The TBA YLD also visited Duncan Law. YLD District Representative Chuck Sharrett and Danny Chung, a 2L participant in the YLD’s Diversity Leadership Institute, spoke to students about the importance of networking, attending CLE events, and exploring different fields of law. TBA membership is free to all law school students studying in the state of Tennessee. See a photo from the visit.

Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division were in Knoxville to promote TBA membership and benefits to law students at the University of Tennessee College of Law and the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. At the University of Tennessee, students came out for a breakfast and to hear from Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) graduate Darrius Dixon. He discussed his experience in the DLI program and encouraged the 1Ls to get involved with the TBA early in their law school career. See a photo from the visit.

Supporters of the University of Tennessee’s Legal Clinic from across the state gathered in Knoxville on Friday to celebrate the clinic’s 75th anniversary. Following a welcome from UT Legal Clinic Director Joy Radice, College of Law Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. gave opening remarks. Other speakers included Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee and former Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services Director Ann Pruitt. See more photos from the event.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled Friday that President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program should be put on hold while challenges play out, The Hill reports. The decision came in an appeal from six Republican-led states after a federal district judge said the states did not have standing to sue. As of Friday, more than 22 million people had applied for the student loan debt forgiveness program according to the White House. In related news, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett last week rejected an emergency bid from a group of Wisconsin taxpayers to block the plan. Tennessee Daily has that story.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider nine applicants for the Court of Criminal Appeals – Western Section vacancy created by the passing of the Judge John Everett Williams on Sept. 2. The applicants are: Vance Dennis, Joshua B. Dougan, John Morris Miles, Hillary Lawler Parham, Jeffrey William Parham, Matthew F. Stowe, William Mark Ward, Matthew Joseph Wilson and Chadwick R. Wood. The council will hold a public hearing on Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. CST in the courtroom of the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Jackson. The council is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. Read more about the process or learn more about the individual candidates from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville was dedicated Friday afternoon, capping a quarter century effort to replace the aging Estes Kefauver Federal Building. A host of state and local political luminaries were on hand, including former U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and their successors, current Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty. Nashville Mayor John Cooper attended, as did legislative leaders like Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and House Majority Leader William Lamberth. The building features secure underground parking for judges, 11 courtrooms, offices for the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee and both U.S. senators. See photos from Tennessee Lookout.

Former state Rep. Jeremy Durham was arrested in Nashville Saturday on charges of DUI, resisting arrest and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, according to WSMV. Metro Police responded to a reported traffic accident with a possible impaired driver at the intersection of First Ave. N. and Broadway. Durham reportedly refused a field sobriety test and blood test by saying “lawyer.” Durham is a former state representative representing a district in Williamson County. He was expelled from the House in September 2016 after the attorney general released a report accusing him of sexually harassing 22 women at the legislature.

Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Deborah Means Henderson was recently sworn in as president of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. She is the first African American to serve as president of a Tennessee judicial conference and is the eighth female to lead the general sessions judges. Henderson is also the first judge from Shelby County to serve as president in more than 30 years. She was elected by her peers across the state and was sworn-in at the organization’s September meeting. Henderson, the first person in her family to graduate from college, joined the law office of Peete Higgs & Armstrong after passing the bar. She spent 17 years in private practice, and also served as a special master in Shelby County Chancery Court, a member of the juvenile defender staff in juvenile court and on the Tennessee Board of Accountancy. Henderson was elected to the bench in 2006. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on her story.

Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Gina Higgins this week heard arguments in a lawsuit against the city of Memphis for negligence, stemming from the 2014 discovery of 12,000 untested rape kits, the Daily Memphian reports. Higgins heard from attorneys representing a group of rape victims yesterday who want to certify a class of claimants to make the case a class-action suit. Attorneys for the city filed for summary judgement. The hearings resumed today, where the city argued that testimony from retired Memphis Police Department detective Cody Wilkerson should be excluded because it is “irrelevant” and fails to meet several technical legal grounds. Wilkerson contends that incompetence and indifference led his former colleagues to close hundreds — possibly thousands — of rape cases without proper investigation. Higgins indicated she may rule within two weeks on a variety of motions.

Taylor English Duma LLP has expanded its practice into Nashville with the addition of new partner, Cole Dowsley. Dowsley has more than 15 years of experience representing businesses and individuals in complex commercial disputes. His litigation practice includes representing clients in issues involving breach of contract, partnership disputes, non-compete and non-solicitation violations, theft of trade secrets, business torts, fraud, and real estate or construction disputes. “I look forward to growing the firm’s presence in the Nashville market, with its objective, real-time compensation model, and its commitment to service,” Dowsley said. The new office is located at 424 Church St., Ste. 2000, Nashville 37219. Read the press release.