22nd Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Stella Hargrove today announced she will retire in August. A lawyer since 1977, she was the first female prosecuting attorney in the 22nd judicial district, first female circuit court judge in the 22nd judicial district, and first female president of the Maury County Bar Association. “She inspires people, all of us, men and women, in what she’s had to overcome to become a circuit court judge,” said Judge Christopher Sockwell of the 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court. “You have to remember, when she first started in law school and became a lawyer, it was more of a man’s club. There weren’t that many women practicing and in positions of authority, and she not only did well, she thrived and overcame any obstacles that were put in front of her and eventually was elected circuit judge.” Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Gov. Bill Lee’s office on Monday said Tennessee does not have state investments with Russian companies after previously asking treasurer officials to investigate, according to the AP. Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. to limit Russian banking, expel Russian diplomats and ban Russian imports. Meanwhile, starting today, Tennessee’s Capitol will be lit with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag.

The Tennessee Bar Association has named two attorneys and a law student as the 2022 Public Service Award winners. The annual awards recognize an exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice for underserved individuals and communities. Ann Pruitt is the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year. Pruitt is being recognized for her tireless, innovative leadership in the ATJ community, including as executive director for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS). The Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award recognizes a private attorney who has contributed significant amounts of pro bono work and who demonstrates dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor. This year, that award goes to Ashley Goins Alderson, an attorney in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison, in recognition of her extensive pro bono service in a complicated and extended international child abduction case. The Law Student Volunteer of the Year is Belmont University College of Law 3L Gabriella Cannone, recognized for her commitment to pro bono service including work with the Nashville Defenders and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The honorees are profiled in the March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal.

The news item “Pulaski Working to Overcome Past” from Feb. 23 should have attributed advocacy for the relocation of the statute of Sam Davis and renaming of a park and sports stadium to Keidron Turner individually instead of the Community Advisory Council on Inclusive Recognition & Acknowledgement (CACIRA). CACIRA is not advocating for relocation, removal or renaming of any statue, plaque or stadium. This news item has been corrected on the TBA Today webpage.

The state Senate on Monday advanced legislation requiring U.S. House and Senate candidates to meet the same criteria imposed on state legislative candidates, who must be Tennessee residents for at least three years and residents of the county they’ll represent for at least one year “immediately preceding the election.”  The bill passed 31-1, with Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire casting the lone no vote, the AP reports. It must still pass the GOP-controlled House. “I think y’all are trying to stop somebody from running,” Gardenhire said, without naming a specific candidate. Read more from the Commercial Appeal.

Throughout March, TEDxNashville is celebrating the contributions women are making everywhere. One of the programs features Judge Sheila D.J. Calloway, discussing forgiveness in the criminal justice system. "With a system of Restorative Justice, all of those who were harmed (victims, families, community) can achieve both accountability and restoration, moving everyone toward forgiveness," the promo says. Watch the 20-minute video here.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee performed the investiture ceremony Monday for William E. Phillips, who is the Circuit Court judge for the 3rd Judicial District in Greenville. Phillips was appointed in October by Lee to fill the vacant seat after Thomas Wright retired. Phillips, 45, is already serving as judge. A formal swearing-in ceremony by 3rd Judicial District Chancellor Douglas E. Jenkins was held in October. Phillips has been a lawyer for 19 years and served as the city attorney for Rogersville and Church Hill. The Greeneville Sun has more.

On Monday, the families who sued to force a mask requirement in Knox County Schools said they would accept tying the rule to CDC recommendations, the News Sentinel and WATE report, while on the same day Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and state Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Farragut, each pledged $5,000 to support a lawsuit against the county’s board of education aimed at ending a court-enforced mask mandate in Knox County Schools. Masks have been required in Knox County Schools since Sept. 28 when Judge Ronnie Greer said the school system must enforce the same mandate that was in place during the 2020-2021 school year. If Greer opts to go along with the families' motion, Knox County students still must wear masks, but that could change if community levels of COVID-19 go down. 

University of Tennessee College of Law Professor Ben Barton is set to release a new book next week that will provide an in-depth look at the U.S. Supreme Court. “The Credentialed Court: Inside the Cloistered, Elite World of American Justice,” combines empirical studies of every justice’s background from John Jay to Amy Coney Barrett that demonstrate how today’s justices arrive on the court with much narrower experiences than their predecessors. “One thing I learned is that these justices lived very varied and sometimes pretty bizarre lives,” Barton said. “Historically the court has included a former President, a former running back who led the NFL in rushing, America’s greatest civil rights attorney, and a justice who practiced both law and medicine.” The book will be released on March 8. Read more from the College of Law’s website.

Howard University School of Law will be hosting a free virtual screening and discussion of the documentary “In the Executioner's Shadow” on Wednesday. The event will begin at 4 p.m. EST. All are invited to attend. Email tmcivilrightscenter@gmail.com to RSVP and receive the log in instructions.