Tennessee Senior Judge Walter Kurtz today dismissed a motion to declare death row inmate Byron Black as intellectually disabled, News Channel 5 reports. Kurtz said that because federal courts had previously determined Black was not intellectually disabled, he was not eligible to have the decision considered again. Black’s attorneys had argued the 65-year-old should be spared, citing a 2021 law that made Tennessee’s prohibition against executing people with an intellectual disability retroactive. Black is scheduled to be executed on Aug. 18 for his murder convictions in the 1988 killings of his girlfriend and her daughters.

There is a lot we cannot control about our lives, but we can develop good habits to improve our work life. A recent article from Reuters highlights five habits specifically designed to help lawyers. First, make the most of institutional knowledge. Tap into the knowledge of colleagues to get a head start on new tasks. Second, stay informed and build accuracy checks into your workflow. The law is constantly changing; developing a process for staying informed will save time and heartache. Third, sharpen your legal research skills. Learn how to effectively research a legal issue and utilize trusted sources of information. Fourth, never leave your work vulnerable. Take advantage of available resources to make sure your work is ironclad. Fifth, believe in yourself. Once you’ve done your due diligence and made certain your work is as solid as possible you have earned the right to move on to the next task with confidence.

Nominations for the 2022 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award are due next Monday. The annual award is presented by the Tennessee Bar Association and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. The award is presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the grand division of the state where the TBA's Annual Convention is held (this year, the Middle Grand Division). Nominees must be alive when their nomination is submitted but need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The TBA Annual Convention will be held in Nashville the week of June 13.

Voting in the 2022 TBA election will end at 5 p.m. CDT on Friday. Access to the electronic ballot was emailed on March 1 and 22 from the email address TBA.Election@intelliscanvotes.com. Please check spam filters if you did not receive a ballot notification. Please reach out to elections@tnbar.org by the close of business on Thursday if a ballot is still needed.

The TBA Adoption Law Forum will take place in person on May 16 at the Nashville Public Library. The program will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT and offer one dual and three general CLE credits. Topics will include updates on adoption assistance, civil and juvenile court rules, appellate updates and bonding and trauma. Lunch will be provided. Produced by Jennifer Williams, speakers include Meredith Brasfield, Douglas Dimond, Susan Kovac and Kevin Weaver. Register here.

Knox County lawyer Brian Chadwick Rickman was suspended from the practice of law for one year by the Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday. The court took the action after finding that during litigation of a contentious child custody matter, Rickman “intentionally and knowingly engaged in abusive and obstreperous conduct intended to disrupt the proceedings of the tribunal and continued this unethical behavior despite multiple warnings from the court.” The court also found that Rickman made statements in open court and in pleadings that were knowingly false or made with reckless disregard to the truth, impugning the integrity and reputation of the presiding judge. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 3.5(e), 8.2(a)(1) and 8.4(a) and (d).

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will host an expungement clinic in partnership with Belmont Law and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands on April 6 starting at 5 p.m. CDT. The clinic will take place in Murfreesboro at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 907 East Main St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Volunteer attorneys and law students are needed to review criminal records, help clients fill out expungement paperwork and advise clients on completing the expungement process. No prior expungement experience is necessary. To volunteer, contact YLD Access to Justice Coordinator Alix Rogers, 615-460-8250.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday announced it will meet April 4 for a vote on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said the panel will reconvene at 10 a.m. EDT for a vote that would advance Jackson’s nomination to the full floor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has said he hopes to hold a final confirmation vote before the Senate’s expected Easter recess, which begins on April 8. Yahoo News has the story.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is seeking a qualified person for the position of general counsel. Applicants should be experienced in both civil and criminal law and be confident in their ability to provide sound advice that furthers the mission of the AOC. The position performs administrative legal work across all areas of the AOC and reports to the deputy director. Read the announcement or access the full job description and information on how to apply.

State Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, filed papers today to run for the U.S. Congress in the newly redrawn 5th Congressional District. Campbell is the first well-known Democrat to enter the race since incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper announced he would retire, the Nashville Post reports. Campbell, the former mayor of Oak Hill in Davidson County, won the senate seat in 2020, beating incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Dickerson.