The judges of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee have named Jill E. McCook as the court’s next magistrate judge. McCook will succeed Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton, who will retire from the bench in January 2022. McCook has served as an attorney for the Tennessee Valley Authority for the past three and a half years. Prior to that, she was an attorney at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz and Greenberg Traurig, and a law clerk to District Judge Thomas A. Varlan. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where she taught legal process. She earned her law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law and is admitted to practice in Tennessee and New York. McCook recently co-authored "Getting to Know the Federal Executive Branch Ethics Laws: A Primer," Part I in March and Part 2 in May for the Tennessee Bar Journal.

The Metro Nashville Police Department is not tracking a common type of physical force used to arrest people, according to a new report from a civilian-run agency that oversees the department. WPLN reports that the Community Oversight Board recently discovered that MNPD is not tracking so-called “soft empty-hand control” though other large cities do include those incidents in their reporting. Though the definition of this action is vague, it includes grabbing, takedowns and causing pain by touching pressure points. The board will hold a meeting next Wednesday to get community feedback on the proposal.

Shelby County lawyer Inez Beatrice Warner received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The court conditioned the censure on Warner paying restitution to three clients totaling $8,775 and pay fees to the Board of Professional Responsibility. The court took the action after it considered four complaints regarding Warner’s lack of diligence, lack of communication with clients, failure to properly account of settlement proceeds, and unclear fee practices, including charging fees incompatible with stated fees. Her actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.15 and 8.4.

The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association will honor a number of individuals at its 2021 Barristers’ Ball on Nov. 13. Tennessee State Sen. Raumesh Akbari will receive the A.A. Latting Award for Community Service, while Chancellor Gadson William Perry will receive the A.A. Latting Award for Legal Excellence, and Professor Demetria D. Frank will receive the President’s Award. The Barristers’ Ball will take place at the Columns. Contact Barristers’ Ball chair Laquita Stokes with any questions or concerns.

State Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, could be removed from the General Assembly if she does not resign from her District 33 seat, even before court appeals are exhausted, Tennessee Lookout reports. Robinson was convicted on felony fraud charges last week. Based on her own statements and support from legislative colleagues, it looks like she does not intend to leave her seat immediately. This could potentially force the hand of Senate leaders as rules for the body prohibit anyone convicted of a felony from serving.

With 10 months before voters choose the next Shelby County district attorney, the push to unseat incumbent Amy Weirich has heated up with a new public education campaign designed to bring attention to Weirich’s “controversial” record. Flyers and a mobile billboard calling Weirich a “repeat offender” were seen near the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center on Wednesday. The campaign is coordinated by Memphis Watch, a newly formed organization that does not appear to have a web presence or be led by Memphians, according to a joint report from Report for America and MLK50: Justice Through Journalists published in the Memphis Flyer. The messages are similar to the website AmyWeirichFiles.com, which offers a blistering assessment of Weirich’s actions.

Tennessee Republicans are eyeing Oct. 27 as the tentative start date for a special session aimed at loosening COVID-19 restrictions in the state, The Tennessean reports. According to a message obtained by the paper, the session would extend into the week of Nov. 1. Senate Republicans had been cool to the idea, but after Gov. Bill Lee called for a special session to approve incentives for Ford Motor Company, Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, voiced support for the fall session. 

A recent spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff has led the Department of Justice to commit new resources for countering those actions, WJHL reports. Attorney General Merrick Garland has instructed each U.S. attorney to convene meetings with federal, state and local law enforcement within 30 days to address threats. Reaction in Tennessee has been mixed. State Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, says he welcomes an investigation and would like to see the department quickly examine who is behind the rise in threats. By contrast, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said the federal government should not use politics to go after innocent people. 

The Nashville Public Library is launching a new community history project that explores the historical conflict over lynching, race and racism between two American Reformers. "Truth-Telling: Ida B. Wells and Frances Willard” will include a film screening and conversation with Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Wells and author of “Ida B. the Queen,” and Lori Osborne, director of the Frances Willard House Museum. It will also include a panel discussion on “The Role of Journalism in Documenting the Truth.” The virtual event will take place Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. CDT. Find out more about the program and register here.

Hamilton County commissioners last night voted 5-4 to pull a measure that would have cut funding for the district attorney’s office after DA Neal Pinkston answered questions about the budget, the Chattanoogan reports. Commissioner Tim Boyd sponsored the effort, which sought to withhold funds being used to pay Melydia Clewell, an employee in the DA’s office and Pinkston’s wife. Pinkston told commissioners that, at the time of the original budget question, his relatives were state employees and he later moved them to being county employees after concerns were raised at the DA’s conference. Pinkston also said none of his relatives answer to him, but to an administrator.