Family, friends and colleagues gathered at Franklin First United Methodist Church on Friday for a funeral service in remembrance of Justice Cornelia A. “Connie” Clark, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. Chief Justice Roger A. Page spoke to those in attendance, praising Clark’s “comprehension and grasp of the law” but also her “innate wisdom and benevolent heart.” The other current justices also spoke, as did Clark’s longtime friends and Nashville-area lawyers Margaret L. Behm and Julian Bibb. A private family graveside service was held following the service at the Historic Resthaven Cemetery. To honor Justice Clark, memorial donations may be given to Franklin First United Methodist Church or to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Foundation.

The Immigration Law Section is set to host Immigration Law Updates on Nov. 9. The program will cover asylum updates, criminal convictions, petitions for review after Guerrero Lasprilla and Niz-Chavez and jurisdiction issues. It will provide three hours general and one hour dual CLE credit. 

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee has postponed the investiture ceremony of Judge Katherine A. Crytzer. The court reports that the ceremony and reception, originally set for Nov. 19, will be rescheduled.

This month, Tennessee lawyers are joining colleagues across the country to increase meaningful access to justice and commitment to pro bono work. Now in its 13th year, Tennessee’s statewide Celebrate Pro Bono Month initiative brings together legal services providers with bar associations, law schools, law firms and individual volunteers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. The month of October is an opportunity to focus attention on the significant need for pro bono services as well as a time to celebrate the outstanding work of those in the legal community who volunteer their services throughout the year. Events, including virtual and remote opportunities to volunteer, will be promoted in TBA Today, via social media and on the TBA website. If you have information about an event please share it with TBA.

A troubled student debt relief program for teachers, police officers and other public service workers will soon get a makeover, National Public Radio reports. According to a source familiar with the plan, the U.S. Department of Education will unveil a significant overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program next week. The changes reportedly will come in two phases: (1) a temporary move using executive authority to retroactively relax  program rules to immediately help borrowers, and (2) a long-term renovation through the federal rule-making process to make the program easier to navigate.

The 23rd Judicial District Recovery Court announced this week that it has been re-certified by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). Circuit Judge Suzanne Lockert-Mash presides over court, which serves Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart counties. According to Lockert-Mash, the department follows rigorous, evidence-based national standards for recovery court programs in Tennessee. The 23rd District court has been in existence for 22 years. Lockert-Mash says recovery ourts are the “most effective justice intervention for treating drug-addicted people,” reducing drug use and crime and saving taxpayer money. Recovery courts must complete re-certification every four years.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said today that Republican members may sit on their hands rather than vote for a $500 million incentive package for Ford’s massive investment in West Tennessee if there is not going to be another special session on COVID-19 mandates. Gov. Bill Lee has called a special session for the week of Oct. 18 to address issues related to the Ford deal, The Tennessee Journal reports. Sexton, who has been calling for a special COVID-related session, said lawmakers may also want to consider whether businesses should be liable for workers who get sick after being required to get vaccinated.

John G. Stewart and his wife, Nancy, were asleep in the wee hours of June 17, 1972, when the phone rang with news that five men has been arrested inside his office at the Democratic National Committee headquarters where he was director of communications. At that moment he could not have known the impact of what would became known as Watergate. Prior to joining the DNC, Stewart had been deeply involved in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a top aide to Sen. Hubert Humphrey. Later in life, he moved to Tennessee, serving as a longtime executive for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Stewart died Wednesday at age 86 after a lengthy illness. Knoxnews.com has more on his life and career and the legacy that lives in in his son, state Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday on the U.S. Supreme Court’s so-called “shadow docket,” a term that describes the process by which the court issues emergency orders and summary decisions. Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, said in his opening statement that the shadow docket is undermining claims that the court is insulated from politics, and is being used for "more political and controversial decisions with results that appear on their face to be ideologically driven." Republicans on the committee said attacks on the court’s practices were “part of a concerted effort to intimidate and bully” the justices. The members also disagreed over the term “shadow docket” itself, the ABA Journal reports. Republicans said the term connotes something dark and scary. A law school professor called to testify before the group said the term is appropriate given the “unpredictable timing,” “lack of transparency” and “usual inscrutability” involved in these decisions.

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear five new cases during its October term, the Associated Press reports. Among them are a challenge to federal election law brought by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; an appeal by heirs of a German Jewish woman seeking to recover a valuable painting taken by the Nazis; and a plea by a Christian organization to have its flag displayed at Boston's City Hall. Reuters has a recap of cases the justices previously agreed to consider. Today, the court gathered for a ceremonial swearing-in for Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed in October 2000. The ceremony had been postponed due to the pandemic. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not attend the ceremony due to testing positive for the coronavirus, the court announced today. Currently, he is showing no symptoms of the virus and has been fully vaccinated since January.