The Kiwanis Club of Columbia awarded the George F. Hixson Fellowship to two Tennessee attorneys who were former presidents of the club, the Columbia Daily Herald reports. Retired circuit court judge Bob Jones and TBA member and Criminal Appeals Court Judge Bobby Holloway were presented with the honor at the club’s weekly meeting on Friday. Jones was appointed 22nd Judicial District Circuit judge by former Gov. Don Sundquist and retired from the bench in 2018. Holloway was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals by former Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014. Holloway is a past president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, a Tennessee Bar Foundation fellow and a board member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation. The George F. Hixson Fellowship recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to Kiwanis’ history of generosity and dedicated service to their local Kiwanis Club, their community and the world.

Republican businessman and conservationist Greg Vital yesterday won the special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Mike Carter in House District 29, the Chattanoogan reports. Vital collected 3,884 votes, while his opponent, DeAngelo Jelks, received 964 votes. The Chattanooga Police Department is currently investigating Jelks after rape charges were filed against him days before the election by a member of his campaign staff. Jelks yesterday admitted to an affair with the staffer, but maintained it was a consensual relationship. 

Kent Halkett, a trial attorney of 44 years and survivor of a suicide attempt, penned the January/February 2021 Tennessee Bar Journal cover story in which he examined the high rates of substance abuse and mental health issues in the legal profession. “The good news: attorneys with mental health challenges can thrive in the profession,” he wrote. As a follow up to his cover story, Halkett will present “The Mental Health Crisis in the Legal Profession - A Message of Hope” during next week’s Equal Justice University conference hosted by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Halkett will discuss the warning signs of mental health challenges among legal professionals and how they can raise the topic with their colleagues and families. Catch his presentation on Sept. 23 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. CDT.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery and 22 additional attorneys general today sent a letter to Congress expressing their opposition to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The attorneys general wrote that the “reckless” legislation “would allow the United States Department of Justice to usurp the authority states rightly possess over their own elections, essentially federalizing the election system.” The bill, H.R. 4, has cleared the U.S. House and would establish new criteria to determine which states would need preclearance before making changes to voting rights practices. Read more from the A.G.’s office.

Delivery of the September/October Tennessee Bar Journal print edition has been delayed due to problems in the paper supply chain. "The Today Show" recently looked at how the problem is affecting many publications and other products. You should receive your Journal soon, but in the meantime you can access all the articles on our website or download it directly in PDF format. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court has extended its waiver of in-person CLE requirements through 2022. The high court again extended the temporary suspension of Rule 21, sections 3.01(c) and 4.02(c), due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The order is effective through December 31, 2022. Read the full order.  

A member of DeAngelo Jelks’ state House campaign staff has accused her boss of rape, the Nashville Post reports. Jelks is the Democratic nominee in today’s special election to fill the seat of late Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah. The alleged victim filed a report with the Chattanooga Police Department on Sunday and Jelks resigned as vice chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party that same day. He faces Republican Greg Vital in today’s special election.

Twelfth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Justin Angel has announced he will seek re-election in 2022, the Chattanoogan reports. Angel was elected to the bench in 2014 and presides over the civil and criminal matters and jury trials of Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Rhea, Marion, Franklin and Grundy counties. Angel has twice served on the Executive Committee for the Tennessee Judicial Conference and is currently Presiding Judge of the 12th Judicial District and president of the 12th Judicial District Bar Association. He has presided over several high-profile cases and in 2019 ordered the release of Adam Braseel, a Grundy County man wrongfully convicted of murder, which gained national attention. “I hope to continue my work and life’s dedication to the law and justice for another term as a Circuit Court Judge,” Angel said.

Jeff Preptit, an attorney in the Nashville Public Defender's office, has filed to run for the open state House District 59 seat, the Nashville Post reports. That seat is currently uncontested and held by retiring Democratic Rep. Jason Potts. Preptit is the son of Haitian refugees and received his law degree from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. “For my entire adult life, I have been committed to serving my community and seeking to make it a better place by serving as a public defender,” Peptit told the Post. “I am exploring a run for House District 59 to continue to help cultivate an institutional structure that supports all Tennesseans and works to extend opportunity to every corner of our community and state."

A Memphis jury today heard opening arguments and witness testimony in the federal trial of state Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, the Daily Memphian reports. Robinson was indicted last year on 20 counts of theft, embezzlement and wire fraud after allegedly misapplying federal funds intended to help students at her private business, The Healthcare Institute. Prosecutors allege Robinson used some of the grant money to finance her wedding, divorce, investment property and several other expenses totaling $600,000. Robinson’s attorneys argue that her two accountants never reported any issues with her use of the funding.