Join Mac Bailey, founding member of The Bailey Law Firm and Darlene Kemp and Theresa Law of Vista Points Special Needs Trusts & Resource Center as they walk you through the complex world of special needs trusts during the ABCs of SNTS program. Topics will include drafting tips, ethical considerations, types and specific purposes of special needs trusts and more. The program will take place virtually on Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. CDT and is worth 2.5 general CLE credits. Immediately following the program, there will be a live 30-minute Q&A time with all speakers.

The National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts will host its 2020 Symposium on Racial Equity over the course of two-days, beginning tomorrow from noon until 4 p.m. EDT. The program is free and open to the public and will look at critically important issues in the context of advancing racial equity and equal justice under the law. Tomorrow’s program will include a session on examining barriers to civic engagement for people with a felony, followed by a roundtable on ensuring equal access to justice through the courts. The program will continue on Nov. 13 with sessions on reimagining policing and removing confederate statues from public squares. The program is free, but attendees must register in advance.

 The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned the convictions of former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood and two of his former staffers, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. In a two-to-one decision, the federal appellate court ruled that U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier was wrong to allow prosecutors at the 2018 trial to play secret recordings of Hazelwood making racist comments and singing along to a racist song. The 6th Circuit ruled Collier’s decision to allow the tapes was legally flawed and his instruction to the jury inadequate, stating in their opinion that the “inflammatory nature of Hazelwood’s comments created a strong risk that the jury would convict him based on factors other than the charged conduct.” Hazelwood was convicted in 2018 after a four-month trial of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and witness tampering. It was not immediately known if the U.S. Attorney’s office will seek to appeal the decision.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, a record-breaking 273,325 Tennesseans have cast their ballot by voting early or absentee voting—a 91% increase from the first day of early voting in 2016 and a 120% increase over 2012. Early voting for the state and federal primary and county general election runs Monday to Saturday until Oct. 29. Election Day is Nov. 3.Voting and election day hours, polling locations and more can be found at GoVoteTN.com or with the GoVoteTN app.

The number of Tennesseans who cannot vote due to a felony conviction has risen since 2016, despite a national trend in the opposite direction, WPLN reports. That data comes from a new report from the Sentencing Project, which found that 5.2 million Americans cannot vote because of a criminal record. Tennessee, which has some of the strictest voter restoration rules in the country, accounts for more than 456,000 of that number. The report found that Tennessee has the highest rate of disenfranchised Latino voters in the country, at over 10%. The state also ranks second for the overall percentage of voting age residents who can’t vote due to a felony conviction, as well as for the percentage of Black voters banned from the polls. In the past four years, an additional 35,000 Tennesseans with felony convictions have lost the right to vote. Meanwhile, just 35 have restored their right to vote.

Wade Hinton, vice president of diversity and inclusion for Unum and former attorney for the city of Chattanooga, today announced he will run for mayor of Chattanooga, the Times Free Press reports. Hinton was Chattanooga’s first African American city attorney from 2013- 2018. Prior to that he served as deputy general counsel for Volkswagen Group of America's Chattanooga operations after having worked at Miller & Martin, Snipes Roberson and Hinton and Shumacker & Thompson. Hinton was also a former director of the Hamilton County Title 6 program and served as a consultant to County Mayor Claude Ramsey on issues related to diversity and minority business programs. He served on the TBA Young Lawyers Division Board and was a member of the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2006. Hinton said he wants to lead Chattanooga as a city that doesn't just recover "but becomes a model for equity and diversity and inclusion in city government."

Five attorneys have applied for the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court vacancy, which includes Rutherford and Cannon counties. Those attorneys include: Joshua T. Crain, Trevor H. Lynch, John G. Mitchell III, Gingeree Smith and James A. Turner. The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will hold a virtual hearing using Zoom on Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. CST. The Commission will vote immediately after the hearing and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. The hearing will be livestreamed on the Administrative Office of the Court’s YouTube page. Interested individuals may also watch the livestream in the Jury Assembly Room of the Rutherford County Judicial Center, 116 W. Lytle St., Room 101, Murfreesboro. To address the Commission by video conferencing, email Ceesha Lofton or call 615-741-2687 by 4 p.m. CDT on Oct. 29.

The Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments will hold a hearing to fill the Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Section vacancy on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. CDT on both days. This hearing will be held virtually and will be livestreamed for public viewing on the Administrative Office of the Court’s YouTube page. Interested individuals may also attend the virtual hearing at AOC headquarters, 511 Union St., Ste. 600, Nashville 37219, to watch and/or speak in opposition to any applicant. Anyone who wishes to address the Council via video conferencing should contact Ceesha Lofton or call 615-741-2687.  

TBA CLE will host Elder Law Basics 2020 on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. CDT. This virtual program is designed for attorneys new to the practice, or those looking to brush up on their knowledge in the area. Programming includes an overview for the intangibles of Elder Law, including powers of attorney, estate recovery, reverse mortgages, how clients can find and afford health care in retirement, ethics and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned practitioners providing the information you need to stay on top of developments and changes in the field. Course material and instructions on how to connect to the program via Zoom Webinar will be sent to registrants the week of the program.

George Scoville, an associate in the Lewis Thomason Nashville office, has been named an adjunct fellow with the Institute for Free Speech. IFS is the nation’s largest organization dedicated solely to protecting First Amendment political speech rights. In his role as an adjunct fellow, Scoville will provide commentary on topics related to the organization’s mission. Most recently, he helped scrutinize Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s judicial record in free speech cases. Scoville represents global and national consumer product brands in products liability actions in the state and federal courts for Lewis Thomason. Additionally, he is adjunct professor of American Government and Constitutional Law in the Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Belmont University. Scoville earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He is a member of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, as well as a member of the Federal Practice and Litigation sections.