The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed Nashville lawyer John L. Farringer IV to serve as the next chair of the Access to Justice Commission. He will replace Knoxville lawyer J. William “Bill” Coley, and will serve a two-year term beginning on April 1. Farringer has served on the commission since 2018, and is a member of Sherrard, Roe, Voigt & Harbison. Last month, the court named four new members to the commission: Sara E. Barnett, Adolpho A. Birch III, Lindsay Frilling and Kendra Mansur. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each appointee’s background.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee will speak to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. EST, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Lee will present the compelling stories of five American soldiers captured and held as prisoners of war by the Germans in World War II. The virtual event is open to the public. For instruction on linking to the live presentation contact maryannreeves1@att.net. The presentation also will be available on the league’s website a few days after the event. Lee’s personal history — her father was a WWII POW— led to her interest in prisoners of war and how their experiences shaped their lives after release. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week adopted an amendment to Rule 11, Section V to remove the name “Cornelia A. Clark” and add the name “Sarah K. Campbell” as the justice assigned to Circuit No. 3. The circuit consists of the following six judicial districts: 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th and 20th.

The General Assembly today confirmed Nashville attorney Sarah Campbell to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Tennessean reports. Campbell, Tennessee’s associate solicitor general, clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito until 2015 when she joined the Attorney General’s Office. "As a judge, I will be firmly neutral on the issues that come before me," Campbell said in recent interviews with lawmakers. "The role of a judge, in my view, is to decide cases based on neutral, objective principles that don't lend themselves to any one outcome or the other." The vote to confirm Campbell was nearly unanimous, with the lone dissenting vote cast by Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville. Johnson voiced concerns about the “partisan nature” of Campbell’s work in the attorney general’s office.

Join TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin for a brand new episode of TBA Legislative Updates. Tune in for news on the newest Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, House Majority Leader William Lamberth’s Truth in Sentencing measure, the state’s new deputy governor and more! Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

The state Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday unanimously recommended that Gov. Bill Lee’s Tennessee Supreme Court nominee, Sarah Campbell, be confirmed to the bench, the Daily Memphian reports.  Campbell, 39, is a lawyer in the state attorney general’s office where she has defended the executive branch in lawsuits since she took the job in 2015. She was appointed to the high court by Lee in January and would replace the late Justice Cornelia A. Clark, who died in September. When asked what she would do when the state attorney general argues cases before the Supreme Court, Campbell replied that she would recuse herself if it was a case in which she had “substantial personal involvement.” She said her ethical decisions about conflicts of interest would be guided by the Tennessee Code of Judicial Conduct. 

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin are back for another episode of TBA Legislative Updates. In this edition, Schwarz and Lampley review the governor’s State of the State address and give an update on the professional privilege tax. Harbin also details Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting at which Tennessee Supreme Court nominee Sarah Campbell was interviewed by state lawmakers. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.  

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently granted review to six cases. The Raybin Supreme Court Hot List reviews the cases, which raise issues including malicious prosecution, the GTLA, withdrawals of voluntary dismissals, criminal jury instructions, consecutive sentencing and the Competitive Cable and Video Services Act. Read more here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday named Michele Wojciechowski as the new executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Wojciechowski is a graduate of the Nashville School of Law (NSL). She held a variety of management positions during a 13-year career at the Tennessean newspaper and from 2012 to 2016 was director of communications for the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). Most recently, Wojciechowski served as communications director at NSL, where she implemented a major curriculum overhaul, revived NSL’s Continuing Legal Education program and more than doubled job listings for students and alumni by revamping the career development process. Wojciechowski will replace former Executive Director Judy Bond-McKissack, who recently announced her retirement. Read more from the AOC.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments today filed amended notices for vacancies in the Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section and Court of Appeals Middle Section. The application deadline for the Court of Criminal Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 21. The hearings dates remain March 3 and March 4. The application deadline for the Court of Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 28. The hearing dates for those applicants will now be March 17 and March 18. More information and instructions for applying are available online.