Nashville Mayor David Briley today announced the Mayor's Council on the State of Women, created to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of women's suffrage. Many leaders of the Tennessee legal community are included on the council, including attorneys Anne Davis, Margaret Behm, Samar Ali, Abby Rubenfeld, and Darkenya Waller, as well as Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman, Judge Ana Escobar, Chancellor Anne Martin and Criminal Court Clerk Brenda Wynn. The group will focus on increasing civic engagement and access to opportunity for women throughout the year.

Due to the upcoming retirement of Mark Stephens, Public Defender for the 6th Judicial District, and Tom Marshall, Public Defender for the 7th Judicial District, Gov. Bill Lee's office will fill both positions until the next election in 2020. The 6th District includes Knox County, while the 7th includes Anderson County. Interested candidates should submit resumes and cover letters to Lang Wiseman, Deputy and Chief Counsel to the Governor, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee, 37243 or by email to rebecca.kaunisto@tn.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on Aug. 30.

It’s almost September, and for lawyers in Tennessee, that means one thing – the end of seersucker suits and dresses for the rest of the year. Several events are planned in the coming weeks to celebrate the occasion. First is “Sweet Tea and Seersucker,” a fundraiser in Jackson for the Madison County Library, where Memphis attorney Bill Haltom will serve as guest speaker on Aug. 19. Then comes the Seersucker Flash Mobs in every city – Aug. 27 in Knoxville, Aug. 30 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and Aug. 30 in Nashville. Check with your local bar for information about a flash mob near you.

A Davidson County judge has refused to disqualify a controversial DA from prosecuting a case involving a student activist and former House Speaker Glen Casada, NewsChannel5 reports. General Sessions Judge Diane Turner rejected the motion to disqualify Coffee County DA Craig Northcott, who was assigned as a special prosecutor in the case against Justin Jones. The Vanderbilt divinity student faces an assault charge for throwing a foam cup of tea onto an elevator with Casada and other lawmakers during a protest. There were requests to have Northcott removed from the case after reports surfaced that he compared Muslims to members of the KKK and that he refuses to use Tennessee's domestic violence laws to protect people in same-sex relationships, 

The Executive Office of the U.S. Trustees in the Department of Justice is seeking to fill the position of Trial Attorney, Region 8, based in Nashville. The position requires a knowledge of bankruptcy law and experience in litigation. The period to apply will be open until Aug. 30. Interested personnel can view the announcement and application procedures by visiting the DOJ website. 

Judy Perry Martinez of Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn in New Orleans became president of the American Bar Association yesterday at the conclusion of the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Arizona attorney Patricia Lee Refo assumed the mantle of president-elect, and will serve as the organization's president in the 2020-2021 bar year.