The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands and the Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance are seeking attorney and law student volunteers for a virtual naturalization clinic on Oct. 23. Shifts are available from 9:30 to 3:30 p.m. CDT. A mandatory virtual training will be held on Oct. 19 at 1 pm CDT. Sign up for a volunteer slot.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, Knoxville Bar Association and its Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law will hold a Faith & Justice Alliance Advice Clinic on Oct. 23 at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Masks will be required. Sign up here to volunteer.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate are still working to obtain the support needed to call a special session on COVID-19 issues, Tennessee Lookout reports. In the Senate, members appear to be split on whether to call for a special session, with some arguing that the Biden administration’s mandates need a response and others concerned that a special session would be used to impose new mandates on private businesses. Lawmakers are set to return to Nashville Oct. 18 for a session focusing on the Ford-SK Innovation plant planned for the Memphis Regional Megasite.

Greg Vital of Harrison was formally sworn into the Tennessee State Legislature yesterday, WDEF reports. Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Timothy Easter administered the oath of office in the House chamber. Vital replaces former Rep. Mike Carter who died earlier this year. He will represent House District 29, which includes Ooltewah and Collegedale. Vital is operator of Vital Buffalo Farm and co-founder of Morning Pointe Senior Living.

William E. Phillips II was sworn into office this week as the newest judge in the Third Judicial Circuit Court by Chancellor Douglas E. Jenkins, the Greeneville Sun reports. The ceremony was held in the old Hawkins County Courthouse in Rogersville, where Phillips practiced law for many years. Phillips is also Rogersville city attorney and will transition to the judgeship beginning this week. Phillips will serve out the remaining term of Judge Thomas J. Wright, who retired in September. Gov. Bill Lee formally appointed him to the court last Friday.

Join Eileen Burkhalter Smith with the Board of Professional Responsibility on Nov. 4 as she reviews the latest ethics updates. The live webcast will take place from noon to 1 p.m. CDT and offer one hour of dual CLE credit.

Women judges from across the U.S. and beyond gathered in Nashville last week for the 43rd Annual National Association of Women Judges Conference. The conference was originally set to take place last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous plenary and breakout sessions were held throughout the conference, including panels on developing recovery courts, ethics and professionalism, access to justice for LGBTQ youth and much more. Various sessions on women’s voting rights were held throughout the conference, capped off with a special reenactment of the Tennessee Vote on Ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more details on each session and the judges and attorneys who played a vital role in making the conference a success.

Five attorneys have applied for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy in the Western Section created by the retirement of the Hon. Alan E. Glenn. Applicants include: Donald H. Allen; Kyle Atkins; John W. Campbell; Vicki S. Snyder; and Robert W. Wilson. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider applicants at a public hearing on Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at the Jackson Supreme Court Building. The council will vote immediately after the hearing and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each applicant.

Hamilton County General Sessions and Mental Health Court Judge Lila Statom has been elected president of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. The conference works with the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide continuing education opportunities for its members and assists and supports judges and government officials with legal and procedural issues affecting the court. Statom was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012 and was elected to a full term in 2014. Before her time as judge, Statom served as an assistant district attorney in Nashville and Chattanooga for nearly 24 years. Since her appointment, Statom has helped address mental illness and substance abuse among those in the criminal justice system and has been integral to expanding recovery courts. Read more from the AOC.

An email to faculty members at Middle Tennessee State University says that Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport is “no longer affiliated with the University,” WPLN reports. Davenport has been an adjunct professor in MTSU’s criminal justice department for many years. Last week, WPLN and ProPublica released a report claiming Rutherford County and Davenport, who oversees the juvenile court system, have been “illegally arresting and detaining children for years.” In the email to staff about Davenport’s departure, MTSU President Sidney McPhee acknowledged the national attention the judge’s policies have recently drawn. Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron also released a statement to express his shared concerns over the report.