Thirty federal judges attended the 2015 Mid-Career Seminar for U.S. District Judges at Vanderbilt Law School last week. "This is a perfect time for them to reengage with their aspirations in becoming judges," Terry Maroney, Vanderbilt professor of law, said.  "We aim to create space for them to reflect and recharge in a deep way, something their daily work pressures can make difficult.”

Former Nashville mayor Karl Dean’s plan to build a "trackless trolly" line to connect the city’s east and west areas failed when outside money and interests came into play, the Boston Globe reports. What started as a local transportation project, the newspaper says in its Divided Nation series, turned into a bare-knuckle city-versus-state fight at a time when the partisan divide between big cities — mostly run by Democrats — and state capitals, where the GOP largely holds sway, has reached a historic extreme.

Celebrate Pro Bono Month is underway with more than 50 events planned across the state of Tennessee. We have a complied an online list of events and volunteer opportunities. If you or your firm attend a Celebrate Pro Bono event, please share photos with us to help us promote the good work happening across the state during this initiative. Send photos to tbatoday@tnbar.org or tweet them to us by tagging @TennesseeBar.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will hold information sessions about the Diversity Leadership Institute this month. The sessions will feature program leaders and graduates, who will provide an overview of the program and application process, as well as answer questions. The first session will take place tomorrow at noon at the University of Tennessee College of Law. A session at the University of Memphis School of Law will take place Oct. 16 at noon. A session at Belmont College of Law is set for Oct. 22 at noon. Contact YLD Diversity Committee Chair Amber Floyd at 901-537-1054 with any questions. Watch for details soon about presentations at Duncan School of Law, Nashville School of Law and Vanderbilt Law School.

State Senators Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and Mike Bell, R-Riceville, with State Representatives Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, and Jay Reedy, R-Erin, will host a Legislator Community Forum next Monday in Nashville to discuss Senate Joint Resolution 0067, Tennessee’s application for a state convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. Proponents of the convention want to impose fiscal restraints and limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. For more information, contact Scott Williams at 865-566-3033.

The Tennessean highlights how the work of Nashville’s “domestic violence champion-in-residence” Jean Crowe, who died early in the summer, lives on during October's National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A long-time attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Crowe played an essential role in creating the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Crowe was named the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year in 2013.

WKRN reports that New Johnsonville Mayor Lance Loveless was indicted by the Humphreys County Grand Jury on one count of theft and two counts of official misconduct after an investigation revealed he had received improper supplemental insurance coverage from the city. Loveless was previously charged with theft in 2014 after he used city resources for personal use.

The U.S. Supreme Court could announce tomorrow whether it will hear a challenge to an Illinois law banning assault weapons, CNBC reports. The Illinois State Rifle Association is challenging the constitutionality of a 2013 law passed in Highland Park that bans the sale, purchase or possession of semi-automatic weapons that can hold more than 10 rounds in a single ammunition clip or magazine in an effort to prevent mass shootings.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will inverview nine applicants on Oct. 27 for the Tennessee Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Gary R. Wade. The applicants are: Matthew P. Cavitch of Eads, Thomas Radcliffe Frierson of Morristown, Mark A. Fulks of Johnson City, Ted M. Hayden of Gallatin, Robert David Meyers of Memphis, Herbert S. Moncier of Knoxville, Robert H. Montgomery Jr. of Kingsport, Roger Amos Page of Medina, and Larry Scroggs of Germantown. The interview will include a public meeting at 9 a.m. at the Legislative Plaza, 301 6th Ave N.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & The Cumberlands will hold its Third Tuesday Walk-in Clinic in Oak Ridge on Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m. The Legal Aid Society’s Oak Ridge Office is located at 226 Broadway. For more information, including volunteer opportunities, contact Mary Lynn Goodman.

In Nashville, Operation Stand Down will hold its Legal Advice Clinic for veterans on Oct. 21, 2 p.m. at 1125 12th Ave. S. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 615-248-1981. To volunteer, contact Lucinda Smith.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s ongoing Thursday afternoon clinic will continue in Memphis during Celebrate Pro Bono Month on Oct. 15, 1:30 – 4 p.m. at the D’Army Bailey Civil Courthouse, Room 140. Contact Cindy Ettingoff for more information.