The Davidson County General Sessions Night Court has announced a vacancy for a “fill-in” judicial commissioner that will be called on to work a full or half shift when needed. This position pays by the hour. Successful candidates will be at least 30 years old, have been licensed for at least five years, a resident of the state for at least five years and a current resident of Davidson County. Those interested in applying should send a resume to General Sessions Court Administrator Kyle Sowell by email or by mail at 408 Second Ave. N., Suite 1140, Nashville, TN 37219. The deadline to apply is June 4. Read more about the job opening.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, have assembled an all-Republican study committee on refugee issues, TNJ: On the Hill reports. “With this study committee, we reaffirm that there is a clear and compelling state interest in a sane immigration policy,” McNally said. In a letter to House and Senate clerks, McNally and Sexton said the committee will examine the number of migrant children that have been relocated to the state by the federal government, work to increase transparency surrounding that process, and evaluate the financial and other impact the federal migrant relocation program has on Tennesseans.  

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) today unveiled a new history and milestones feature on its website in honor of Tennessee’s 225th year of statehood. The new webpage features multimedia elements that examine the history of the state’s court system from 1796 through the present. Read more interesting facts about the court system on the AOC’s website and check out the new History & Milestones page.

Nashville attorney and director of the Metro Council office, Jon Cooper, will start a new job with Bone McAllester Norton in July, the Nashville Post reports. Cooper had previously held his position with Metro Council from 2008 until 2015. He was law director for the Metro Government from 2015 to 2019 before circling back to the council. He joins a growing team of attorneys at the firm with Metro ties who are working on land use and zoning issues. Cooper will handle regulatory and administrative law matters for counties and municipalities in his new role.

A work crew at Health Sciences Park in Memphis this morning began the exhumation process of Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, the Daily Memphian reports. After private nonprofit Memphis Greenspace bought the park in 2017, the statue of Forrest, which marked his grave, was removed and an agreement was reached with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to transfer the remains for reburial at a Confederate-themed park in Columbia, Tennessee. While speaking to camera crews about the removal, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer was interrupted by a member of the construction crew who threatened and berated her with profanity, calling her a communist and saying he would physically confront her if she were a man. “So there’s no question about why we need to remove this hateful structure,” Sawyer said. The disinterment process is expected to take several weeks.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host one in-person legal advice clinic and two phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The in-person clinic will take place tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down Nashville, 1125 12th Ave. S. The phone clinics will be held tomorrow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CDT and Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. CDT. To help answer questions, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will livestream two cases on June 3. The first case will begin streaming at 9 a.m. CDT and will be followed by the second case at 10:30 a.m. The livestream can be found on the Administrative Office of the Court’s (AOC) YouTube page. Find details of both cases on the AOC’s website.  

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday signed into law legislation that creates a three-judge panel to hear constitutional challenges to state laws, executive orders, regulations and legislative redistricting cases, the Times Free Press reports. Chattanooga attorney Lee Davis told the paper he believes the law is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers. He also predicts a “real problem” in provisions regarding likely challenges to legislative reapportionment and redistricting in 2022. Davis says that before judicial panels are allowed to render a ruling that a redistricting plan does not meet legal requirements, the new law will require the panel to bring the problem to the legislature to correct, which, he says, is unconstitutional. The new law goes into effect on July 1.

Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor issued a legal opinion this week stating that the special election to fill the seat of late Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, cannot also include the District 9 County Commission seat, the Chattanoogan reports. County Commissioner Greg Martin had asked Taylor if the elections could be combined so that commission members could forego appointing an interim commissioner. Taylor said other voters in the district would be disenfranchised if the two elections were merged. Gov. Bill Lee has not yet issued the writ of election that will determine dates for the primary and general special elections.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kristen Clarke to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division, The Hill reports. Clarke will be the first Black woman in the role of assistant attorney general for civil rights. Republicans opposed Clarke’s nomination was deadlocked 11-11 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. But that did not prevent the nomination from going to the full Senate floor where it passed on a tight vote of 51-48. Before being nominated, Clarke was the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.