A University of Tennessee College of Law team has won the 2022 national Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial Competition. The team, including first-year student Kyle Mangrum, and second-year students Alex Allen, Grady McGinnity and Tommy Zoccola, excelled in three preliminary rounds before advancing to the finals and winning out over 21 teams.  The annual competition, held in the Washington, D.C. area, draws law students from 28 schools throughout the country and is judged by volunteer lawyers and judges. 

In his final year as a state senator, Mike Bell is ready to get rid of Tennessee’s affirmative action program, saying he will bring legislation this week to eliminate it from state and local governments, Tennessee Lookout reports. Bell's Senate Bill 2440 and House Bill 2569, sponsored by Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, prohibits the state from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to an individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee – Chattanooga Division is inviting high school and middle school students in 17 area counties to participate in its annual civics essay contest. This year’s topic is Brown v. Board of Commissioners of the City of Chattanooga, a federal lawsuit that alleged the Chattanooga city government was in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The Hamilton County Herald has the details.

22nd Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Stella Hargrove today announced she will retire in August. A lawyer since 1977, she was the first female prosecuting attorney in the 22nd judicial district, first female circuit court judge in the 22nd judicial district, and first female president of the Maury County Bar Association. “She inspires people, all of us, men and women, in what she’s had to overcome to become a circuit court judge,” said Judge Christopher Sockwell of the 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court. “You have to remember, when she first started in law school and became a lawyer, it was more of a man’s club. There weren’t that many women practicing and in positions of authority, and she not only did well, she thrived and overcame any obstacles that were put in front of her and eventually was elected circuit judge.” Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Gov. Bill Lee’s office on Monday said Tennessee does not have state investments with Russian companies after previously asking treasurer officials to investigate, according to the AP. Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. to limit Russian banking, expel Russian diplomats and ban Russian imports. Meanwhile, starting today, Tennessee’s Capitol will be lit with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag.

The Tennessee Bar Association has named two attorneys and a law student as the 2022 Public Service Award winners. The annual awards recognize an exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice for underserved individuals and communities. Ann Pruitt is the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year. Pruitt is being recognized for her tireless, innovative leadership in the ATJ community, including as executive director for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS). The Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award recognizes a private attorney who has contributed significant amounts of pro bono work and who demonstrates dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor. This year, that award goes to Ashley Goins Alderson, an attorney in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison, in recognition of her extensive pro bono service in a complicated and extended international child abduction case. The Law Student Volunteer of the Year is Belmont University College of Law 3L Gabriella Cannone, recognized for her commitment to pro bono service including work with the Nashville Defenders and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The honorees are profiled in the March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal.

The news item “Pulaski Working to Overcome Past” from Feb. 23 should have attributed advocacy for the relocation of the statute of Sam Davis and renaming of a park and sports stadium to Keidron Turner individually instead of the Community Advisory Council on Inclusive Recognition & Acknowledgement (CACIRA). CACIRA is not advocating for relocation, removal or renaming of any statue, plaque or stadium. This news item has been corrected on the TBA Today webpage.

The state Senate on Monday advanced legislation requiring U.S. House and Senate candidates to meet the same criteria imposed on state legislative candidates, who must be Tennessee residents for at least three years and residents of the county they’ll represent for at least one year “immediately preceding the election.”  The bill passed 31-1, with Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire casting the lone no vote, the AP reports. It must still pass the GOP-controlled House. “I think y’all are trying to stop somebody from running,” Gardenhire said, without naming a specific candidate. Read more from the Commercial Appeal.

Throughout March, TEDxNashville is celebrating the contributions women are making everywhere. One of the programs features Judge Sheila D.J. Calloway, discussing forgiveness in the criminal justice system. "With a system of Restorative Justice, all of those who were harmed (victims, families, community) can achieve both accountability and restoration, moving everyone toward forgiveness," the promo says. Watch the 20-minute video here.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee performed the investiture ceremony Monday for William E. Phillips, who is the Circuit Court judge for the 3rd Judicial District in Greenville. Phillips was appointed in October by Lee to fill the vacant seat after Thomas Wright retired. Phillips, 45, is already serving as judge. A formal swearing-in ceremony by 3rd Judicial District Chancellor Douglas E. Jenkins was held in October. Phillips has been a lawyer for 19 years and served as the city attorney for Rogersville and Church Hill. The Greeneville Sun has more.