Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is seeking an attorney to work with its Children & Youth Program. This position will address discrimination and harm experienced by children and youth in Tennessee institutions, community living environments and schools. The ideal candidate will possess a diverse knowledge of children and youth with disabilities as well as litigation experience. A law license is required while five years of legal experience is preferred. To apply send a cover letter and resume to anna@disabilityrightstn.org. Read the full job posting.

The political rivalry between state Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Old Hickory, and former state Rep. Jim Gotto will go another round this year after Gotto submitted paperwork to challenge Jernigan. It will be the third time Gotto, a Republican, has faced off against Jernigan, losing to him in 2012 and 2014. The district spans parts of Old Hickory, Hermitage and Donelson and is viewed as a seat that might flip this year, Axios Nashville reports.

A number of races have been set in Rhea County, Chattanoogan.com reports. Twelfth Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor qualified as an independent and will face Courtney Lynch from Winchester in the general election. Also in August, current public defender and independent Jeff Harmon will face Assistant Hamilton County Public Defender Ted Engel, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary. Incumbent state Rep. Ron Travis will be unopposed in the Republican primary and face fellow Dayton native David L. Brown who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Finally, the county will be choosing a new state senator following redistricting. Patricia Waters, the lone Democratic contender, will face either Adam Lowe, Mark Hall or Dennis Beavers in the general election. Others may still join that race as the filing deadline has been extended to May 5 after a three-judge panel threw out the Senate redistricting map.

Fourteen Republicans and two Democrats have met the filing deadline to run for the newly redrawn 5th Congressional District, Tennessee Ledger reports. Republicans in the primary race are Geni Batchelor, Jeff Beierlein, Natisha Brooks, Sarah A. Grams, Beth Harwell, Baxter Lee, Richie Lee, Timothy Bruce Lee, Andy Ogles, Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, Stewart T. Parks, Kurt Winstead and Tres Wittum. A new state measure that would exclude Ortagus from running awaits the governor’s signature, but Ortagus supporters have already promised a lawsuit if the bill is enacted. The two Democratic filers are state Sen. Heidi Campbell and Justicia Rizzo.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday reinstated President Joe Biden's executive order mandating that federal civilian employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the court lifted an injunction imposed by a district court judge in Texas in January, Reuters reports. Biden announced last fall that he would require about 3.5 million government workers to get vaccinated by Nov. 22 (barring a religious or medical accommodation) or face discipline or firing. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Biden's vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses but allowed a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities to stand. Yahoo News has the story.

William T. Ridley was recently sworn in as Cumberland County General Sessions Judge after being appointed to the position by the Cumberland County Commission, the Crossville Chronicle reports. Following the vote, Chancellor Ronald Thurman administered the oath of office. Ridley will serve until Sept. 1, when a new judge is sworn in after the general election. He serves as attorney for the city of Crossville and is a candidate for the 13th Judicial District Circuit Court. He is unopposed in the May 3 primary and will be on the Aug. 4 ballot with incumbent Judge Amy Hollars. Steven C. Douglas, who served as general sessions judge from 1998 to 2006 and had indicated interest in the appointment, withdrew his name prior to the commission vote.

Two Republicans are vying to succeed Judge Jean Stanley, who is not seeking reelection as the 1st Judicial District Circuit Court, Part II judge, the Johnson City Press reports. Suzanne Cook, a litigator and adjunct faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Law, will face Lois Bunton-Shults-Davis, a past special master, receiver and mediator, on the May 3 primary ballot. Both candidates answered questions from the paper on why they want to serve on the bench, how they would describe their temperament, and what improvements they would like to see made to the judicial process.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division, Belmont Law and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands last week hosted an expungement clinic in Murfreesboro. The clinic was held in partnership with Murfreesboro Cold Patrol, a homelessness outreach organization. Nine attorneys and nine law students volunteered their time to serve individuals experiencing homelessness, facing expungement issues and needing advice on fee waivers and voting rights reinstatement. To get involved in future clinics, contact YLD Access to Justice Coordinator Alix Rogers.

The Knoxville Bar Association will hold its annual Law Day luncheon on April 29 at the Hilton Knoxville Downtown. The event will showcase the work of the association and its young lawyers group, the Barristers. The Barristers also will present the Law & Liberty Award. This year’s Law Day theme, “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change,” explores the provisions of the Constitution that delegate power, articulate rights and offer mechanisms for change.

The Davidson County Election Commission will take its legal battle over a 2021 anti-tax hike referendum to the Tennessee Supreme Court after voting 3-2 yesterday to appeal. The referendum at the center of the litigation included initiatives aimed at curbing Metro government's power to increase property taxes, the Tennessean reports. A trial court judge ruled against the commission last June and the Court of Appeals affirmed that decision in March. The Supreme Court previously declined to hear the case on an expedited basis, but commission attorneys say the case poses significant questions of law, which the high court may choose to hear under normal circumstances.