Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah K. Campbell was honored today at an investiture ceremony held at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Those speaking at the ceremony included Belmont College of Law Dean Alberto Gonzales, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger A. Page, TBA President Sherie Edwards, Nashville Bar Association President Martesha Johnson, and Jonathan Skrmetti, general counsel to the governor. Gov. Bill Lee also offered remarks in support of Campbell’s appointment and administered the oath of office to her. See photos from the event.

After announcing an adjustment to the settlement process in Memphis, the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims issued a clarification today. Under the new process, the Memphis office will accept settlements on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 2:30 p.m. CDT. On Thursday, the office will accept settlements from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The limit is 20 settlements in the mornings, and nine on Tuesday afternoon. Attorneys will not have a specific assigned time but can secure a spot by sending in requests as currently done. The court will then take cases on a first-come, first-served basis. The same process will apply to the new Lauderdale County office beginning in July. For questions, contact LaShawn Pender at 901-543-0042 or Ricki Brown at 901-543-6077 or 901-947-8802.

A sergeant in the National Guard filed suit against the Tennessee Departments of Safety and Human Resources this week, alleging that state officials failed to give him — and potentially hundreds of other job applicants — required veteran preferences in hiring. Between 2016 and 2022, Kelly Hance applied six times for a job as a Tennessee state trooper. His court filing indicates initial applications were found to meet minimum requirements for the position, but he was never offered a job. Hance repeatedly asked whether the agency was giving weight to his military service, and received mixed answers. Under a 2012 state law, veterans and their spouses who served on active federal duty in the U.S. Armed Services are required to receive a preference for a state job interview. If two candidates are equally qualified, the law requires hiring preference be given to the veteran. A spokesperson for the Tennessee Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment. Tennessee Lookout reports on the case.

The state will not appeal a federal court ruling striking down a transgender bathroom sign mandate on businesses, Nashville Business Journal reports. The law had required many businesses to post signs if they allowed transgender people to use their restrooms but Judge Aleta A. Trauger of the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Tennessee ruled last month that the act was unconstitutional. Read more about Trauger's decision in the Tennessean.

Three former Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear oversight managers, who were removed from their posts after alerting the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to repeated safety concerns and violations, are now suing the utility in federal court. The trio filed suit last week in U.S. district court, Tennessee Lookout reports. They contend they were ousted from their posts in 2019 and targeted for public humiliation in retaliation for talking to the NRC and the TVA Office of Inspector General about safety concerns and intimidation of other whistleblowers. TVA argues the firings were justified because the workers did not have the needed “skills and abilities” to do the job.

Atlanta-based law firm Smith, Currie & Hancock announced today it has opened an office in downtown Nashville. The firm, which focuses on construction and government contracts, has acquired space in the One Nashville high-rise, according to the Nashville Post. Associate attorney Jeanne Harrison moved to Nashville to oversee the new office. She is joined by associate Alex Hoppestad. Partner Lochlin Samples will serve as resident partner for the Nashville office. Five other attorneys will serve Tennessee clients from the Atlanta office. They are William L. Baggett Jr, Philip E. Beck, K. Alex Jennings, Brent R. Laman and Steven J. Stuart. The firm cited development in Nashville as a driving factor for opening an office in the city.

The Tennessee Dental Association (TDA) House of Delegates last month named Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle an honorary association member. The TDA noted Lyle’s work with the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, along with various nonprofits, to design and implement a grant process directing settlement funds from nursing home litigation to agencies assisting Tennessee seniors. It is estimated that more than 20,000 Tennessee seniors benefitted from Lyle’s funding program. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on the story.

TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson has been elected vice chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), which owns and operates the Nashville International Airport and John C. Tune Airport. The seven-member board of commissioners, appointed by the Nashville mayor and confirmed by Metro Council, governs and sets policies for the MNAA. The board is comprised of three business and finance representatives, two pilot representatives, one engineering representative and one legal representative. Stevenson was appointed in 2020 by Mayor John Cooper and previously served as board secretary. She also worked in the role of vice chair of the board’s Diversity Committee, secretary for the Management Committee and a member of the BNA Vision and Finance Committee. Bill Freeman was reelected as board chair and James Granbery was elected secretary. Read the full release.

Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated the graduating class of 2022 on Saturday during its 114th Commencement Ceremony in Nashville. Eighty-two graduates were cheered on by more than 1,000 family members, friends and NSL faculty and staff during the event, which included addresses from Dean William C. Koch Jr. and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby. Koch congratulated the class on their “tenacity, resilience, and agility” in overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirby spoke on the importance of democracy and how lawyers can bring people together. “People can talk to each other more civilly and more constructively about how to solve problems when they first come to a general agreement about the basic facts,” Kirby said. “That is what lawyers do, every day.” Read the full event recap here.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court has received a grant from the National Center for State Courts’ Eviction Diversion Initiative to strengthen eviction diversion efforts and improve housing stability across Hamilton County. The court is one of 13 state and local courts selected through a competitive application process for the funding, Chattanoogan.com reports. General Sessions Court Judge Alexander McVeagh says the money will be used to hire a new housing stability facilitator, who will be housed in city offices but work directly with county judges to assist landlords and tenants before eviction cases are adjudicated in court. McVeagh said the grant will provide a “legal mechanism for property owners, tenants and community partners to work together in constructive ways." Learn more about the initiative.