Knoxville’s Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law is seeking applications for an Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to begin July 1. The new position is envisioned as a key leadership role at LMU Law and would collaborate closely with the dean, other law school and university leaders, students, faculty, and staff to develop, promote, and facilitate LMU Law’s strategic goals and concrete actions to forward progress in diversity, equity and inclusion. Inquiries and letters of interest may be sent to Melissa Montroy or submitted electronically. Applications will be accepted until May 31. Read more about the position on TBA’s JobLink page.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins today vacated the conviction of Claude Francis Garrett who in 1992 was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Lori Lee Lance, the Tennessean reports. Lance died in a Nashville house fire that Garrett was accused of intentionally starting. The dismissal comes after reports and testimony by witnesses for the Innocence Project and the Davidson County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit, that said the fire was not intentionally set. The DA’s office in a statement today said Garrett’s original conviction was "based on outdated investigative methods and baseless conclusions.” In his ruling vacating the conviction, Watkins wrote that Garrett has shown “actual innocence” and would not have been convicted by a jury “in light of the new scientific evidence.”

Law books from the judge’s chambers at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building U.S. Courthouse in downtown Nashville are seeking a new home. If you are interested in reserving the books, contact Hardi Ibrahim. More pictures of the books can be found here. 

A joint investigation into the Rutherford County juvenile justice system by Nashville public radio station WPLN and nonprofit newsroom ProPublica has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize’s feature writing category. WPLN’s Meribah Knight and ProPublica’s Ken Armstrong shed light on the county’s juvenile justice system in which children were being illegally arrested and jailed under a judge who had the highest rate of locking up children in the state. The reporters discovered that the county was jailing children in 48% of the cases referred to juvenile court, versus the statewide average of 5%. A follow up investigation revealed the county was jailing a disproportionately high percentage of Black children. WPLN has more on the story.

Testing sites for the July 2022 bar exam in Knoxville and Memphis are at capacity and the Nashville location is near capacity, according to an order issued today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The order says that bar exam applications will close once the Nashville site hits max capacity. Those who have submitted a paid application will have until May 20 to complete the application process. If there are more applications than available seats, those without a seat will be placed on a waiting list. If no seat becomes available by June 15, applicants without a seat will be refunded and withdrawn from the exam. Read more about the situation and the court's order.

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Charles D. Susano Jr. died on May 7. He was 86. Susano was in private practice for 30 years before being appointed to the Court of Appeals by former Gov. Ned McWherter in 1994. Susano remained on the bench for more than 25 years. At the time of his retirement in April 2020, he was the longest serving appellate judge in Tennessee, authoring more than 1,000 opinions and serving as chief judge of the Court of Appeals from 2013 to 2015. For the last 30 years, Susano was confined to a wheelchair after a sleepwalking accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. “I’m only handicapped if I let myself be,” Susano once said. “At worst, I have been challenged, forcing me to reinvent new ways to negotiate the new times.” Susano’s family will receive friends on May 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT at at the Cathedral Hall at Sacred Heart in Knoxville. A funeral mass will be held on May 17 at 10 a.m. EDT at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on where the public may make donations in Susano’s honor.

The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a bipartisan bill to boost security for Supreme Court justices to ensure their families are protected, the Associated Press reports. The measure does not provide additional funding for security, but makes a technical change that allows law enforcement to provide round-the-clock security to immediate family members of the justices. The bill comes amid protests around the country over a leaked draft opinion that suggests the high court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The measure now heads to the U.S. House for consideration.

Two top officials from the Metro Codes Department will be leaving the department to join a new land use practice at the Thompson Burton law firm. Director Bill Herbert and Deputy Director Emily Lamb will join Thompson Burton as partners. The two were recruited for the new practice by attorney Jon Michael, who started the land use division last summer. Michael also recently hired attorney Margaret Martin, who was once chief development officer for the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. The Nashville Business Journal has more on the story.

The TBA’s annual Court Square Series, designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law, is underway and will be making a stop in Kingsport on May 26. The three-hour event will include an overview of updates in probate and real estate law led by incoming Chancellor Katie Priester, an ethics update from Board of Professional Responsibility Disciplinary Counsel Steve Chrisopher, and a session on self-care from Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program Executive Director Buddy Stockwell. The program will be held in Room 130 of Northeast State at Kingsport Center for Higher Education at noon EDT. The Court Square Series will also be making stops in Murfreesboro on May 17, Cookeville on May 19, Chattanooga on June 3 and Jackson on June 7. Read more on each session on the TBA CLE website.

Davidson County lawyer Katherine Elizabeth Curlee Hamblen was reinstated to the practice of law today after being placed on inactive status more than five years ago. The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Hamblen effective April 27.