Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Northeast Tennessee needs volunteers to be the voice of an abused and neglected child in the community. Over 30 children are in need of volunteers to ensure they are in a safe, permanent home by making sure their needs are being met through the court and children's services. CASA provides advocacy training starting with an information session on Jan. 28 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For more information, contact program coordinators Lauren Pealor or Emily Tester. WJHL News has the story.

Thomas Francis DiLustro received a public censure for accepting fees from a client without performing any legal work in the case and deceived his client into believing that a civil action had been filed when it had not. He constructively withdrew from the case without returning unearned fees to the client. In another case, DiLustro failed to turn over his client’s file upon request at the conclusion of the representation. In both instances, DiLustro failed to adequately communicate with his clients and failed to respond to requests for information from the Board of Professional Responsibility. Download the BPR notice.

Billy J. Reed was temporarily suspended from the practice of law for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding a complaint of misconduct. Download the BPR notice.

The Middle District of Tennessee was found to be the most productive federal district court in America, based on 2013 data from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The listing is created by averaging the time of the bench, time on trial, number of civil cases, and number of criminal cases tried per active district judge in each district court.

Attorney Lisa Nidiffer Rice announced she is running for 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge in the Republican primary. The judgeship is currently held by Robert Cupp. The position covers all four counties — Washington, Carter, Unicoi and Johnson — in the 1st District, as does the Part II judgeship held by Judge Stacy Street. Currently, Street has no challengers. Rice has been in private practice since 1998 and prior to that served as a prosecutor in the district attorney general’s office. The Johnson City Press has more.

In a Daily News Journal opinion piece, the editorial board praises the creation of the Murfreesboro Downtown Barristers Lions Club. The new service organization is geared towards law professionals who are working to make a difference outside of the courtroom. Chief Justice Gary Wade will be the keynote speaker at the Charter Night held on Feb. 4 at Parthenon Grill. “We see this club as win for the club and the community,” the publication stated.

Francis Guess, a longtime civil rights leader and former commissioner of two state agencies under a Republican governor, said yesterday that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas isn’t getting the job done as a representative of African-Americans on this nation’s highest court. During the Waller law firm’s annual celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr., Guess said Thomas — the only African-American among the nine justices — does not truly understand black people’s concerns. The Tennessean has more.

A bill introduced by Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey, chair of the Judiciary Committee, would abolish Divisions 1 and 5 of Shelby County Circuit Court effective Sept. 1, the start of the next eight-year judicial term. The Memphis Bar Association's Bar Bulletin notes that the bill, SB1484, also would remove the two judgeships from the county's general election ballot this August. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the committee next Tues., Jan. 21, at 2:30 p.m.

All federal court judges received a 14 percent salary increase effective Jan. 1 because of a court ruling that erased pay freezes going back to 1995. According to Bloomberg, the size of congressional paychecks became a political issue during the 1990s, and lawmakers cancelled four automatic cost-of-living increases for themselves and the judiciary. That led to lawsuits, including a class action that the judges won. Washington lawyer Christopher Landau represented six judges who filed a 2009 lawsuit challenging the denial of pay raises.

Elizabeth C. Asbury announced that she is running to be chancellor for the 8th Judicial District. Asbury has practiced law in the district since graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1985. She maintained a private practice from 1985 to 1993 and served as an assistant district attorney from 1993 to 1998, The Oneida Independent Herald reports.