The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will observe Constitution Day later this month with the third annual public reading of the U.S. Constitution in both Knoxville and Chattanooga. The Chattanooga event will take place Sept. 16 at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building, 900 Georgia Ave. The Knoxville event will be held Sept. 19 in the courtyard of the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 800 Market St. Both will start at 11:30 a.m. and continue to approximately 1 p.m. EDT. The public and members of the bar are invited to join the court in reading segments of one minute or less. Those who are interested can register on the court’s civics website. Advance registration is preferred but not required.

Despite backlash from a previous weeklong closure of the Shelby County clerk office, Clerk Wanda Halbert says she will close the office for a second week later this month, likely the week of Sept. 19. "Because of the backlog of additional work outside of new and renewed license plates, as a result of downed mail services, the Offices of the Shelby County Clerk are closing ... to catch up on critically outstanding services,” Halbert's office wrote in a notice. The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.

The Biden administration recently released its finalized immigration policy on the so-called “public charge” criteria for green card applicants, part of a year-long legal battle to undo efforts of the prior administration to limit eligibility for permanent residency. Under the new 455-page rule, set to take effect Dec. 23, green card applicants will not be penalized for use of non-cash public assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid or housing benefits. Instead, immigration officers will look at “the receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or long-term institutionalization at government expense” to evaluate if any individual is likely to become a “public charge,” who would then be ineligible to become a permanent resident. Roll Call looks at the new policy.

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic next Thursday. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance but must register by Monday. Clients may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold a veterans clinic Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37203. To volunteer for the clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all September clinics.

The TBA is hosting a free Zoom Roundtable later this month focused on three recent U.S. Supreme Court cases and how they impact lawyers in Tennessee. The event will take place Sept. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Panelists will provide a practical overview of the rulings and answer questions from attendees. Registration is required by 10 a.m. CDT the morning of the event to receive the log in information. The cases to be discussed are: Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, West Virginia v. EPA, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. CLE credit is available for a minimal fee.

The Shelby County Commission will soon fill three judicial commissioner positions that are vacant after attorneys holding them won August elections to become judges, the Daily Memphian reports. “We cannot afford to be light on judicial commissioners,” General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson told the commission yesterday. “And we cannot afford to bring in judicial commissioners who don’t know their job when they walk through the door.” Anderson, who oversees the judicial commissioners, has offered to screen the applicants for the three positions. He says the vacancies leave the court system “woefully inadequate.” Applications for the positions are due Friday and will be followed by interviews on Sept. 21 and a final commission vote on Sept. 26. The judicial commissioners as a whole are part of a new bail court that starts operation in February.

Bass, Berry & Sims and Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC (GSRM Law) have teamed up with the Nashville State Community College Foundation to hold a monthly Legal Help Clinic. The clinics will begin on Sept. 13 and will allow students to meet in-person at the NSCC White Bridge campus in Nashville and virtually across the school’s seven Tennessee campuses for guidance on a variety of civil legal matters, such as landlord-tenant issues, vehicle purchase and repair, child support, expungement and more. The initiative coincides with Bass Berry’s “100 Acts of Service” in celebration of its 100th anniversary. GSRM Law is also celebrating 80 years of business in Nashville. Read more about the clinics here.

The Knoxville Bar Association last night hosted a Bench-Bar Celebration at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event was held to celebrate the unity and fellowship of the local legal community. The KBA honored the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court and celebrated members of the judiciary at all levels for their dedication to the administration of justice. TBA President Tasha Blakney and Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson attended the event along with other TBA members. See pictures from the event here.

Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge John Everett Williams will lie in state from noon until 3 p.m. CDT on Monday in the Nashville Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N. Attorneys and the public are welcome to pay their respects in the courtroom. Williams died unexpectedly on Sept. 2. He was 68. Visitation will take place on Sept. 13 from 2 to 8 p.m. CDT at the Dilday-Carter Funeral Home, 650 High Street in Huntingdon. Services will be held on Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. CDT at the Huntingdon First United Methodist Church, 201 Asbury Circle, Huntingdon. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on Williams’ legacy, including stories and remembrances from the judiciary.