A reception was held last week in honor of First Judicial District Circuit Judge Thomas Seeley Jr., who retired in June after 30 years on the bench. The event was held at the Unicoi Tourist Information Center, during which Seeley received proclamations from Unicoi Mayor Johnny Lynch, Erwin Mayor Doris Hensley and the state. Mayor Hensley also presented Seeley with a plaque thanking him for his many decades of service to the community. The Erwin Record has more.

Attorney Joycelyn A. Stevenson was among community leaders honored last night at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville's annual Nashville Emerging Leader Awards ceremony at Lipscomb University. Stevenson, a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, was named a leader in the legal services category. She practices labor and employment and business immigration law. The Tennessean has the full list of award winners.

The new Chattanooga-Hamilton County Mental Health Court launched yesterday, News Channel 9 reports. The mental health court aims to provide services and break down barriers to recovery for defendants with serious mental illness. The program offers judicial supervision combined with treatment services to help defendants who would otherwise be released without additional support.

Representatives of human rights organizations and public defenders have sent a joint letter to the Governor's Task Force on Sentencing and Recidivism asking it to reconsider its process before finalizing recommendations, the Tennessean reports. The letter argues that the makeup of the task force is "weighted toward the law enforcement community" and its meetings have had a "dearth of public input." Signers include representatives from the Tennessee Consultation on Criminal Justice, No Exceptions Prison Collective, Human Rights Defense Center, Tennessee NAACP, NOAH Criminal Justice Task Force, the Davidson County Public Defender's Office and the Knox County Public Defender's Office. The Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers sent a letter to the task force earlier this week expressing similar concerns.

Collierville attorney Fred Auston Wortman III yesterday pleaded not guilty of trying to kill his wife. After a grand jury indictment, Wortman was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of solicitation of first-degree murder for allegedly trying to hire a hitman to kill her. His trial date is set for Dec. 1. Wortman also faces one charge of attempted murder in Shelby County for allegedly attempting to kill his wife by poisoning her toothpaste. Knoxnews has the story.

This will be the last issue of TBA Today for attorneys who have not yet renewed their membership in the Tennessee Bar Association. The 2014-2015 TBA membership year ended June 30 and the 30-day grace period for renewal has now expired. To keep receiving TBA Today, the Tennessee Bar Journal and other services and benefits, contact Membership Director Kathy Prescott or renew online.

Seeking to overturn a major setback in its power to punish the trading of stocks based on insider tips, the Obama administration today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive one of the highest profile Wall Street prosecutions in years, SCOTUSblog reports. The case grew out of federal prosecutors’ broad investigation into suspected insider trading at hedge funds. In the specific case at issue, two hedge fund managers were convicted of securities fraud after their trades in technology company stocks -- allegedly based on a chain of tips containing insider information -- resulted in gains close to $72 million. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals previously overturned the convictions.

The National Association for Law Placement today released its annual employment figures for last year's law school graduates. The big news is that the overall employment rate rose for the first time since 2007 -- from 84.5 percent in 2013 to 86.7 percent in 2014. But some caution may be warranted. While the employment numbers were up, the number of students seeking jobs was down. The 2014 class was substantially smaller, by about 3,000 graduates, than the 2013 class, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports.

The ABA Criminal Justice Section has formed a Task Force on Law Enforcement Body Cameras to analyze whether the use of these cameras by law enforcement promotes public safety and guards against unsubstantiated claims of police misconduct. The task force also will assess the cameras' impact on the criminal justice system and individual liberties. Finally, it will be charged with reporting on best policies and practices for the deployment and use of body cameras. The group will announce task force members and detail objectives tomorrow at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Private organizations operating public parks in Tennessee may not stop licensed handgun permit holders from carrying their weapons into an event, according to a new opinion from the state attorney general. The opinion seems to apply to events at Nashville's new Ascend Amphitheater and for next year's Memphis in May celebration, which both take place at public parks but are organized and operated by private organizations. However, guns will still be banned at tomorrow's opening concert at the amphitheater, said Metro Law Director Saul Solomon. The Tennessean has more.