Attorneys for Kingston area coal workers and Jacobs Solutions have settled lawsuits related to the clean up of a coal ash spill in 2008 that released 5.4 million cubic yards of waste, reported KnoxNews. The spill engulfed area homes and surged into the Emory River Channel in Roane County. Jacobs Solutions, formerly known as Jacobs Engineering, had been contracted by TVA to manage sitewide safety and health. Former workers or their family members filed more than 300 lawsuits claiming health problems as a result of their work for Jacobs. The settlement came while both parties were waiting on a judgment from the Tennessee Supreme Court on whether workers could proceed to a second trial.

Judge Camille R. McMullen has been reappointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to another term as a member of the Board of Judicial Conduct, commencing on July 1 and expiring on June 30, 2026.

AccessLex Institute has released its 2022 Legal Education Data Deck showing that the law school admission rate increased for the first time in seven years. But the data also shows “dismal” rates for enrollment, admittance and graduation rates for minorities. The ABA Journal has more on the findings.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is currently accepting applications for three newly established state court judicial positions: a criminal court judge in the 13th Judicial District, a circuit court judge in the 19th District and a circuit court judge in the 22nd District. The new positions, created by the Tennessee General Assembly during the recent session, will be effective Sept. 1. Public hearings on candidates will take place July 18, July 12 and July 13, respectively. The deadline to apply is June 12 at noon CDT. Applicants must be attorneys licensed in Tennessee who are at least 30 years of age, residents of the state for five years, and residents of the relevant judicial district. The application and instructions are available online. For questions, contact Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed former Judge W. Mark Ward as a senior judge for a term of four years. He will take senior status on June 1. Ward previously served as a criminal court judge in the 30th Judicial District from 2004-2022. He is the author of “Tennessee Criminal Trial Practice,” which is used by judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys and is known as the authoritative treatise on criminal trial practice in Tennessee. In making the announcement, Chief Justice Roger A. Page said the new appointment will help reduce docket backlogs in the state and fill openings when conflicts of interest require a judge to recuse from a case. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the appointment.

Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Champion Montgomery Bell Academy competed this past weekend in the National High School Mock Trial Competition, placing third among 47 teams. The team defeated competitors from Florida, Alabama, Washington and Georgia. The event took place in Little Rock. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports on the competition. See a team photo from the event.

U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz, along with federal and local law enforcement partners, on Tuesday announced the prosecution of 26 individuals for crimes involving machine gun conversion devices known as “switches” or auto sears, which transform semiautomatic firearms into machine guns. Ritz also released a 60-second public service announcement about the danger posed by switches and the heavy penalties associated with possessing these devices. The moves come after the Memphis-based office made prosecution of crimes involving switches a top priority. Read more in a release from the U.S. attorney’s office

Gov. Bill Lee on Friday appointed Stacey Edmonson as the new district attorney general for the 21st Judicial District to fill a vacancy created by the death of Kim Helper. Edmonson will take office effective immediately. She has served the district for nearly two decades, most recently as deputy district attorney general, a role she has held for 12 years. Edmonson earned her law degree from Loyola University School of Law. The 21st Judicial District serves Williamson County. Read more from the governor’s office.

A Giles County judge last month overturned a murder conviction that relied on the testimony of disgraced former Tennessee medical examiner Charles Harlan. In the ruling, Judge David L. Allen wrote that new scientific evidence shows Wayne Burgess, convicted of murdering an infant in 1999, is innocent. Burgess is set to appear in court this week for his Tennessee Innocence Project attorneys to argue for immediate release, the Tennessean reports. Burgess’ conviction relied heavily on the testimony of Harlan, who was Nashville's first medical examiner and later the state’s chief medical examiner. Other medical professions who testified in the case concluded it was impossible that an alleged injury hours before the child’s death could have been the cause of death. Harlan was suspended without pay 1994. A year later, his contract with the state was terminated, and in 2005, his medical license was permanently stripped.

Rutherford County attorney Mary Bonita Tucker will be honored next month with the TBA's Fourth Annual Claudia Jack Award. Named for the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged, and a public defender in Maury County, the award is presented to an outstanding  public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who serves the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. Tucker has served  as a court-appointed private practitioner for involuntary commitment proceedings in Rutherford County since the special court's inception in 2013. Since 2015, she also has defended clients in involuntary commitment proceedings involving the Veterans' Affairs Department. And she accepts appointments in probate court as an appointed conservator and guardian ad litem. One nominator wrote that Tucker “serves those who are often either in the worst state of their lives or who are struggling in ways that many will never have to experience or understand.” She also has been described as “trustworthy and respectful of her clients” and called an “inspiration.” The award be presented at the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 16 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the TBA's full press release about the award.