Greeneville Pastor Casey Nicholson last week announced he will run for the Democratic nomination for governor. Nicholson previously ran for state representative in 2008 and served as chair of the Greene County Democratic Party. He indicated his primary issue will be current Gov. Bill Lee's leadership, which he describes as lacking during the COVID crisis. Nicholson joins Dr. Jason Martin, a pulmonary and critical care specialist in Nashville, who also made his run official last week, and Democrat Carnita Atwater of Memphis, according to the Nashville Post.

Sparta lawyer and former judge Gary Wayne Dodson died on Aug. 12 at 72. A 1973 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, Dodson practiced law in White County for more than 46 years. He served as general sessions judge for White and Van Buren counties for 10 years, as White County delinquent tax attorney for 40 years, and as White County attorney for 16 years. At his death, he was serving as Sparta city judge. Funeral services were held Aug. 16 at the West Sparta Church of Christ. Memorial donations may be made to the Stepping Stones School Parents-Day-Out program at West Sparta Church of Christ, the White County Library or the White County Humane Society, 5600 Gum Springs Mountain Rd., Sparta, TN 38583.

The U.S District Court in Chattanooga has released reservation details about the upcoming portrait unveiling and reception for retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons. The event will take place on Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. EDT. Those who would like to attend are asked to RSVP by Sept. 7 to 423-783-2508. Judge Parsons retired in September 2020.

The YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley has launched a new resource for Oak Ridge families who have experienced domestic violence, the Oak Ridger reports. The new Justice for Families Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Center will provide a safe place for families to receive services. The YWCA will hold an open house on Wednesday beginning at 4:30 p.m. EDT. Tours will take place from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. RSVP to Karlyn Reel. The YWCA also is expanding its signature violence prevention program, Gamechangers, to Oak Ridge and Anderson County. The program pairs adult male mentors with middle-school-aged boys to educate them on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, consent and bystander intervention.

To mark the closing of the Tennessee State Museum exhibition "Ratifed! Tennessee Women and the Right to Vote" and the 101st anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment, the museum will host a special event featuring author Elaine Weiss and noted historian Carole Bucy on Sept. 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. CDT. Limited seating will be available. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. The event also will be livestreamed on the museum’s website at TNMuseum.org/Videos. After the discussion, Weiss will sign copies of her book "The Woman’s Hour." Weiss was the keynote speaker at the TBA’s 2020 Virtual Convention.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today denied a motion by two chapters of the National Association of Realtors to stop a new eviction moratorium issued by the Biden administration on Aug. 3. The move comes after a federal district judge also kept the ban in place last week. The three-judge panel acted without recorded dissent and did not provide a detailed explanation for its ruling, Politico reports. The realtors group says it will file an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court immediately. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently granted review to four cases. The latest issue of the Raybin Supreme Court Hot List reviews the cases, which raise issues involving comparative fault, expungements, forgery convictions and the Drug Free School Zone law.

Dandridge lawyer and judge Alfred Benjamin “Ben” Strand Jr. died Wednesday. He was 81. A 1967 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law, Strand practiced law for more than 40 years. From 1975-1976, he served as circuit court judge and from 1998-2014, served as Jefferson County General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court judge. He received the McCain-Abernathy Memorial Award in 2009 and the President’s Award in 2014 from the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges for his outstanding service as a juvenile judge. Strand also was active in the TBA’s high school mock trial program, helping field teams from Jefferson County High School and Mountain Youth Development Center. Visitation will be tomorrow from 3-6 p.m. EDT at the First Baptist Church in Dandridge. The funeral will follow. A graveside service will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT at Hillcrest Cemetery in Dandridge. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First Baptist Church of Dandridge or to the Dandridge Memorial Library.

Former TBA president and Memphis lawyer Bill Haltom will sign copies of his new book “Sears Crosstown in Memphis: From Catalogues to a Concourse” on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. CDT. The event, sponsored by Burkes Books, will be held at the Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis 38104. Haltom writes about the history of Sears Crosstown, the warehouse and distribution center for the company’s mail-order empire. The building was vacated in the 1980s and for decades it remained shuttered until a group of Memphians decided to resurrect the space with a plan most thought was impossible.

Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Loyce Lambert-Ryan will start testing e-filing on Sept. 1 with the goal of minimizing courtroom traffic and expediting services for the county residents. For now, filings will be limited to motions and documents that are not privileged. Tennessee licensed attorneys may register to gain access to the portal. For more information call the court at 901-222-3500 or email efiling-inquiries@shelbycountytn.gov.