Gov. Bill Lee has announced a new digital tool to help inform Tennesseans when they will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Chattanoogan.com reports. The eligibility tool allows users to opt-in to receive updates and notifications about their vaccine phase and provides risk-based and age-based phase information at the county level.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has again stayed the scheduled execution of death row inmate Oscar Smith, WATE reports. In an order issued Tuesday, the court’s justices wrote that Smith’s Feb. 4 execution will be stayed pending further order “because of the multiple issues caused by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.” Smith had been scheduled to die last June for the 1989 slayings of his estranged wife, Judy Lynn Smith, and her two sons from a previous marriage.

Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston has alerted local judges and court personnel that, until further notice, his prosecutors will no longer appear in-person for court due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases, the Times Free Press reports. Pinkston told judges in an email last month and on Sunday that he will adhere to local, federal and state directives and Supreme Court orders, writing that he “will not compromise the health of our employees.” Hamilton County General Sessions Court's criminal division has been holding limited hearings since last month after an outbreak among its personnel. The county’s criminal court has been holding virtual hearings since March. General Sessions does not have a similar system in place, but Pinkston said his prosecutors were able to virtually appear before the court yesterday.

Offices within the Greene County Courthouse and Courthouse Annex will be closed beginning today for cleaning and disinfecting due the number of COVID-19 cases among employees, the Greeneville Sun reports. Offices in the courthouse impacted include the Chancery Court and the office of the Clerk and Master. Offices in the Annex impacted include the County Court Clerk, Trustee, Register of Deeds, Property Assessor, U.T. Extension Service, County Medical Clinic, Budgets and Accounts, Purchasing, Legal and Human Resources.

Attorneys from the Choosing Justice Initiative last week filed an emergency motion urging the Tennessee Supreme Court to release people from jails and juvenile detention centers, WPLN reports. The petition cites a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and unsafe conditions in some facilities and asks the high court to require each judicial district to submit a new plan to reduce the number of people in their jails and juvenile detention centers. A similar motion was denied in the spring because courts had already asked districts to reduce their jail populations and many were released. But, according to the motion, jail populations have already increased again, from 19,126 on April 21 to 24,599 on Oct. 31. Attorneys also wrote that jails in more than 20 of the state’s 95 counties were at or above capacity.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, today blocked efforts to hear legislation passed by the U.S. House to increase the amount of stimulus checks, making them $2,000 instead of $600, NPR reports. President Donald Trump has tweeted in support of an increase and several Senate Democrats pressured McConnell to allow a vote on the legislation, which was passed by the House on Monday in a 275-134 vote. McConnell blocked those efforts and gave no indication as to when, or if, he might agree to consider it. However, McConnell did say that the Senate would address a few big issues that Trump has recently called attention to, which includes the stimulus checks.

Lawyers and judges are near the top of the new list from the Centers for Disease Control on who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine first, LawSites by Robert Ambrogi reports. The recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices outline three tiers of phase one vaccine prioritization. The first tier is long-term care residents and health care workers, followed by group 1b, which includes those 75 years and older and frontline essential workers. Next is group 1c, made up of persons 65 and older, those with high-risk medical conditions and “other essential workers,” defined as “Workers supporting the operations of the judicial system, including judges, lawyers, and others providing legal assistance.” The timing of the transition to phase 1c will depend on vaccine supplies and production.

President Donald Trump yesterday signed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package, avoiding a partial government shutdown, NPR reports. The package includes direct payments to qualifying Americans, worth up to $600 per adult and child; a boost in weekly unemployment benefits; and funds for small-business aid and vaccine distribution. Trump’s signature comes after he unexpectedly called the bill a “disgrace” and asked lawmakers to increase the direct payments to Americans to $2,000 per qualifying individual and $4,000 for couples. He also asked that “wasteful items” be removed from the bill. Trump said in a statement last night that lawmakers will pursue some of his suggested changes.

Several bills that would weaken state vaccination requirements will be up for consideration when the state legislature convenes in January, the Daily Memphian reports. State law currently allows parents to refuse to vaccinate their children for religious beliefs or practices, as long as the state is “in the absence of an epidemic or immediate threat of an epidemic.” HB0010/SB0007 sponsored by Rep. Jay Reedy, R-Erin, and Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, would eliminate the “pandemic clause,” allowing parents to forego having their children vaccinated against COVID-19. HB0013 from Rep. Bud Hensley, R-Kingsport, would prevent state or local authorities from “forcing, requiring, or coercing” a person to get a COVID-19 vaccine against their will. House Education Committee Chairm Mark White, R-Memphis, says he is conflicted about the issues and plans to hear from medical experts when considering the bills. “We need to have some hard discussions and be thoughtful about this. I think we’re going to have to do a lot of listening,” he said.

The Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims announced yesterday that it will continue with telephonic settlement approvals through March 2021.