Travis Reinking was convicted Friday on all 16 counts on which he was charged, including four counts of first-degree murder for killing four people in a mass shooting at a Nashville Waffle House in 2018. On Saturday, the jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Tennessean reports. Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn will decide later, likely in May, whether the sentences will run concurrently or consecutively. Reinking's defense team never challenged the facts of the case and agreed he was the shooter, but argued his schizophrenia was so severe that it kept him from realizing his actions were wrong.

The Tennessee Bar Association is now accepting nominations for its 2022 Claudia Jack Award and Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award. The Claudia Jack Award honors an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named after the late Claudia Jack, a public defender and long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged. The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III. The deadline to submit nominees for both awards is March 7.

Volunteer registration is now open for the Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition, which will take place in person in Nashville March 25-26. Presiding judges, attorneys, law students and paralegals can sign up here to volunteer as a judge, scorer or bailiff. Those who volunteer for at least three trial rounds will receive reimbursement for travel and lodging. The 2022 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial case and rules were released last fall. District mock trial competitions are taking place this month with winners from each district taking part in the state competition. The Tennessee champion will compete at the National High School Mock Trial Championship, which will be held virtually in May.

The University of Memphis School of Law will hold its 2022 Diversity & Pre-Law Week from Feb. 21-26. This year’s program will explore the ways lawyers can uniquely bridge "gaps" socially and inspire connection through justice, youth, storytelling, service and advocacy. On Feb. 26, ACLU President Deborah Archer will give the week’s keynote address, while other programs will look at the law school admission process, the value of diversity in the legal field, and culturally competent and trauma-informed lawyering. The school holds the annual Diversity & Pre-Law Week to create opportunities for lawyers, and lawyers-to-be, to better understand diversity and be better professionals and leaders in their communities. Get the full agenda for the week as well as registration information on the event webpage.

U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty announced several changes to his staff on Friday. Chief Counsel Clark Milner now will take on the added duties of senior advisor, working to advance the senator’s policy and strategic goals. Before joining the senator's staff he was deputy counsel to Gov. Bill Lee, associate deputy counsel to former Gov. Bill Haslam, an associate with Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville, and law clerk to Judge Thomas A. Varlan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Milner received his law degree from the University of Tennessee. In the legislative shop, Natalie McIntyre, who has served as deputy legislative director for the last year, will now be legislative director; Lucas Da Pieve will serve as deputy legislative director and continue to supervise all appropriations requests; and Luke Pettit will serve as senior policy advisor. Read more about these and other changes at Chattanoogan.com.

A Tennessee senator wants to transfer the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, an early Ku Klux Klan leader from the state, to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Tennessean reports. Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, has filed a bill to transfer the bust to the Sons of Confederate Veterans General Headquarters in Columbia. The group commissioned and donated the bust to the state in 1977. The bust was removed from the state Capitol in July 2021. It is currently on display at the Tennessee State Museum.

Two new candidates have filed to run in the Republican primary for the newly redrawn 5th Congressional District, the Nashville Post reports. They are former State Department aide and Fox News personality Morgan Ortagus and attorney and retired brigadier general Kurt Winstead. The district, which traditionally has covered Nashville, will now cover portions of Davidson County, Williamson County and Wilson County as well as Lewis, Maury and Marshall counties. Ortagus, who recently moved to Nashville, works with health care investment firm Rubicon Founders. Winstead is an attorney with Rudy Winstead Turner in Franklin. They join businessman Baxter Lee and music video producer Robby Starbuck in the primary. On the Democratic side, longtime incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper is retiring while Odessa Kelly, who had already announced a primary challenge against Cooper, is considering a switch to another district.

Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a set of new Senate, House and congressional district maps yesterday, the Tennessean reports. In January, Lee told the Rotary Club of Nashville he believed state lawmakers "made every effort to follow the law" when crafting the new congressional districts. But Democrats have spoken out against what they call partisan gerrymandering designed to draw power away from booming Nashville. The Tennessee Democratic Party says it is "prepping a lawsuit."

Tennessee is joining 15 other states in a renewed challenge of the federal government’s vaccine mandate for health care workers, Mainstreet Nashville reports. The group of states – which represent locations where an injunction against the mandate is not in effect – filed suit in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Participating states included Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. In December, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a nationwide injunction blocking the mandate, limiting it to just the states in its circuit. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate for health care workers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it would start enforcing the requirement in states not impacted by an injunction.

The Black Law Students Association at Vanderbilt University Law School has a number of events planned for Black History Month. Next Wednesday from 3-4 p.m. CST, the group will hold a session on disability rights and the law. Topics will include ableism, accessibility and the experiences of disabled lawyers. On Feb. 14 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST, the group will hold a panel discussion on Black lawyers in sports and entertainment. Participants will discuss their career paths, current trends in the entertainment and sports law space, and how to break into and navigate this niche practice area. Finally, on Feb. 22 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST, the group will present “Black in the Law” with alumni panelists discussing their careers.