William Andrew Lockhart was sworn in as judge of the 14th Judicial District Circuit Court just three days after being appointed to the bench and has not slowed down since then. Within a month of taking office, he was assigned a two-week long medical malpractice jury trial. “I was thrown in pretty quick. It was a surreal experience. I’m just humbled and honored,” he says in an interview with the Administrative Office of the Courts. “You really don’t understand the gravity of the situation until you get up there and start to have to make decisions, so it was humbling.” Lockhart filled a vacancy left by L. Craig Johnson. Prior to his appointment, he worked for Burch & Lockhart in Manchester and was city attorney for Altamont.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Philyaw to serve as chair of the Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth (TCCY) for the remainder of his three-year term, News Channel 9 reports. Philyaw was named to the commission in December 2019. The commission is a 21-person policy-making body that seeks to improve the quality of life for children and families and provide leadership and support to child advocates. Philyaw earned his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law and was appointed to the bench in 2013.

Schell & Oglesby LLC, an established Franklin law firm with a combined 116 years of practice, is expanding and is seeking an associate attorney with at least two years of experience. Those interested should submit a cover letter, resume and three references to pam@franklin.legal.

Knock out a day of CLE programming with the TBA’s Year End CLE Watch Party on Wednesday. Watch some of the most popular online courses from 2021, including ethics and legislative updates and sessions on attorney wellness, diversity and inclusion, creating a hybrid law office, and other law technology and office management topics. Throughout the day, we also will be giving away several prizes. The program runs from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. CST. The watch party is presented as part of the TBA’s Year End CLE event, which offers CLE your way throughout the month of December. And remember, those who purchase a course in December will be entered in our weekly drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card.

Hal Cato, one of Nashville's most prominent nonprofit executives, is considering a run for mayor in 2023, according to Axios Nashville. Cato is currently CEO of Thistle Farms, a program that helps women who are victims of human trafficking. He has served there for six years but says he will be leaving next year. Previously, Cato founded the volunteer nonprofit Hands on Nashville and served as the top executive at the youth counseling and support nonprofit Oasis Center. Current Nashville Mayor John Cooper has not announced yet if he will run for reelection.

Tennessee Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, has filed legislation just ahead of next year’s legislative session that would eliminate K-12 education funding for undocumented immigrants, WATE reports. The legislation would challenge a 1982 landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which held that students cannot be denied a free public education due to their immigration status. Griffey says his proposal is not anti-immigrant but an effort to return power over funding decisions to the states.

Gerald L. Melton, public defender for the 16th Judicial District, has officially announced his candidacy for re-election, the Murfreesboro Post reports. He will be a candidate in the Republican primary in May 2022. The 16th Judicial District serves Rutherford and Cannon counties. Melton, a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, maintains an active personal caseload and supervises the work of 13 assistant public defenders. He is a past member of the TBA House of Delegates and Board of Governors, the Tennessee Sentencing Commission and then Gov. Bill Haslam’s Sentencing and Recidivism Commission. He also has served as president of the District Public Defender's Conference on two separate occasions.

Gov. Bill Lee today requested a federal disaster declaration for nine counties affected by this weekend’s storms, which also impacted Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky. The request asks for assistance with debris removal and emergency protective measures in Cheatham, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Gibson, Lake, Obion, Stewart and Weakley counties. The governor said a request for individual assistance likely will be made after officials are able to fully assess damage. Tornadoes and other severe storms Friday and Saturday resulted in fatalities, damaged structures in more than 20 counties, and disrupted power and utility operations, according to the Tennessean. The paper also reported today that at least 11 tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is providing information for those who would like to help as well as for those in need of assistance.

Students from 15 high schools recently gathered in Columbia to hear two live court cases pending before the Tennessee Supreme Court as part of the SCALES project, which allows students to experience a live proceeding of the state’s highest court. It was the first in-person program since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Judges and lawyers participating in the program included Judge Ryan Durham, Judge Jake Hubbell, Judge Russ Parkes, Maury County Clerk & Master Larry Roe, David Bates, Christian Cahill, Amanda Castillo, Julie Heffington, Patricia A. Jones, Ed Lancaster, Bevin Lyle, Dawn Moore, Patty Sellars, Beth Oschack Tarter and Jason Whatley. The Maury County Bar Association, led by current President Patrick M. Carter, hosted a reception the evening before the event for the group. See photos from the event or watch the livestream of the two cases argued, available here and here.

Jim Todd, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, announced his campaign for Davidson County General Sessions Judge yesterday. He is seeking the Division VI seat. Todd is a practicing attorney with nearly 30 years of courtroom experience. He served as a Davidson County prosecutor for 13 years, a defense attorney for 16 years and an environmental court magistrate for 10 years. He has served on the Juvenile Justice Reform Commission, where he was chair of the Juvenile Delinquency Reform Subcommittee, and was a member of the TBA’s Leadership Law Class of 2009. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.