The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has forwarded the names of Audrey Lee Anderson, Stanley A. Kweller and Stephanie J. Williams to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration in filling the 20th Judicial District circuit court vacancy. The seat was made vacant by the passing of Judge Philip E. Smith in September. The 20th Judicial District covers Davidson County. Read more on each candidate from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Witness an all-star lineup of women attorneys discuss resiliency in our profession during times of change, nontraditional legal careers, women supporting other women and much more during the “Raising the Bar” program next week. Produced by the TBA Women in the Profession Committee, the in-person event will kick off with a keynote address from Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle (retired), JAMS: Mediation, Arbitration and ADR Service, on withstanding career adversity, overcoming challenges and growing from those experiences. Programming will run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. CST at Baker Donelson’s Nashville office and will be immediately followed by a networking reception. Learn more and register for the program.

In what could be its final public hearing, the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol unanimously voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump, The Hill reports. Trump is expected to challenge the subpoena in the court, a process that would likely outlast the life of the special committee which is set to end later this year. If Trump declined to comply with the compulsory order to testify, the committee and then the House could vote on whether to send a contempt of Congress referral to the Justice Department. It’s not clear when the subpoena will be formally served or what response date deadline would be given to Trump.

The U.S. government has agreed to pay workers at a Bean Station slaughterhouse more than $1 million in a federal case alleging multiple civil rights violations, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. According to the proposed settlement agreement filed yesterday, the U.S. government will pay $475,000 to be split between six individual plaintiffs. An additional $550,000 will be paid into a class settlement fund for approximately 100 Hispanic workers also detained that day. The attorneys for the plaintiffs will be paid $150,000. The settlement stems from the 2018 raid by the IRS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the slaughterhouse in which all Hispanic workers were detained and allegedly cursed, shoved and punched by federal agents. The settlement still will need to go before a federal judge for a final approval hearing within the next six months. That hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The U.S. Supreme Court today denied former President Donald Trump’s request to intervene in his legal battle over classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, The Hill reports. The Supreme Court’s denial of the request means fewer than five justices voted in Trump’s favor, though a vote breakdown was not publicly disclosed. Trump’s legal team had wanted the high court to lift a stay granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that allowed the Justice Department to review more than 100 classified records taken from Mar-a-Lago during its August search.

The Nashville Bar Association today released results from its member poll on applicants being considered for the 20th Judicial District Circuit Court. Four hundred thirty five bar members responded to the poll that included applicants Tusca R.S. Alexis, Audrey Lee Anderson, Stanley A. Kewller and Stephanie J. Williams. Nearly 35% of members said they would “highly recommend” Williams for the position, followed by Kweller (20.5%), Anderson (3.5%) and Alexis (1%). Read full results from the NBA.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has entered a “best interest” plea on a drunk driving charge he was given after leaving the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester earlier this year, the Tennessee Journal reports. Through the deal, known as an Alford plea, Hargett doesn’t admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution’s case against him would have likely resulted in a guilty verdict. He has served a 48-hour sentence, attended a victim impact course and has given up access to his state car for at least a year. Hargett said in a statement that he wants to "accept responsibility for my actions and move forward…” He has no plans to resign.

Two upcoming webcasts from the TBA Dispute Resolution Section are set to focus on the law of arbitration and technology in the realm of access to justice (ATJ). Recent Developments in the Law of Arbitration on Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to noon CDT will cover recent federal legislation affecting arbitration, as well as selected cases from the past year, with emphasis on the United States Supreme Court, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Tennessee state courts. The Future of Technology in the Access to Justice Realm on Nov. 29 from noon until 1 p.m. CST will explore the experiences of mediators using remote technology to help resolve disputes across a wide spectrum of dispute types.

West Tennessee Legal Services is now accepting applications for two attorney positions in its Victim Rights Project. The Safe Hope Center/Victims Rights Attorney will be based primarily at the Safe Hope Center in Jackson and will collaborate with the Jackson Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit, District Attorney’s domestic violence prosecutor and the Women’s/Men’s Rape Assistance Program. The Victim Rights Attorney will be based in Jackson and requires travel to WTLS’ 17-county service area. The attorney will provide civil legal assistance to domestic violence and crime victims. Browse all available job openings on the TBA’s JobLink site.  

A Belmont University College of Law student died yesterday evening after a line of severe storms swept through Middle Tennessee, Nashville’s WSMV reports. Laurel Flaherty, a first-year law student, was in Williamson County’s Old Natchez Trace area when a tree fell on her Nissan Rogue. She was 22. Flaherty was a native of Pembrooke, Massachusetts, and remained in Nashville for law school after graduating from Belmont University in May. Her family describes her as the “sweetest kid ever” who just “wanted to make the world a better place.” Parts of Williamson County experienced significant damage from the storms on Wednesday, with reports of trees falling on homes and across roadways.