Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page has been elected chief justice by his colleagues. His term will begin Sept. 1. Page succeeds Justice Jeff Bivins, who has served as chief justice since September 2016. “It is an honor to serve as chief justice and a responsibility that I do not take lightly,” Page said after being elected. Page will be sworn-in by Justice Connie Clark at a small ceremony on Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m. CDT in the courtroom he presided over in the Madison County Criminal Justice Complex. The event will be livestreamed on the court’s YouTube channel. Page began his judicial career when he was elected 26th Judicial District Circuit Court judge in 1998. He was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by former Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011. In 2016, Haslam appointed him to the Supreme Court. Page said that among his priorities will be continued emphasis on the court’s access to justice initiative and work to expand access to the courts in rural communities, including increasing remote hearings and e-filing.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently issued an order seeking comments on proposed amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure and Rules of Civil Procedure. The amendments were recommended by the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice & Procedure at its June 11 meeting. Comments should be submitted by Nov. 23 to the attention of Appellate Clerk James Hivner, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219.

President Joe Biden today approved federal funding for residents of Humphreys County affected by the catastrophic flooding on Saturday, News 5 reports. “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” officials with the White House said in a release. Residents and business owners can begin applying for assistance tomorrow. Watch for more information from the TBA about disaster legal assistance opportunities to help affected individuals.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh today launched his campaign for a new term on the bench. McVeagh was appointed to the seat in 2017 at age 31, making him one of the youngest judges in Tennessee history, Chattanoogan.com reports. Since taking the bench, McVeagh has been tapped to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and Gov. Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. He also founded and presides over Hamilton County’s first misdemeanor Drug Recovery Court. McVeagh currently serves as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association YLD, East Tennessee governor for the TBA YLD and Tennessee’s young lawyer delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates.

Tyler Presley, a graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, has been appointed a state assistant district attorney by District 15 Attorney General Jason Lawson, the Wilson Post reports. Presley has been a law clerk in Lawson’s office for the past two summers. In his new position, he will be assigned to the court of Judge Haywood Barry in the Wilson County General Sessions Criminal Division and the court of Judge Barry Tatum in the Wilson County Juvenile Court System. Presley will also represent the district attorney’s office on the board of directors for the Wilson County Teen Court Program.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, has hired Sammie Arnold as his new chief of staff, the Nashville Post reports. Arnold most recently was an assistant commissioner at the state Department of Economic and Community Development, where he has been focused on community and rural development since 2013. He previously worked as a legislative aide for Gov. Bill Haslam and on Haslam’s first run for governor. Arnold holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee.

While eviction and housing insecurity are not new problems in this country, the pandemic has brought these issues into the national conversation in a way that has little historical precedent. Read this recent TBJ Select article by Jennifer S. Prusak, who is an associate clinical professor of law at Vanderbilt Law School and director of its Housing Law Clinic, about the crisis, sources of federal assistance, and recently introduced legislation in Congress that would provide significant additional protections for low-income tenants. The bills — the Eviction Crisis Act of 2021, the Emergency Eviction Enforcement Act of 2021, and the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act of 2021— aim to help fill the gap left behind by the expected expiration of the CDC moratorium.

Save the date for a virtual debt relief clinic set for Oct. 2. The clinic is being planned by Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the Legal Aid Society and is sponsored by the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Bankruptcy attorneys are needed to volunteer. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight will provide an overview of the process the morning of the clinic. Attorneys will then enter Zoom breakout rooms to meet with clients.

Knoxville lawyer Rufus Wilford Beamer Jr. died Friday. He was 78. A 1971 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Beamer practiced law for 50 years and enjoyed close relationships with many Knoxville lawyers. He tried cases in the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Tennessee Supreme Court and the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Funeral services will be private. Memorial donations may be made to The Rufus W. Beamer Fund c/o VA Tech Foundation, Inc., Office of University Development (0336), Blacksburg, VA 24061. The fund, established in honor of Beamer’s father, provides scholarships to graduate education students at Virginia Tech.

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted a federal judge’s order that would have forced the government to reinstate a Trump administration policy that kept asylum seekers in Mexico while awaiting their day in court. Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary stay late Friday night. It will remain in effect until Tuesday night so the court can consider filings in the case, the Associated Press reports. A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered the policy be reinstated Saturday. The Biden administration appealed the decision to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and then to the high court, after the appellate court upheld the trial court's decision.