The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts yesterday voiced its support for the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act to help protect judges’ personal information in federal databases, the ABA Journal reports. The legislation is named after the son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was killed last summer by a disgruntled lawyer who found Salas’ address on the internet. Federal judges and other court personnel have reported a drastic increase in threats and inappropriate communications, from 926 incidents in 2015 to 4,261 in 2020. Additionally, after federal judges requested increased security, Congress approved funding for the U.S. Marshals Service to modernize home security systems at judges’ homes and to improve its ability to identify online threats against judges and court facilities. The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act would also restrict data aggregators from reselling judges’ personal information.

Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court yesterday announced that all six divisions will resume at full capacity on Aug. 2. For information regarding court dates, check the General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office website or call the office’s general information line at 901-222-3400.

The investiture ceremony for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee Katherine Crytzer will take place on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT in the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 800 Market St., Knoxville. Crytzer was nominated for the role by former President Donald Trump and was confirmed to the bench by the U.S. Senate late last year. She was previously the principal deputy assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.

Former Nashville Mayor and Bone McAllester Norton attorney David Briley has announced he will run for Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Division I, the Tennessean reports. That judgeship is currently held by Judge Hamilton "Kip" Gayden, who some expect will not seek reelection, though he has not yet made a formal announcement. Briley was a longtime at-large Metro council member before being elected vice mayor in 2015. In 2018, he became acting mayor after the resignation of former Mayor Megan Barry. Briley won the election to complete the balance of Barry’s term, but lost his 2019 reelection race to current Mayor John Cooper. Briley practices in civil, commercial and class-action litigation at Bone McAllester. 

Pop star Britney Spears has been granted the right to hire her own attorney amid the legal battle over her conservatorship, the ABA Journal reports. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge yesterday approved Spears’ request to hire Greenberg Traurig shareholder Mathew Rosengart, who immediately called on the star’s father, Jamie Spears, to resign as his daughter’s conservator. Spears accused her father of “conservatorship abuse” in yesterday’s hearing. She has previously claimed that the conservatorship has prevented her from getting married and having more children by forcing her to have an IUD. An attorney for Spears’ father told the court yesterday that her client had his daughter’s best interests in mind and would not be stepping aside. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 29.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the law license of Johnny Leon Woodruff be transferred to disability inactive status. Woodruff cannot practice law while on disability inactive status. Woodruff’s license may be reinstated by the high court if he is able to show that his disability has been removed.   

Chattanooga attorney and TBA Young Lawyers Division President-elect Brittany Faith has been elected to serve on the Board of Governors  for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Chattanoogan reports. Faith is an immigration law attorney at the Chattanooga law firm Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison PC. Last month she was honored with AILA’s 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for the outstanding contributions she has made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law.

The TBA will hold its 2021 Elder Law Forum virtually tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT. This year's program will feature information on elder abuse and undue influence, VA benefits, Medicaid updates and more. Speakers include Julie Price with Elder Law of East Tennessee, Christopher Johnson of Takacs McGinnis Elder Care Law, Amy Bryant with the Metro Nashville Office of Conservatorship Management, Bryson Eubanks with Kane and Crowell, Abby Rubenfeld of Rubenfeld Law Office, Travenia Holden with Holden Law Office, Barbara Moss of with Elder Law of Nashville and Michelle Poss of A. Michelle Poss Attorney at Law. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned experts and catch up on the latest developments in the field.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) has extended the nominations deadline for its annual access to justice awards to July 20. The Janice M. Holder Award, the B. Riney Green Award and the New Advocate of the Year award recognize those who have contributed to Tennessee’s equal justice community. The recipients will be recognized during the annual Equal Justice University (EJU) virtual conference Sept. 21-23. Visit TALS’ award nomination page for nomination instructions, the awards nomination form, and specific eligibility and criteria for each of the three awards.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation this week announced dates for its 2022 grant cycle. The application for the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) grant program will be available on Aug. 11 on the foundation’s website. A hard copy of the completed application must be mailed to the foundation and be postmarked no later than midnight, Sept. 9. This grant cycle is open to new and existing grant recipients. For more information contact Executive Director Barri Bernstein at 615-242-1531. View the official announcement here.