The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the Western Section of the Court of Appeals, which will occur Jan. 4, 2025, with the retirement of Judge Arnold B. Goldin. Interested applicants must be licensed attorneys who are at least 30 years of age, a resident of the state for the past five years and a resident of the Western Grand Division of the state. The application is available on the Administrative Office of the Courts' website and is due by noon CDT on Oct. 25. The public hearing for this position will be Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. CST at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Jackson. Two other judicial openings were announced yesterday. Learn more about applying for the 4th Circuit Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division.

Chattanooga-based law firm Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers made a $1 million pledge to the University of Tennessee College of Law to support scholarships for students interested in pursuing legal careers in advocacy and the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship. “Robust scholarships are essential to attracting the best students nationwide," Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said after the gift announcement. “We are deeply grateful for the firm’s continued support, which profoundly influences the lives of our graduates and the clients they represent.” Read more in a press release from the school.

Did you know that you can earn CLE credit for writing an article that is published in the Tennessee Bar Journal? For every 1,000 words, authors can apply for one hour of credit. Review the submission guidelines for the Journal and start writing!

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced that it would work with East Tennessee Drivers Services Centers to distribute duplicate licenses or state IDs to anyone who lost those documents in flooding following Hurricane Helene. KnoxNews reports that flood victims can go to the Unicoi Police Department, 3600 Unicoi Dr., Unicoi 37692 or Newport Grammar School, 301 College St., Newport 37821, now through Oct. 4 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT to seek replacements. According to the paper, the state expects to announce more of these "temporary driver services locations" soon.

The state of Colorado has agreed to pay more than $1.5 million in legal fees to web designer Lorie Smith after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 that the right to free speech allows some businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, according to Reuters. An attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, a faith-based legal advocacy organization that pursues lawsuits related to religious liberty, said, "Our clients Lorie Smith and her design studio, 303 Creative ... achieved a landmark victory ... that helps to protect all Americans’ freedom of speech from government censorship and coercion."

The Biden administration on Monday announced it would implement changes to the asylum claims process at the U.S.-Mexico border. The plan extends the period in which average border crossings must be below an average of 1,500 before allowing new asylum claims. An interim plan put in place in June allowed for new claims if the seven-day average dropped below 1,500. The change extends that timeframe to 28 days. The Department of Homeland Security says the policy is designed to avoid "volatility" at the border. Reuters reports on the story. The ACLU sued the administration over the June policy and says it also opposes this new change.

Four Vanderbilt Law School professors are among the 20 most-cited Administrative and/or Environmental Law faculty in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 — more than any other U.S. law school. The school reports that J.B. Ruhl, Lisa Schultz Bressman, Jim Rossi and Kevin Stack rank eighth, 10th, 13th and 19th respectively, according to the latest scholarly impact study by Gregory Sisk at the University of St. Thomas. The professors have collaborated with one another on several publications, including "The Regulatory State," a textbook on statutory interpretation and administrative lawmaking co-authored by Bressman, Stack and Rubin.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, has joined State Comptroller Jason Mumpower in calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office, according to the Tennessean. Those calls come after the state attorney general declined to pursue the matter. The comptroller's office on Sept. 25 released an investigative report, which found that Funk’s office secretly recorded criminal defense attorneys, office employees and visitors. Metro Nashville Chief Public Defender Martesha Johnson Moore's office also has weighed in on the issue, releasing a statement that it is "deeply troubled" by the report's findings and requesting that Funk's office disclose closed and pending cases in which the surveillance occurred as well as the identities of the prosecutors involved.

Following the devastating flooding last week from Hurricane Helene, Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti issued a warning to scammers and price gougers: "While most Tennesseans are showing the best of the Volunteer spirit to our neighbors devastated by Helene, a few bad actors always slime out of the woodwork to take advantage of those in need." The AG’s Division of Consumer Affairs reminds Tennesseans to be cautious and wary of disaster relief scams that may pop up around price gouging, construction and repair, and charity, and shared tips for reducing the chances of being scammed. Read a press release from the AG's office.

Shelby County General Sessions Judge Deborah Means Henderson was honored with the Leon Ruben Award for Excellence at the fall Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference (TGSJC) last week according to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). During the award presentation, outgoing conference president Judge James Y. Ross described the Memphis-based judge as a national and statewide leader in mediation, saying that she had been an "incredible leader" and a "mentor to many" of the TGSJC's judges. The Leon Ruben Award for Excellence is given annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through outstanding service to the community, the conference and the judiciary. The award is named for Judge Ruben, who served as a judge for 37 years in Nashville. Read a press release from the AOC and see photos from the event.