Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp has announced five new leadership positions in her office, the Chattanoogan reports.  The leadership team includes Executive Assistant District Attorney Kevin L. Loper, Deputy Assistant District Attorney Steven Moore, Gang and Violent Crime Prosecutor Austin Scofield, Chief Homicide Prosecutor Michael Dowd and Child Sex Abuse Prosecutor Stephani Brown. “These prosecutors reflect my priorities,” Wamp said. “To say I am proud of my office would be an understatement. Wamp was elected to her position in August and took office on Sept. 1.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is leading a coalition of 20 state attorneys general opposed to a proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to include “gender identity” in federal law prohibiting discrimination in health programs and activities. The group argues in a public comment that such a change to Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) would “deviate from the language of the statute, promote sex-based discrimination, threaten constitutional rights, and create unnecessary obstacles for healthcare providers.” The department's proposal comes after President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to expand nondiscrimination protections to individuals on the basis of their gender identity.

Six Republican-led states — Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina — filed suit last week in a Missouri federal court for an immediate temporary restraining order against the Biden Administration’s student debt relief program. The state of Arizona filed a separate lawsuit, Axios reports. On the same day, a federal judge in Indiana denied lawyer Frank Garrison’s request to pause the loan forgiveness plan saying Garrison could not be irreparably harmed by the plan. Also last week, the U.S. Department of Education changed its guidance about one element of the loan forgiveness plan, saying it no longer will allow Federal Family Education loan (FFEL) borrowers to consolidate their loans and quality for debt relief. Reuters has the story on that development.

The American Bar Association (ABA) today announced its collaboration with the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) to bolster data gathered through ABA’s Model Diversity Survey to assess diversity, equity and inclusion among law firms. The survey, which was adopted by the ABA in 2016, reviews firm policies, practices and outcomes regarding hiring, attrition, promotion, leadership, work schedules and compensation. The ABA said in a release that the new partnership “will help ensure that the most reliable data is available to advance diversity and equity in meaningful ways and strengthen diversity for law firms and their clients.”

Allegations that East Ridge police officers engage in excessive force, retaliatory arrests of bystanders and the filing of false charges appear to be mounting, according to a review of police and court records by Tennessee Lookout. The media outlet highlighted several such alleged incidents in a piece published today. The encounters allegedly included police knocking a 70-year-old bystander to the ground, using stun guns on unarmed individuals and seizing a bystander’s cell phone. The city is also facing at least three civil-rights lawsuits in federal court, all of which allege a pattern of unchecked bad behavior by law enforcers. East Ridge Police Chief Stan Allen largely has defended his officers’ actions in public comments.

TBA members have voted #1 New York Times Bestseller Small Great Things as the second book for the organization’s quarterly book club. The novel focuses on a Black labor and delivery nurse who is assigned to a child of white supremacists. The parents of the newborn make it known they do not want the protagonist to touch the child due to her race. The hospital complies with the parents' request. The newborn just a day later goes into cardiac distress while the protagonist is alone in the nursery, leading to a dilemma: "does she obey orders or intervene?" The nurse hesitates, resulting in her being charged with a crime. The book’s moral dilemma leads readers to question privilege, power and race. Start reading now and watch for details about an upcoming discussion on the book with a special guest.

Newly appointed Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn spoke to the local Civitan Club on Friday, Chattanoogan.com reports. In her first speaking engagement since being appointed to the post by Gov. Bill Lee, Dunn talked about the rise of new and deadly drugs and the work of the Drug Recovery Court. Dunn outlined the history of the court, from its inception under Judge Rebecca Stern to its expansion under Judge Tom Greenholtz. She also announced that the drug court will operate its own outpatient rehabilitation facilities and provide counseling to clients after running into capacity issues with third party facilities. There are 61 individuals currently enrolled in the drug court, which requires participation for up to two years.

TBA President Tasha Blakney presented U.S. District Court Judge Katherine A. Crytzer with a ceremonial gavel on behalf of the association during Friday's investiture ceremony. The event was organized by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and held at the Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse in Knoxville. Crytzer was nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020. She replaces former U.S. District Judge and former TBA President Pamela Reeves, who died earlier that year after a battle with cancer. Crytzer previously was the principal deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy. See a photo from the ceremony.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider four applicants for a circuit court vacancy in the 20th Judicial District. They are: solo practioners Tusca R.S. Alexis and Audrey Lee Anderson, Stanley A. Kweller with Watkins & McNeilly, and Stephanie J. Williams, special master for the judicial district’s Fourth Circuit Court. The vacancy was created by the death of Judge Philip E. Smith on Sept. 4. The commission will hold a public hearing on Oct. 18 at 9 a.m. CDT to interview the candidates and is expected to vote immediately following the interviews on the three names to send to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. Read more about the applicants and details about attending the hearing from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Metro Nashville may not enforce some of its new regulations for party buses, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal ruled today. Moskal said that for now, the city cannot require “transpotainment” operators to fully enclose their vehicles or obtain liquor liability insurance, the Nashville Post reports. The city can, however, enforce its limits on party buses operating during rush hour or late at night. The decision came in a suit brought by Honky Tonk Party Express, which operates a dozen party vehicles. The company argued that the city had set an arbitrary timeline for compliance with the new rules, and that it would be impossible and prohibitively expensive to comply by the deadline.