Meet Chelsea Bennett, the TBA’s Senior Education & Professional Development Coordinator! When she’s not gardening or rockin’ out at concerts and music festivals, Chelsea can be found working with the executive councils of several TBA Sections to produce CLE programs and section newsletters and coordinating section-specific legislative needs. PLUS, she runs the TBA Scaling Small Law Program, helps coordinate the new Women in the Profession Committee and MUCH more! #TeamTBA

The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff members makes the association run. Check back every Wednesday for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

Health care attorney Nina Kumar received Nashville Cable’s 2022 ATHENA Young Professional Award during the organization’s award ceremony last month, Main Street Nashville reports. Chaired by attorney Liz Sitgreaves, the event marked the 32nd year that Nashville Cable has recognized local accomplished women. Kumar is an attorney at Ardent Health Services. She was previously a partner at Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough LLP and began her legal career as a clerk for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby. As part of the program, Cable presented $9,000 in scholarships to eight female rising college students and one female nontraditional student.  

The early voting period for Tennessee’s May 3 primary begins April 13. Voters will have until April 28 to cast an early vote. Information on polling locations and hours can be found on the following sites: Chattanooga, the Chattanoogan; Clarksville, Clarksville Now; Knoxville, WBIR; Memphis, WREG; Nashville, the Tennessean. To check your voter registration status, head over to the Tennessee Secretary of State website.

A special judge ruled yesterday that Shelby County will not be required to open additional early voting sites during Holy Week, the Commercial Appeal reports. The ruling came after the NAACP Memphis Branch, #UpTheVote901 and the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis sued the Shelby County Election Commission to keep them from implementing a resolution opening just its downtown location on the first two days of early voting and five other sites on the fourth day. The groups say the resolution would disenfranchise minority voters throughout early voting in the upcoming county election. Much of the argument Monday centered on whether churches were willing to act as early voting sites during Holy Week. “The question is, do I disrupt the entire Shelby County election based on what I’ve heard at this point?" Judge James Butler asked. "And the court is not prepared to do that.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday issued an order taking jurisdiction of Akilah Moore v. William Lee, et al, which involves a challenge to the redistricting of state Senate seats. Future documents in the case will be available on the Public Case History page or by searching case number M2022-00434-SC-RDO-CV in the Public Case History. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark J. Fishburn is looking forward to the next phase of his legal career after he retires from the bench in August. “…whether it be pro bono work, volunteer work, offering myself and my service to the Supreme Court as a substitute judge, or if there’s anything I can do to help them out,” Fishburn said. “I’m looking forward to a turn in the road for continued living and enjoying life.” Fishburn has been off the bench for several months while undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but will return to court later this month ahead of his August retirement. Read more about Fishburn’s career from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge D. Kelly Thomas Jr. has announced he will retire from the bench on June 30. Thomas began his judicial career in 1990 after being elected to the Fifth Judicial District Circuit Court, Division II. He was re-elected in 1998 and 2006 before being appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by then-Gov. Phil Bredesen later that year. Prior to his judgeship, Thomas was an associate with Thomas & Cunningham and later a partner at Thomas & Thomas. He is a past president of the Blount County Bar Association and former president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on Thomas’ retirement plans.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton yesterday denied a petition to reopen the case of death row inmate Oscar Smith, who is set to be executed later this month for murdering his estranged wife and her two sons in 1989, the Associated Press reports. Smith’s attorneys said in the petition that newly available technology led to the discovery of unknown DNA left on an awl found at the crime scene. However, Dalton ruled yesterday that the evidence of Smith’s guilt was overwhelming and the DNA evidence does not tip the scales in his favor. Smith, who has maintained his innocence, is set to die by lethal injection on April 21.

West Tennessee Legal Services and the Faith and Justice Alliance are teaming up to host an expungement clinic on May 6. Attorneys are needed prior to that date to virtually meet with clients and prepare expungement documents to be filed in Madison County courts. Volunteer attorneys can assist remotely from anywhere in the state. Volunteer for the clinic here. WTLS will host a CLE on April 21 specifically focused on helping clients during the clinic. The program will run from noon until 1 p.m. CDT and will be presented by Savannah Quintero and Andy Cole. Register for the CLE here.

Chancellor Anne Martin yesterday heard arguments over the state comptroller’s financial takeover of Mason, Tennessee, a small town less than 10 miles from the Ford megasite, WPLN reports. Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower wrote a letter to Mason’s 1,337 residents, most of whom are Black, asking them to relinquish their town charter rather than fix their budget problems. The town opted to fix its budget rather than dissolve, but is suing to challenge whether the state can control every dollar that’s spent. Martin said the request put the town in “a no-win choice situation.” Mason officials say they felt “attacked” and noted that majority-white towns in East Tennessee with far deeper financial problems were never asked to dissolve. Memphis attorney Van Turner called the move “offensive” and said “there is an aspect of discriminatory treatment when you look at this case.”