Former House Speaker Glen Casada and his one-time Chief of Staff Cade Cothren were indicted Tuesday on 20 federal charges ranging from money laundering to bribery, the Tennessean reports. The pair pleaded not guilty this morning during a hearing in federal court. Casada and Cothren stand accused of running a shadowy political consulting firm under a fake name to solicit General Assembly business and siphon off kickbacks for personal gain. Charges include theft from programs receiving federal funds, bribery and kickbacks, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, using a fictitious name to carry out a fraud and money laundering. The charges could carry up to 20 years in prison. The Tennessee Journal has the entire federal indictment.

Mark your calendars for Litigation 2022: Perspectives from the Bench, a webcast taking place on Oct. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. The webcast is worth 1.5 general CLE credits. Check back on the program’s webpage for more information as it becomes available.

Graveside services were held earlier this month for retired Jackson defense attorney Roger Alan Staton. Staton passed away on Aug. 10. He was 68. Staton earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law and became licensed in Tennessee in 1988.  

Knoxville attorney Lawrence McLean House Sr. passed away on Aug. 12 after an extended illness. He was 81. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, House began practicing law in Knoxville in 1967. A celebration of House’s life is scheduled for Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. EDT at Link-House Field on Cherokee Boulevard. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Coach House Memorial Fund at Knox Youth Sports, 5908 Lyons View Pike Knoxville, TN 37919. These gifts will be used at Link- House field.

A celebration of life will be held Sept. 22 for Micki Fox, longtime business manager of the Tennessee Law Review and continuing legal education (CLE) coordinator for the University of Tennessee College of Law. The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. EDT at the Emporium, 100 S. Gay St., Knoxville, TN 37902. For more details or to RSVP email stephanie.slater@tncourts.gov by Sept. 1. Any funds received in excess of expenses will be donated to the Tennessee Law Review Association in Fox’s honor.

The Judicial Ethics Committee last week released an advisory opinion addressing two issues. First, the committee concurred with a prior opinion which stated a judge should not have to recuse themselves in a contested matter when one or both of the litigants is a licensed attorney. The committee only issued a new opinion on the matter because the numbering of the Rules within the Code of Judicial Conduct has changed since the prior opinion was issued. Secondly, aside from narrow and specific circumstances in the Rules of Judicial Conduct, the committee found that the code does not require a judge to recuse themselves simply because an attorney is a member of the judge’s former law firm. Read the full opinion from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The TBA will hold its first book club discussion event on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. CDT. Members voted Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, a nonfiction story on dozens of murders plaguing the Osage Indian nation of Oklahoma in the 1920s, as the first quarterly title. The Osage murders began shortly after oil was discovered on tribal land making them the richest people per capita in the world. The mystery became one of the FBI’s first major homicide investigations, led by a young J. Edgar Hoover. This one-hour event will feature special guest Professor Derrick Beetso, director of Indian gaming and tribal self-governance programs at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, who will lead the virtual discussion. Learn more and register here.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, represented by the Attorney General’s Office, has asked a Davidson County chancellor to find former House Aide Cade Cothren in contempt of court and order him to comply with two subpoenas, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The state argues Cothren, who is ex-chief of staff for former House Speaker Glen Casada, didn’t give a good reason for refusing to testify before the Registry board or providing documents regarding a political action committee he secretly ran. The court filing came in response to claims by Cothren’s attorney that he should not have to testify before the board after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a letter to the board. Chancellor-elect I’Ashea Myles will hear the case in September. Myles is taking over the caseload of Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle as she steps down from the bench on Aug. 31.

Johnson City commissioners last week approved a recommendation to close the city’s half-century old jail, which houses a declining number of incarcerated females, News Channel 11 reports. The city began housing women serving jail sentences in 2002 through a contract with the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC), which paid $40.75 per day for each incarcerated woman. However, as the number of those incarcerated has declined – the jail averaged a census of just 48 as of June – the cost to house them has remained the same. “It does not serve a purpose for us to be in this space, especially when local taxpayers are no longer in a net gain position,” said Johnson City Mayor Joe Wise. In the recently ended fiscal year, expenses were roughly $36,000 higher than revenues. The jail is now set to close within weeks.

After 40 years of service, Germantown Municipal Court Judge Raymond Clift Jr. has announced he’ll be retiring from the bench effective Sept. 1, the Commercial Appeal reports. Clift became Germantown judge in 1982. Prior to that he was a public defender for Shelby County and was later Tennessee's assistant district attorney until 1972. He was Germantown alderman from 1978-1980. Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said Clift’s legacy as judge “will be one of a deep commitment to the justice system, honor and the unparalleled ability to serve others with balance and fairness.” The Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen will appoint Clift's replacement to serve two years until the next election in 2024. The board will interview candidates for the position and hold a formal vote at a later date for the new judge.