The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments today forwarded to Gov. Bill Haslam three nominees for the circuit court vacancy in the 30th Judicial District, which serves Shelby County. The nominees are Frank S. Cantrell of Memphis, JoeDae L. Jenkins of Bartlett and Valerie L. Smith of Memphis. The vacancy was created by the death last year of the Honorable D’Army Bailey. The nominee appointed to serve as judge will hold the position through August 2016. An election will be held Aug. 4 to determine who will serve the remaining six years of the judicial term.

The city of Bartlett is accepting judicial applications to replace long-time judge Freeman Marr, who died last month. Applicants must be at least 30 years old, have a law license to practice in Tennessee and have lived in Bartlett for at least one year. The judge will be appointed by the Board of Mayor and Alderman and will serve on the bench until the November municipal election. Applications must be submitted to Mayor Keith McDonald’s office by Jan. 15. Read more from The Commercial Appeal.

The Tennessee Department of Correction today released new definitions for assault following recommendations in October from the American Correctional Association, The Tennessean reports. The changes include the elimination of the "staff/inmate provocation" category and create new definitions for specific types of assault. Although Gov. Bill Haslam boasted a decrease in prison violence, the new definitions are likely to impact those statistics. "Of course, their numbers look better than what they should, because they're recording wrong." Rep. Sherry Jones, D-Nashville, said.

Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Roger Amos Page to the Tennessee Supreme Court, replacing Justice Gary R. Wade, who retired in September. The Madison County attorney has been a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals since his appointment by Haslam in December 2011. He previously served as a circuit court judge for the 26th Judicial District. “I have been honored to serve the citizens of Tennessee for the past 18 years as a member of the judiciary, and I am humbled by the governor’s confidence in selecting me for the Tennessee Supreme Court,” Page said. Page's appointment is subject to confirmation by the Tennessee General Assembly under the state's new system that allows state lawmakers to review and reject the governor's nominations.

The Daily News Journal reports the Rutherford County Commission may raise the litigation tax by $3.65 to cover the salary and benefits of General Sessions Court judges. "It's a user fee," Lisa Nolen, county finance director, said of the proposed increase. General Sessions Court judges received an annual salary of $158,636 in the previous fiscal year that ended June 30. This fiscal year's salary for General Sessions Court judges Ben Hall McFarlin, Barry Tidwell and Toby Gilley is $161,175. State law set the salary and required a 1.6 percent increase due to inflation.

This 3-hour online CLE program looks at Tennessee’s new For-Profit Benefit Corporation Act that went into effect Jan. 1. A panel of TBA members who drafted the legislation will talk about the Act and offer advice about the use of the Act in organizing Tennessee social enterprise businesses.

Three inmates at Turney Center Industrial Prison, none of whom are terminally ill, have filed death with dignity requests. The prisoners said they want to be euthanized and donate their organs. WSMV reports two of the letters refer to the case of John Jay Hooker, a terminally-ill attorney who is fighting for death with dignity legislation in Tennessee. “The Tennessee Department of Correction sees me as an animal, so I want to be afforded the same compassion that one’s pet would be afforded if they were suffering,” Michael Adams, an inmate currently serving a 32-year sentence, wrote in the request.

Thompson’s Station residents are suing town developers and Crystal Clear Technologies, saying the developers schemed to give the tiny telecommunications company a monopoly over their neighborhoods. Attorneys representing the homeowners are seeking class action status for the lawsuit, The Tennessean reports. The plaintiffs claim DirecTV and their respective homeowners’ associations were involved in the scheme. Crystal Clear says the lawsuit has no merit.

An opinion issued today by Attorney General Herbert Slatery III said that Shelby County government is not responsible for an estimated $1.1 billion liability for retiree health benefits from Memphis City Schools. The opinion did not outline who is responsible for paying the debt. Shelby County commissioners say the city should assume the debt, but Memphis mayor Jim Strickland said the debt from the liabilities, known as OPEB, should stay with the school district. "The attorney general was not asked if city government is responsible for the special school district debt. The attorney general was asked if Shelby County government was responsible for the special school district debt,” Strickland said. Read more from The Commercial Appeal.