Former state senator, author and attorney Roy Herron will discuss and sign copies of his new book next Wednesday at the University of Tennessee’s Baker Center. The free program will begin at 5 p.m. EDT. Masks will be required. It also will be livestreamed at tiny.utk.edu/FaithinPolitics. Faith in Politics: Southern Political Battles Past and Present is a collection of Herron’s writings on constitutional liberties, economic justice, health care, politics and more.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Kelley Brooks Simoneaux — who has been navigating life from the seat of a wheelchair since age 16— worked as a plaintiff’s lawyer. Then in 2017, when she and her family moved to Washington, D.C., Simoneaux decided to open a practice specializing in spinal cord injuries. Living in the nation’s capital also exposed her to the interconnections of policy and law. She since has worked with lawmakers on transportation legislation for those with disabilities, taken on wheelchair manufacturers who delay responses to customers about parts replacement, and pressed delivery companies to make mail receptacles accessible to those in wheelchairs. When an Uber driver refused to pick her up, she created Wheel2Ride, an advocacy campaign promoting policy changes that are inclusive of those with mobility challenges. Simoneaux says that living her life in a wheelchair has brought her the grit, determination and patience she needs to meet challenges. “The reality of being a person with a disability is that you are forced to encounter roadblocks and readjust all the time."

The Knoxville Bar Foundation has named 12 new fellows for 2021. They are: Penny A. Arning, Maha M. Ayesh, Joshua M. Ball, Betsy J. Beck, James E. Bondurant Jr., R. Kim Burnette, James M. Cornelius Jr., Scott Griswold, Joshua D. Hedrick, Hillary B. Jones, Greg D. Meadows and Circuit Court Judge E. Jerome Melson. Each year, the foundation inducts a new fellows class, which represents attorneys in the community who have distinguished themselves in the practice of law and service. The annual fellows banquet, where new members are inducted, has been postponed due to the pandemic.

The law license of Shelby County lawyer William N. Griffin was transferred to disability inactive status on Sept. 23. Based on documentation from Griffin and his medical provider, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that Griffin is unable to continue practicing law. The order will remain in effect until further action by the court.

California lawyer Brandi Danielle Becker was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Sept. 20. Becker had been on inactive status since 2014. Virginia lawyer David Strother Bunn was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Sept. 27. He had been on inactive status since 2012.

At Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court, dockets were restricted to 50 cases to allow for safe social distancing early in the pandemic, but a growing backlog of eviction cases has bumped the number to 100 cases per docket, Tennessee Lookout reports. “That’s a hundred per docket, six divisions, twice a day. So that’s 1,200 cases per day,” says Cindy Ettingoff, executive officer at the Memphis Area Legal Services. Since March 2020, more than 20,000 evictions have been filed in Memphis courts. And while federal assistance is available, the application requires phone service or an internet connection. For those who have lost their utilities due to inability to pay, that requirement has been a barrier. 

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners earlier this week passed a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee its juvenile detention centers after reports of racial disparities, Tennessee Lookout reports. The board took the action after hearing from Countywide Juvenile Justice Consortium (CJJC) — a citizen-led board created to hold the juvenile justice court accountable — that the court has not met Justice Department recommendations to improve conditions. Specifically, CJJC said the court has not explained why Black children are transferred to adult facilities at higher rates.

The TBA Family Law Section will host its annual forum Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. CDT. The program will include a legislative update and sessions on courtroom "dos" and "don'ts," the importance of marital balance sheets, surrogacy education and well-being for family law practitioners. The forum will provide 2.75 general and 2 dual hours of CLE credit. Register now!

The Murfreesboro branch of the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims will be closed for renovations beginning in October. All hearings set in Judge Dale Tipps’ courtroom will be heard at the Rutherford County Courthouse, 116 West Lytle St. Contact Patsy Bumbalough with questions about those hearings. In-person court cases before Judge Robert Durham will have their claims heard on the second floor of the Murfreesboro City Courtroom, 111 West Vine St. Questions for that courtroom can be directed to Chris Hudson.

State Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, took the stand in her own defense yesterday as the final witness during the federal wire fraud and embezzlement case against her, the Daily Memphian reports. Federal authorities claim Robinson misspent about $600,000 in federal grant funding intended to help students at her business, The Healthcare Institute. “I have been dragged through the mud by the federal government when the federal government knew good and well that I did not do that,” Robinson testified. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman last week dismissed 15 of the 20 charges against Robinson, saying the government had failed to prove its case on those counts. Prosecutors will begin cross-examination of Robinson on Wednesday.