The Knoxville Bar Foundation has named 12 new fellows for 2021. They are: Penny A. Arning, Maha M. Ayesh, Joshua M. Ball, Betsy J. Beck, James E. Bondurant Jr., R. Kim Burnette, James M. Cornelius Jr., Scott Griswold, Joshua D. Hedrick, Hillary B. Jones, Greg D. Meadows and Circuit Court Judge E. Jerome Melson. Each year, the foundation inducts a new fellows class, which represents attorneys in the community who have distinguished themselves in the practice of law and service. The annual fellows banquet, where new members are inducted, has been postponed due to the pandemic.

The law license of Shelby County lawyer William N. Griffin was transferred to disability inactive status on Sept. 23. Based on documentation from Griffin and his medical provider, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that Griffin is unable to continue practicing law. The order will remain in effect until further action by the court.

California lawyer Brandi Danielle Becker was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Sept. 20. Becker had been on inactive status since 2014. Virginia lawyer David Strother Bunn was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Sept. 27. He had been on inactive status since 2012.

At Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court, dockets were restricted to 50 cases to allow for safe social distancing early in the pandemic, but a growing backlog of eviction cases has bumped the number to 100 cases per docket, Tennessee Lookout reports. “That’s a hundred per docket, six divisions, twice a day. So that’s 1,200 cases per day,” says Cindy Ettingoff, executive officer at the Memphis Area Legal Services. Since March 2020, more than 20,000 evictions have been filed in Memphis courts. And while federal assistance is available, the application requires phone service or an internet connection. For those who have lost their utilities due to inability to pay, that requirement has been a barrier. 

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners earlier this week passed a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee its juvenile detention centers after reports of racial disparities, Tennessee Lookout reports. The board took the action after hearing from Countywide Juvenile Justice Consortium (CJJC) — a citizen-led board created to hold the juvenile justice court accountable — that the court has not met Justice Department recommendations to improve conditions. Specifically, CJJC said the court has not explained why Black children are transferred to adult facilities at higher rates.

The TBA Family Law Section will host its annual forum Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. CDT. The program will include a legislative update and sessions on courtroom "dos" and "don'ts," the importance of marital balance sheets, surrogacy education and well-being for family law practitioners. The forum will provide 2.75 general and 2 dual hours of CLE credit. Register now!

The Murfreesboro branch of the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims will be closed for renovations beginning in October. All hearings set in Judge Dale Tipps’ courtroom will be heard at the Rutherford County Courthouse, 116 West Lytle St. Contact Patsy Bumbalough with questions about those hearings. In-person court cases before Judge Robert Durham will have their claims heard on the second floor of the Murfreesboro City Courtroom, 111 West Vine St. Questions for that courtroom can be directed to Chris Hudson.

State Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, took the stand in her own defense yesterday as the final witness during the federal wire fraud and embezzlement case against her, the Daily Memphian reports. Federal authorities claim Robinson misspent about $600,000 in federal grant funding intended to help students at her business, The Healthcare Institute. “I have been dragged through the mud by the federal government when the federal government knew good and well that I did not do that,” Robinson testified. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman last week dismissed 15 of the 20 charges against Robinson, saying the government had failed to prove its case on those counts. Prosecutors will begin cross-examination of Robinson on Wednesday.

Joseph P. Day this week announced that he is running for Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk. Day is currently the chief deputy of public relations and employee development at the clerk’s office, where he has served in various roles since 2001. A Nashville native, Day graduated from Tennessee State University and began work in the clerk’s office as a deputy clerk in the Traffic Warrant Division. Longtime Circuit Court Clerk Richard Rooker recently announced he will not seek another term. “I am extremely excited for Joseph to bring his vision, leadership skills and years of experience to this position,” Rooker said. Read the full press release.

A lawsuit has been filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville and a Murfreesboro parish for allegedly ignoring reports of child abuse by the former religious education director, the Tennessean reports. The abuse allegedly came at the hands of Michael Lewis at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. Lewis was indicted by a grand jury in June 2020 on 14 felony charges, including statutory rape and sexual battery. His trial is set for February 2022. The 40-page complaint filed in Davidson County on Monday by a Baltimore-based firm claims the diocese “concealed Lewis’s abuse, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment of plaintiff and others.”