Death row inmate Pervis Payne appeared in court on Friday for a hearing, marking his first public appearance since 2007, WPLN reports. Payne’s lawyers are fighting to convince state officials to exonerate him, while simultaneously arguing that his death sentence should be vacated due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have deemed it unconstitutional to execute a person with intellectual disabilities. According to the Associated Press, the state has asked for access to Payne’s prison records as part of a planned mental evaluation by a state expert. Payne’s attorney, Kelly Henry, argued that the request was irrelevant, saying the “carte blanche fishing expedition” into Payne’s records could lead into issues that are “distracting.” She believes the state will attempt to use Payne’s good behavior as proof he is not intellectually disabled. Payne’s intellectual disability hearing is set for Dec. 13.

Tomorrow is the final day to submit a nomination for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) annual access to justice awards. The Janice M. Holder Award, the B. Riney Green Award and the New Advocate of the Year award recognize those who have contributed to Tennessee’s equal justice community. The recipients will be recognized during the annual Equal Justice University (EJU) virtual conference Sept. 21-23. Visit TALS’ award nomination webpage for the nomination form and instructions, as well as eligibility and criteria for each award.

Gov. Bill Lee’s office is now accepting applications for a district attorney general in the 19th Judicial District, which covers Montgomery and Robertson counties. The position will be vacant as of Sept. 1 with the retirement of John W. Carney Jr. It will be filled until the next biennial election in August 2022. Interested attorneys should send a resume and cover letter by mail to Lang Wiseman, Deputy and Chief Counsel to the Governor, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37243, or by email to Rebecca Kaunisto. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. CDT on July 30. View the job posting.

The TBA’s BarBuzz podcast is celebrating the beginning of season three with a new episode, featuring guest co-host Josh Wallis of Memphis law firm Rogers, Brackin & Davis PLLC. In the latest episode, Wallis helps deliver a roundup of top legal news stories from the last month, updates and upcoming events from the bar association and special shout outs to several attorneys from across the state for their recent noteworthy accomplishments. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found online or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

The TBA's Summer Business Education Webinar Series continues Thursday with a one-hour session on Task Management. Attendees will will learn how to build a master task list and examine a method for daily and weekly planning that will improve your level of organization. The virtual program will run from noon to 1 p.m. CDT and offer one hour of dual CLE credit. The series, designed to help attorneys work smarter not harder, will wrap up on July 29 with Using Core Financial & Productivity Reports.

Shelby County lawyer Flordia M. Henderson today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. A client Henderson was representing in a small estate matter made untrue statements in court about the decedent’s marital status. Henderson failed to take proper remedial action prior to the conclusion of the proceeding and did not subsequently address the issue directly with her client. Instead, she filed a subsequent petition on behalf of the decedent’s estate alleging that the client had made knowingly false statements in her testimony. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts yesterday voiced its support for the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act to help protect judges’ personal information in federal databases, the ABA Journal reports. The legislation is named after the son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was killed last summer by a disgruntled lawyer who found Salas’ address on the internet. Federal judges and other court personnel have reported a drastic increase in threats and inappropriate communications, from 926 incidents in 2015 to 4,261 in 2020. Additionally, after federal judges requested increased security, Congress approved funding for the U.S. Marshals Service to modernize home security systems at judges’ homes and to improve its ability to identify online threats against judges and court facilities. The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act would also restrict data aggregators from reselling judges’ personal information.

Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court yesterday announced that all six divisions will resume at full capacity on Aug. 2. For information regarding court dates, check the General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office website or call the office’s general information line at 901-222-3400.

The investiture ceremony for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee Katherine Crytzer will take place on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT in the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 800 Market St., Knoxville. Crytzer was nominated for the role by former President Donald Trump and was confirmed to the bench by the U.S. Senate late last year. She was previously the principal deputy assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.

Former Nashville Mayor and Bone McAllester Norton attorney David Briley has announced he will run for Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Division I, the Tennessean reports. That judgeship is currently held by Judge Hamilton "Kip" Gayden, who some expect will not seek reelection, though he has not yet made a formal announcement. Briley was a longtime at-large Metro council member before being elected vice mayor in 2015. In 2018, he became acting mayor after the resignation of former Mayor Megan Barry. Briley won the election to complete the balance of Barry’s term, but lost his 2019 reelection race to current Mayor John Cooper. Briley practices in civil, commercial and class-action litigation at Bone McAllester.