In response to a May 7 lawsuit filed by special prosecutor and Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert from her position, a Memphis judge has set two court dates. The Daily Memphian reports that Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson has scheduled the ouster trial for Aug. 31, but has set a hearing for June 25 to determine whether Halbert should be suspended pending the trial's outcome. If the outcome of the hearing is that Halbert remains clerk at least up to the August trial, Wamp and the prosecution could also change how they present their case. “The standard is very, very high for removal. We have to make sure we have the proof for both the suspension hearing and the trial,” Wamp said. Darrell O’Neal, representing Halbert, has filed a motion to dismiss the case saying that "mere negligence" is not grounds for dismissal and Halbert is being targeted politically.

Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel has appointed retired federal judge Bruce Guyton as deputy chief to oversee the department's Office of Professional Standards, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. Noel created the position after an internal survey showed widespread dissatisfaction with communication from leadership, paths to promotion and that nearly every Black employee had experienced discrimination. Guyton, who has filled the role on an interim basis since July 2023, is tasked with creating, instilling and enforcing standards of conduct. Before taking on the interim deputy chief role, Guyton was a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee for 20 years until he retired in 2022.

The Chattanooga Bar Foundation recently announced its class of 2024 Fellows. They are Cathy Dorvil with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel; Ellie Hill with Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway; Laura Ketcham with Miller & Martin; Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw; Carrie Brown Stefaniak, law clerk for Judge Curtis L. Collier with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee; and Kara West, Chapter 13 trustee for the Southern Division of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Chapter 12 trustee for the entire Eastern District of Tennessee. Read more about the new fellows from Chattanoogan.com.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Thursday announced a multi-state lawsuit challenging a new rule recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Under the new rule, covered entities found to be non-compliant risk losing significant federal funding, including state Medicaid funding designed to assist low-income individuals, as well as exposure to civil liability from private lawsuits. The suit argues that the rule, among other impacts, will require medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs without regard for a doctor’s medical judgment. It also argues that HHS overstepped its authority in making the change.

Davidson County Probate Court will hold a legal name change docket in observance of Pride Month on June 28 at 1:30 p.m. CDT in Courtroom 608. Davidson County residents over age 18 are eligible. Download this form and follow the instructions on page 1 to participate.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced the appointment of Jeff Rader as special judge in the 4th Judicial District for Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. Prior to becoming a general sessions and juvenile court judge in Sevier County in 1998, Rader practiced law at Ogle, Wynn and Rader from 1991-1998. He also has held numerous leadership roles, including founder of the Sevier County Safe Baby Court and Sevier County Workforce Probation and Recovery Court. Rader earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. This special appointment follows Judge Rex Ogle’s decision to take disability status effective June 3.

The Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) has announced changes to its leadership. The commissioners have elected board member Nancy Sullivan as their new chair, effective July 1. Sullivan will serve a two-year term, succeeding Joycelyn Stevenson. Stevenson, a former TBA executive director, has been renominated to the board by Mayor Freddie O'Connell and if confirmed by Metro Council, will serve a seven-year term. O'Connell has chosen Glenn Farner Jr. to fill the board's current open seat for a term ending in early 2031. The seat opened in March when Bill Freeman stepped down. Farner must also be confirmed by Metro Council. The Nashville Business Journal has more.

Coming up on July 11 is the always engaging CLE Performer Stuart Teicher with three hours of ethics CLEs. Join your colleagues for these webcasts beginning at 9 a.m. CDT: What Emojis Teach About Lawyer Legal Ethics, Cat Proverbs and Attorney Ethics and What Overrated Rock Bands Teach About Attorney Ethics. Want to get ethics credits now? Check out the latest ethics programming available on demand, including Taylor Swift is a Genius: Even About Legal Ethics and Learn By Doing: An Hour of Legal Writing Exercises.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will host a CLE during next month's TBA Convention focused on the expanded use of technology and virtual work that has become the new normal. Panelists will discuss challenges that attorneys, law firms and other practitioners face in maximizing their familiarity and skills outside traditional office and courtroom proceedings and into the “virtual office” with remote hearings and trials and fully virtual client relationships. Moderated by TBA YLD President Quinton Thompson, the program will take place June 14 from 10-11:30 a.m. CDT in the Venetian Room of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Learn more about this and other CLE being offered at the annual Convention.

Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated its 116th commencement ceremony conferring law degrees on 69 graduates. NSL Dean William C. Koch Jr.; Aubrey B. Harwell Jr., chair of the NSL Board of Trust; and commencement speaker Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge W. Neal McBrayer shared messages with attendees. In his keynote address, McBrayer stated that ambitious NSL graduates could become outstanding lawyers by championing pro bono work. “It strikes me that the great attorneys tend to have one thing in common: sharing their skills free of charge where there is a need for legal services.” Read more in a press release from the school and see pictures from the event.