Norm Sabin of Chattanooga and Crossville died Jan. 16. He was 71. Sabin served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. Among his many life experiences, he played minor league baseball for the Dodgers, raised quarter horses and was a military and commercial flight engineer. In 1994, he earned a law degree from Regent University and began practicing law in Chattanooga and Crossville. In 2008, he formed his own firm specializing in of estate planning. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. EST at the Hamilton Funeral Home, 4506 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Choices Chattanooga, Compassion International or World News Group.

If you missed TBA's recent Disability Law Forum, you can now watch all three sessions through the TBA’s 1-Click service. The program includes a Tennessee Disability Determination Services update, tips for how to prepare for a successful grid case and tech tricks to enhance a disability law practice. Members can purchase individual sessions or the full package, which offers 1.5 dual and two general hours of CLE credit.

Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen recently appointed new members to the Domestic Abuse Death Review Team, which identifies and reviews domestic abuse deaths, including homicides and suicides, and facilitates communication between agencies involved in domestic abuse cases. Lawyers among the group are TBA President-elect Tasha Blakney, Robert Downs with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, and Kathryn Ellis with the Knoxville Family Justice Center. In addition, Deb House, executive director of Legal Aid of East Tennessee, was on hand to support the new members.

Georgia lawyer James A. Dunlap Jr. filed a petition for reinstatement in Tennessee on Feb. 26, 2021. He had been suspended from practicing in the state for one year on Feb. 7, 2020. A Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel reviewed the petition and found that Dunlap “failed to meet his burden to show by clear and convincing evidence he was fit to practice law in Tennessee.” The panel recommended dismissing the petition, which the Tennessee Supreme Court did yesterday. The court also directed Dunlap to pay all costs and expenses of the proceeding within 90 days.

The Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims Appeals Board will hold its next docket on Tuesday beginning at 8:30 a.m. CST. See the list of cases and links to watch via Microsoft Teams. The court also announced that it will not hold any settlement approvals starting the afternoon of Jan. 26 through Jan. 28 due to a judicial conference.

The funeral service for 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Gilbert Stroud Merritt Jr. will take place tomorrow beginning at 11:30 a.m. CST at Christ Episcopal Cathedral in Nashville. The service will be live streamed on the church’s YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person. For those attending in person, a visitation and reception will take place after the funeral at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Merritt died Monday after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer.

Former House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, today called members of the Registry of Election Finance “biased” for subpoenaing him about a political action committee allegedly created at the behest of his former chief of staff. Speaking at an event in Williamson County, Casada denied knowing anything about the PAC, Tennessee Journal reports. Rep. Brandon Ogles, R-Franklin, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, was also at the event. He said leaders of that committee are talking about conducting a “deep dive” into the powers of the campaign finance board’s powers, especially its subpoena power. Casada is retiring from the House at the end of this term to run for Williamson County clerk.

Longtime Newport attorney, Fred L. “Freddie” Myers Jr. died suddenly on Wednesday at the UT Medical Center in Knoxville. He was 85. Myers earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced law in Newport for 60 years. He also was the first municipal judge for the town of Parrottsville. In later years, he was co-founder of and partner with Myers & Ball LLP. Myers served as a senator in the Tennessee General Assembly and held various positions with the Newport/Cocke County Bar Association, including president, vice president and treasurer. A graveside service will take place tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Union Cemetery, 420 Mineral St., Newport, TN 37821. Memorial donations may be made to the Newport Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 370, Newport, TN 37821, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or a charity of the donor’s choice.

A number of judicial candidates in the 10th Judicial District have qualified to run for re-election or have picked up papers to run according to Chattanoogan.com. Circuit Court Part 1 Judge Michael Jenne and Part 2 Judge Michael Sharp have qualified to run, while Part 3 Judge Andrew Freiberg has picked up papers to run. In the criminal court, incumbent Sandra Donaghy will face a challenge from Paul Donald Rush, a McMinn County lawyer who previously served as a prosecutor for 11 years and as a public defender for five years. For the Bradley County General Sessions Court, incumbent Division 1 Judge Barrett Painter and attorney Andrew B. Morgan have picked up papers to run. In Division 2, Benton Municipal Judge David Calfee has picked up papers to run, while lawyers Clay Collins and Rebble Johnson have qualified.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw this week denied the state's request for him to set aside his December order blocking a new law that generally bans school districts from implementing mask mandates. The state had asked Crenshaw to defer his decision while it pursues an appeal, the Tennessean reports. Crenshaw instead reaffirmed his initial injunction saying the state has not proven the harm in allowing school districts to make their own decisions. He also questioned the filing saying, the state’s motion reads more like a “motion for reconsideration than a motion to stay" and reminded the state that he provided a “detailed and reasoned basis” for each of his initial conclusions in a 50-page memo released along with the order.