General Sessions Judge Don A. Layton announced plans to seek a fourth term in Anderson County's General Sessions Court, Division I. He has presided over the court since 1998. Prior to taking the bench, he served as clerk & master for Anderson County and had an active private law practice. Layton has been chosen as president of the General Sessions Judges Conference. He is a frequent instructor and lecturer at state and educational conferences and a member of the Anderson County Bar.

The issue of juvenile transfer to adult court is central to the race for district attorney general in Shelby County. Incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich, a Republican, is seeking reelection and three Democratic candidates are vying for the nomination to challenge her. The issue is one that sets the Democratic candidates apart from Weirich: All three believe that under the status quo, too many juveniles are transferred to adult court. In contrast, Weirich says Shelby County has more juvenile transfers than any other county in Tennessee simply because it has more people and thus more crime. The Commercial Appeal also looks at Weirich's advocacy for “truth in sentencing” laws.

Georgia lawyer Allison S. Hines Ficken and Ohio lawyer Daniel Michael Spirko were recently reinstated to the practice of law after having been on inactive status for more than five years. Ficken was reinstated effective Feb. 8. Spirko was reinstated effective Feb. 4.

Memphis lawyer Lucian T. Pera is the 2022 recipient of the Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award, one of the top ethics honors of the American Bar Association. The award honors an individual whose contributions in the professional responsibility field reflect the highest level of dedication to legal professionalism. Pera, a former Tennessee Bar Association president and partner at Adams and Reese, is recognized nationally for his work on ethics in the legal profession as well as media law and transparency issues in government, particularly in Tennessee where he also served as president of the Tennessee Open Government Coalition. He has written extensively about ethics and lawyer regulation nationally and for the ABA, including an ethics column for Law Practice, a magazine of the ABA Law Practice Division. Read more from the ABA Journal. 

Brentwood attorney A.J. Bahou today announced he will run for State House District 63 in the Republican primary. Bahou, an intellectual property patent attorney, served as chair of the Tennessee Young Republicans from 1997-1999, and was active in the organization for over seven years. He has also been active in Leadership Brentwood, Brentwood Rotary, the Nolensville Lions Club and the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the board and executive committee of LaunchTN, a statewide incubator for small business startups in Tennessee. Learn more about his campaign in this press release or online at https://voteajbahou.com.

The TBA’s 26th Annual Labor and Employment Law Forum will take place in person in Nashville on May 6. The all-day program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will provide in-depth, timely, specialized and practical information on a range of labor and employment law topics. Program participants include John Bode with Miller & Martin in Chattanooga; Heather Collins with Collins & Hunter in Brentwood; Casey Duhart with Acadia Healthcare in Franklin; Jason Ensley with Ensley, Baker & Shade in Johnson City; Stanley Graham with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville; and Chris McCarty with Lewis Thomason in Knoxville.

The Knox County Juvenile Court Assistance Board will hold its annual Basket Auction & Spring Lunch on April 8 beginning at 11:30 a.m. The event will include a lunch, silent and live auction, and presentation of the Susan D. Kovac Award to Knox County’s most outstanding child welfare attorney. Proceeds will benefit the Volunteer Advisory Board, the Annual Foster Care Appreciation Dinner for foster care parents, and foster care children with emergency needs. The event will take place at Knox County Juvenile Court, 3323 Division St., Knoxville, TN 37919. Learn more in this flyer or call 865-215-6475 with questions.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s office is now accepting applications for a $1.5 million grant to prevent violence in North Nashville, WPLN reports. The program builds on the first round of $5,000 grants given out last year to curb shootings. The new initiative, labeled “Cure Violence,” is part of the city’s gradual shift toward more community-based solutions to public safety, at a time when violent crime has been rising. Nonprofit groups have until April 22 to apply.

The U.S. Senate voted 49-44 today to strike down President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for health care workers. The Republican members of the chamber were able to force the vote under the Congressional Review Act, The Hill reports. Though no Democratic senators voted with Republicans to eliminate the rule, the GOP was able to get it through the evenly divided Senate because of six Democratic absences. The fate of the bill is unclear though. Observers say it would not likely pass the House or be signed by the president. The vaccine mandate applies to workers at health providers that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. It has been the subject of several court challenges but was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in January.

Knoxville lawyer Carol Anne Long has joined the University of Tennessee College of Law as associate director of the Bettye B. Lewis Career Center. In her new position, Long will serve as the primary liaison with employers, maintaining relationships with hiring personnel and developing interview opportunities. She also will provide advising assistance to students and alumni. Long previously practiced civil and criminal defense litigation with two Knoxville law firms and worked as a judicial clerk for Judge Charles D. Susano Jr. of the Tennessee Court of Appeals and Judge James Curwood Witt Jr. of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. She is a 2000 graduate of the College of Law. Long was active in the TBA Young Lawyers Division and is a lifetime member of the TBA YLD Fellows. She is married to former TBA President Jason Long.