A reprise of the 2014 Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge election is underway, with incumbent Judge Dan Michael running for reelection against his primary opponent, Memphis City Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Both recently spoke to the Commercial Appeal about why they want to preside over juvenile court.

East Ridge News Online posed a series of questions to municipal court judge candidates Tracy Cox, Chris Dixon, Rich Heinsman and Kevin Wilson. Read responses about their background, why voters should support them and what they hope to accomplish if elected.

Former Sullivan County teacher Jeremy McLaughlin — suspended for three days without pay over posts he made on social media while off-duty — is set to become the first test case in Tennessee of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that granted First Amendment speech protection to the prayers of a Washington state high school football coach. McLaughlin claims that his expletive-laced posts about COVID and masking are also protected, Tennessee Lookout reports. The case is set for trial before U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in September.

Tennessee is abandoning plans for a major change to TennCare pharmacy benefits after federal health officials raised concerns, News Channel 9 reports. The state last year received approval from former President Donald Trump’s administration for an overhaul that included the change. Officials argued the change would produce flexibility and savings that would then fuel additional health coverage offerings. But advocacy groups expressed concerns the change would hamper access to medications. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services directed the state to end the pharmacy program.

The federal courthouse building located at 167 N. Main St. in Memphis was renamed for the late U.S. District Judge Odell Horton in a ceremony this week. The renaming, approved by the U.S. Congress last year, removes the name of Congressman Clifford Davis, who was known as a segregationist and Ku Klux Klan member. Horton was the first Black federal judge and the first Black assistant U.S. attorney in western Tennessee. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, sponsored the legislation to remove the Davis name. The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn received the Jack Norman Sr. Award at the annual Nashville Bar Association Law Day Luncheon. He is just the fourth judge to receive the award, which recognizes service in the field of criminal law and justice. Fishburn announced in February that he would retire at the end of this term after nearly 25 years on the bench. In April he spoke about his post-retirement plans. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the award and his career.

The Law Office of William H. Poland in Clarksville is seeking a Spanish-speaking associate attorney to compliment a family firm that has been in practice since 1976. The ideal candidate would be a recent law school graduate who has passed the Tennessee Bar Exam or is scheduled for testing. Job duties would include court-appointed and private cases related to criminal, divorce, property disputes and juvenile matters. See the full job listing and application instructions on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

One consistent change over the past several years is that lawyers’ ethical duties are getting broader. Who would have thought that something like auto-correct might lead to an ethics violation? The “CLE Performer” Stuart Teicher is back with a virtual session on ethical duties. Among other topics, Teicher will address issues with technology and competence and the emerging duty to look into the potential misdeeds of employers and/or clients. The three-hour program will air Aug. 23 from noon to 3 p.m. CDT.

Dyer County lawyer Charles Samuel Kelly Jr. was suspended from the practice of law today. Kelly was tried and convicted in the Criminal Circuit Court for Dyer County for felony theft, criminal conspiracy to commit theft, extortion and criminal conspiracy to commit extortion. The Tennessee Supreme Court also referred the matter to the Board of Professional Responsibility for a determination of final discipline.

Former Roane County lawyer Kent Lowery Booher was convicted in April 2021 of criminal conduct constituting a serious crime: two counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sex trafficking of children by force, fraud or coercion; sexual exploitation of children; and penalties for registered sex offenders. Because Booher was disbarred in January 2015 (based on a conviction for statutory rape), the Tennessee Supreme Court found that immediate suspension was not necessary. It referred the case to the Board of Professional Responsibility for a determination of final discipline.