The Knoxville Bar Association will host a Faith and Justice Legal Advice Clinic April 13-15. The Faith and Justice Alliance seeks to build a coalition of faith leaders in the Knoxville area and to host legal advice clinics to give people a less intimidating environment to talk to a lawyer. This is a general advice clinic with volunteers prepared to advise on a wide variety of legal issues, including family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury, among other issues. Participants have until April 7 to register for the clinic.

After 44 years as district attorney general of the 15th Judicial District, Tommy Thompson has announced his retirement, the Tennessean reports. Thompson, 78, was considered the dean of district attorneys general in the state, according to Guy Jones, executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Jason Lawson has been appointed pro tem district attorney general by Judge Brody Kane and Gov. Bill Lee is expected to appoint a district attorney general to finish out the term that will be up for election in August 2022. Thompson was first appointed to the position in 1977. The 15th Judicial District covers Wilson, Smith, Macon, Trousdale and Jackson counties.

Organize Tennessee, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to voter protection and education, will host a poll watching training on March 27 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The training will provide information on up-to-date election laws, common poll watching incidents and details on how to become a poll watcher. Register by signing up on Organize Tennessee’s website or registering through Zoom. For help with registration, email Executive Director Kayla Parker.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the TBA has rallied its past, current and future female presidents for a one-hour conversation on their experiences, influences and the impact women have made on the legal profession. The virtual panel will take place on March 24 from 3 to 4 p.m. CDT. TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson will moderate the panel, which will include: former TBA presidents Sarah Sheppeard, Cindy Wyrick, Jackie Dixon, Gail Ashworth, Marcy Eason and Kathryn Reed Edge; TBA Vice President Tasha Blakney; TBA President-elect Sherie Edwards; and current TBA President Michelle Greenway Sellers. Register now.

Work is complete on the state-of-the-art Rhea County Justice Center, which will serve as the new home of the county’s Circuit, Chancery and General Sessions courts. Located three miles north of the historic Rhea County Courthouse that it’s replacing, the 94,000-square-foot Justice Center boasts a number of technological and security-related upgrades that will make court run more safely and more smoothly for judges, staff and court users. The building will also house the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department and a new county jail, which can house 342 inmates. Other parts of the building will be rented out by a variety of different agencies, providing room for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, public defenders, probation, and parole offices. The historic Rhea County Courthouse was made famous as the site of the Scopes Trial and houses a museum dedicated to the trial. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the new Justice Center.

The U.S. Department of Justice yesterday filed a civil rights lawsuit against Cumberland County for failure to act on charges of sexual misconduct by former Solid Waste Department Director Michael Harvel, the Crossville Chronicle reports. The DOJ says four current and former Solid Waste Department employees filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission detailing sexual harassment they, and other women, were subjected to by Harvel. The suit also references six employees who did not file complaints with the EEOC. The suit says that from February 2015 through February 2018, Harvel subjected female employees to unwelcome, nonconsensual sexual contact on a “daily or near daily basis.” The suit seeks monetary and non-monetary relief, including that the county establish better measures to prevent and correct sexual harassment. A settlement is expected in the case by April 8. Harvel also faces criminal charges related to the complaint.

The FBI yesterday released findings from its investigation into the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville, including what they believe motivated the man who detonated the bomb, WPLN reports. According to the report, Anthony Warner of Antioch sought to end his own life due in part to “life stressors” like paranoia and beliefs he adopted from several conspiracy theories. “The FBI’s analysis did not reveal indications of a broader ideological motive to use violence to bring about social or political change, nor does it reveal indications of a specific personal grievance focused on individuals or entities in and around the location of the explosion,” the report said. Several reviews of the explosion are still ongoing, including Metro Nashville Police Department’s review of its own handling of a 2019 tip from Warner’s girlfriend that he was building a bomb in his RV.

U.S. District Judge for the Western District Mark Norris yesterday ruled that the Centers for Disease Control exceeded its legal authority by issuing an order halting evictions, the Daily Memphian reports. The ruling clears the way for landlords in the Western District of Tennessee’s 22 counties to resume evicting tenants who are late in paying rent. Norris ruled in favor of seven Memphis-area landlords and property management firms who filed suit in September. They argued that Congress never authorized the CDC to impose the order. Congress did approve a six-month halt on evictions last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After it expired, the CDC extended the moratorium with the support of former President Donald Trump. However, Norris ruled there was no law authorizing the CDC to impose the order.

According to a bankruptcy plan filed late Monday night, Purdue Pharma will pay $500 million up front to settle hundreds of thousands of injury claims linked to its role in the opioid crisis, NPR reports. Billions of dollars in additional payments will be made over the next decade, with the company predicting as much as $1 billion in additional payouts happening by 2024. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery today responded to the filing, calling the plan a “significant step,” but adding that the state’s “support is still contingent on remaining unresolved issues.” Two dozen state attorneys general rejected the plan, calling Purdue a “criminal enterprise” in a joint statement and demanding more money up front to help communities affected by opioid addiction.

A new episode of the TBA Member Spotlight Series is available today, featuring a conversation between TBA President Michelle Greenway Sellers and Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins of Memphis. Jenkins discusses his passions outside of the law, how to educate the community about the important role the judiciary plays in their everyday lives and more. Catch up on past episodes, like Michelle’s conversation with HCA Senior HR Counsel and TBA Chief Diversity Officer Mary Beard and 26th Judicial District Assistant District Attorney and TBA YLD President Terica Smith.