 years of legal services experience is required. Read the full job description and get instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

Six states last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject President Joe Biden's bid to reinstate his plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt the while constitutionality of the program is challenged in court, CNN reports. The Republican-led states argue that Biden’s executive order exceeded the administration's authority and should be paused while the merits of the case are decided. The administration had earlier asked the high court to lift the order pausing the program. In related news, the administration also last week extended a halt on loan repayments while the issue remains in litigation. Under the new order, payments will resume 60 days after the debt cancellation program is implemented, 60 days after lawsuits are resolved, or 60 days after June 30, 2023, if litigation fails. National Public Radio has more on that action.

As part of the TBA's Practice Management Center benefits, TBA members can get their legal technology and law practice management questions answered at tbapmc@affinityconsulting.com. This email address is specifically for TBA members and answered by law office and tech consultants for expert advice on best practices, technology, management and process.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met recently to consider nine applicants for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy in the Western Section. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the council selected the following applicants to send to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration: Joshua B. Dougan, William Mark Ward and Matthew Joseph Wilson. Learn more about each candidate on the Administrative Office of the Courts’ website. The vacancy was created by the death of Judge John Everett Williams on Sept. 2.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that Tennessee’s mandatory sentence of life in prison when imposed on a juvenile homicide offender is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the juvenile’s rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In a narrow ruling, the court did not change Tyshon Booker’s sentence, but granted him a parole hearing after he has served between 25 and 36 years in prison so that his age and other circumstances can be considered at that time. Booker, who was 16 at the time, was convicted by a Knox County jury of first-degree felony murder and especially aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence of 60 years for the murder and 20 years for the robbery, to run concurrently. The Court of Criminal Appeals had affirmed the convictions and sentence.

Do you control your digital life or does it control you? Whether texting, emailing, posting on social media or browsing the web, many people are at the mercy of their digital devices. Internet addiction is on the rise and is linked to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. This one-hour webcast, featuring attorneys Becky Howlett and Cindy Sharp, will help lawyers manage and even unplug from the digital world — ethically and mindfully. Join the webcast on Dec. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CST.