Teresa Nelson has been sworn in as the new Sullivan County General Sessions Court judge, WCYB reports. Criminal Court Judge James Goodwin administered the oath of office. Prior to her appointment to the court, Nelson was an assistant district attorney in the county for 22 years. She said her first priority is to work on the backlog of cases that have piled up because of the pandemic. She also said she plans to run for the seat in 2022. Nelson was appointed to the bench after Judge Klyne Lauderback announced his retirement.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland yesterday imposed a moratorium on federal executions and directed the deputy attorney general to review the Justice Department's single-drug protocol and the risk of pain and suffering associated with pentobarbital. Garland's predecessor, William Barr, resumed use of capital punishment last year after a 17-year hiatus. In the waning months of the Donald Trump administration, the Bureau of Prisons carried out 13 executions. There are currently 46 inmates on federal death row, Reuters reports.

The Tennessee Bar Association is closing today at 2 p.m. CDT and will be closed Monday for the Fourth of July holiday. Our virtual offices will reopen at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Access email addresses and direct lines here.

The TBA Litigation Law Forum will be offered virtually on Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. CDT/10 a.m. EDT. The forum, worth 3.5 general and 1.5 dual hours of CLE, will feature an appellate practice panel discussion with two Supreme Court justices and practitioners from around the state that will be moderated by Chancellor Will Perry. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Tennessee's newest Supreme Court chief justice, Roger Page. Chief Justice Page will have a conversation with Todd Presnell about his views on the role of the state judiciary. Tannera Gibson will moderate a conversation on diversity in the litigation practice and judicial decision-making. Register now for the CLE that has it all. 

Nashville prosecutors have reached a plea deal with Andrew Delke, the white Nashville police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Black man, the Tennessean reports. Delke will plead guilty to manslaughter, according to an attorney representing the victim's family, and will serve a three-year sentence for shooting Daniel Hambrick three times in the back during a July 2018 foot chase. While the plea is historic — no other Nashville officer has ever faced charges, let alone jail time, after an on-duty shooting, some activists are concerned about such a lenient punishment for a brutal crime. 

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service announced the focus for October's National Celebration of Pro Bono will be "Moving Forward in a Post-Pandemic World." The 2021 event will center on the legal needs of vulnerable communities resulting from the pandemic as well as recognizing the efforts of pro bono attorneys during the pandemic. Celebrate Pro Bono is an opportunity to connect pro bono providers and attorneys across the nation and to highlight some of the most common legal issues impacting communities, including evictions, housing injustice, racial disparities, and challenges to accessing legal service. The TBA will work with our state's legal service providers and others in the access to justice community to support and promote pro bono and celebratory events throughout the month of October. 

The Oregon Supreme Court is asking lawyers and the public for comment on a proposal that would create two alternative ways to become licensed in the state without taking the bar exam, The National Law Journal reports. One proposed option requires law students to spend their last two years of law school focusing on hands-on coursework and submitting a “capstone portfolio” to the state board of bar examiners to demonstrate their minimum competence. A second proposal allows for law graduates to work under the supervision of a licensed attorney for 1,000 to 1,500 hours, then submit a portfolio of work samples for review by the board. Oregon would continue to offer the Uniform Bar Exam twice a year for those who wish the take that test. The court is slated to discuss the proposals at a public meeting July 7.

The Supreme Court today ruled that two provisions of an Arizona voting law that restrict how ballots can be cast do not violate the Voting Rights Act, which bars regulations that result in racial discrimination, reports CNN. Justice Samuel Alito delivered the 6-3 majority opinion in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, arguing that the “mere fact that there is some disparity in impact does not necessarily mean that a system is not equally open or that it does not give everyone an equal opportunity to vote.” Justice Elena Kagan authored a dissent that portrayed the ruling as part of an ongoing weakening of the landmark 1965 voting rights law by the high court.

American Bar Association President Patricia Lee Refo moderated a panel discussion at the White House Summit on Eviction Prevention that focused on the elements of successful eviction prevention programs. The effort is aimed at keeping millions of renters in their homes following the anticipated July 31 expiration of the nationwide evictions ban. Refo said the ABA has been working on the eviction crisis for more than a year and cited a report released last month by the ABA and the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program that identified best practices to divert eviction filings and enhance housing stability.

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville is seeking nominations and applications for Arts Board Matching, a program that trains business leaders in nonprofit board best practices and matches them with local arts organizations for board service. The program is open to all professionals in the Greater Nashville area, and ABC is especially seeking diverse business professionals. Nominations close on July 9.