The Chattanooga City Council is set to suspend City Court Division II court operations following the retirement of current Division II Judge Russell Bean. Sherry Paty, who presides over Division I, would pick up Division II cases, Chattanoogan.com reports. The council says the move is necessary given budget limitations.

Hamilton County lawyer Coty Wamp officially announced her campaign for Hamilton County district attorney general today. She will seek the Republican Party nomination in the May 2022 election. Wamp currently serves as general counsel in the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. She previously spent three years as an assistant public defender in Hamilton County and an assistant district attorney in the 10th Judicial District. Wamp said her primary focus in seeking the job is to tackle violent crime. She also pledged to create a Gang and Violent Crime Unit.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated after being suspended for failure to complete required CLE hours. Of the group, 16 were suspended in 2021 for 2020 violations while one was suspended in 2007 for 2006 violations. The TBA also has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

The TBA Adoption Law Section will offer a free virtual webinar tomorrow, Oct. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT on new "best interest" factors for termination of parental rights cases. The section’s executive counsel developed the factors, which became law on April 22. The live webinar will review each factor and provide a summary for how practitioners can effectively incorporate them into their practices. One hour of CLE credit is available on request for TBA members for a fee of $45.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division is joining forces with Vanderbilt University Law School and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services to host a virtual TN Free Legal Answers clinic on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CDT. Law students will be paired with volunteer lawyers in Zoom breakout rooms to answer questions submitted on the TN Free Legal Answers website. Volunteers may select the questions they want to answer. Email YLD Access to Justice Coordinator Alix Rogers with Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands to sign up.

The U.S. Supreme Court opened the first day of its new term with oral arguments in a 15-year dispute between the states of Tennessee and Mississippi. According to Reuters, the “justices expressed skepticism about Mississippi's claim that Tennessee is effectively stealing its water from an underground aquifer that runs beneath both states.” The Commercial Appeal provides historical context for the case. With the justices back together in the courthouse for the first time since the pandemic, several remote protocols remained in effect. A live audio feed of the arguments was available, justices took turns politely asking questions, and Justice Clarence Thomas (who almost never spoke during oral arguments in the past but participated in teleconferences) “quickly asked the first question of the new term.”

In August 2020, Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, Mayor John Cooper and Police Chief John Drake asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct at the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). Many of the allegations were brought by an organization called Silent No Longer TN, which was founded by a former MNPD detective and survivor of sexual assault. One victim spoke with the TBI about an incident in 2016, but the district attorney’s office said it could not file charges because the statute of limitations had expired, Mainstreet Nashville reports. Silent No Longer says the inability to bring charges illustrates why the state needs to eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual assault crimes.

Housing advocates warn that a surge in eviction cases is imminent and while emergency rental assistance programs may help some who are struggling to keep up with rent and other bills, many individuals need legal support. The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS) is offering training for attorneys interested in volunteering to help tenants facing eviction in both urban and rural areas. The one-hour live webcast will take place Oct. 5 at noon CDT and will cover the application process for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and how to access funds through the Tennessee Housing and Development Agency (THDA). Presenters include LAS attorneys Amelia Miller Luna, Katie Ovalle and Linda Blackwelder. Learn more about the CLE and register here. Contact Trent Craig at LAS with questions.  

Carl Moore, a former state lawmaker and co-founder of Bristol Motor Speedway, died Thursday. He was 91. Moore served in the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate and as majority leader of the Senate. He later represented the city of Bristol as a lobbyist. In 1961, he and a group of colleagues were inspired to build a racetrack in Bristol after watching a NASCAR race in North Carolina. Moore also was involved in a number of historic preservation efforts and was instrumental in passage of federal and state legislation designating Bristol as “The Birthplace of Country Music.” A celebration of life will be planned at a later date. Donations may be made to Emmanuel Episcopal Church or Bristol Speedway Children’s Charities.

Williamson County District Attorney Kim Helper has taken over an inquiry into whether Nashville school board member John Little lives in the district he was elected to represent, Axios Nashville reports. The case had been referred to Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk but he recused himself saying Little backed his campaign in 2014. The issue is whether a house purchased by Little, located outside his Davidson County district, should disqualify him from office. Little says he maintains two residences, one of which is in his district.