Chattanooga attorney Bob Parsley has withdrawn his application for the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Tennessee Journal reports. Parsley, who practices with Miller & Martin, was one of 11 attorneys and judges vying for the open seat on the state’s highest court made available by the passing of Justice Cornelia A. Clark. The remaining 10 applicants will appear before the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments during public hearings on Dec. 8-9. Three candidates will be forwarded to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration.

Retired Congressman and judge John J. Duncan Jr. will sign copies of his new book this Thursday at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum on Lincoln Memorial University’s (LMU) campus. Duncan served as a criminal defense lawyer and judge before being elected to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. He retired at the end of his 16th term in January 2019. Duncan’s new book, “From Batboy to Congressman: Thirty Years in the U.S. House,” tells stories from his family, early life and time as lawyer, judge and Congressman. Duncan will recount some of his favorite stories at 5 p.m. EST and will be available for a book signing and meet and greet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST. LMU has more on the event.

The University of Tennessee College of Law National Moot Court Competition team will advance to the national competition after winning the regional title this month. Third-year students Joseph Robinson and Jonathan Russell along with second-year student Miles Schiller won all three rounds and the best brief competition. This is the second consecutive year UT’s team has advanced to nationals. They will join 27 other teams during this year’s finals, which will take place at the New York City Bar from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. Read more from the College of Law.

The Clarksville City Council will this week consider a measure that would decriminalize simple possession or casual exchange of marijuana for personal use, Main Street Clarksville reports. If approved, the council would request that the Tennessee General Assembly pass legislation to decriminalize simple possession and casual exchange. The city council would also ask 19th Judicial District Attorney General Robert Nash to stop prosecuting those in possession of small amounts of marijuana. Nash says he’ll continue to follow state rules. “Up to and into the point where the Legislature decriminalizes simple possession, I’m obligated to enforce the laws as written,” he said. The council will debate the matter on Dec. 2.

The Nashville Hispanic Bar Association will host a holiday happy hour on Dec. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. CST at Conexion Americas, 2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville. The event’s Facebook page says the mixer will offer friends and colleagues a chance to reconnect and celebrate the holidays. Find more information and RSVP here.  

Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin has ordered the Tennessee Board of Parole to begin following a law signed by Gov. Bill Lee in May that makes parole a right rather than a privilege, the Daily Memphian reports. The Board of Parole in September argued that the new rules take effect for inmates at their next hearing, even if that hearing is in 10 years and that it doesn’t have the resources to “identify and reconsider all of those cases.” Martin ruled against the board and required them to move up the parole hearing of defendant Jeffrey Wayne Hughes, saying he was denied due process. The board has continued to fight Martin’s earlier ruling, later filing a motion saying Hughes’ eligibility date had passed earlier, before the new law took effect, meaning it didn’t apply to him. Martin denied the motion on Nov. 22, noting the board had taken “inconsistent positions.”  

Effective immediately, law schools may now accept results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in place of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) from prospective students, the ABA Journal reports. The ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted for the change during a recent closed session. According to a release from the ABA, Standard 503 requires law schools use a “valid and reliable” admission test. Since the development deals with how the standard is applied, but does not revise it, it doesn’t require concurrence from the ABA House of Delegates. A representative from test prep company Kaplan told the ABA Journal that it could take several admissions cycles to determine impact of the new revision.

The TBA’s annual Year End CLE event begins tomorrow and runs through the end of December. Designed for those needing last minute CLE hours, this annual event will offer a variety of live virtual or on-demand programs, CLE packages and much more. The Year End CLE event is all virtual and allows attendees to earn up to 15 or more hours of CLE from the remote workplace of their choosing. RSVP for the event to receive up-to-date notifications about the CLE schedule and other special events or check back with cle.tba.org for fresh content all month long. And don't miss our giveaways made possible by sponsors Clio and Geico. Those who purchase a course in December will be entered in our weekly drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. The sooner you purchase a course the more chances you will have to win!

The TBA Criminal Justice Section will host a free virtual webinar offering legislative updates and practice tips regarding juvenile offenders on Dec. 6 at noon CST. This one-hour event will feature Professor April Meldrum of Lincoln Memorial University-Duncan School of Law and Justin Pruitt of the Office of the District Attorney General, 6th Judicial District, who will update attendees on changes to pretrial detention, the new possible charge of threat of mass violence on school property, prohibition for certain sexual offenses and having contact with other children; and new minimum commitment times for those charges. The webinar will also offer direction on how to navigate Department of Children’s Services policies in determining possible dispositions. One hour of CLE credit is available on request for TBA members for a fee of $45. Register for the program here.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Mock Trial Committee this week released the case for the 2022 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial competition. The new case, State of Tennessee v. Leslie Lovingood, features a defendant facing aggravated assault charges for an alleged road rage incident. District mock trial competitions will take place in February and early March, with the state competition taking place March 25-26, 2022, in Nashville. The new problem, rules and other information can be found online.