Two East Tennessee police chiefs and a police lieutenant are facing complaints they violated the federal Hatch Act in endorsing 8th Judicial District Criminal Court judicial candidate Graham Wilson, Tennessee Lookout reports. The complaints allege that Tazewell Police Department Chief Jeremy Myers and New Tazewell Police Department Chief Ben Evans used departmental letterhead in issuing their endorsements while Myers, Evans and New Tazewell Lt. Gary Ruszhowski posed with Wilson in their uniforms for photos used on Wilson’s campaign website. The complaints were filed last week with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is tasked with enforcing the Hatch Act. Penalties for violating the act can include removal from office, loss of federal funds and fines.

Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate alleged excessive use of force during a traffic stop in Collegedale and alleged crimes being committed at the Silverdale Detention Center, which is operated by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Since the first of the year, there have been three rapes inside Silverdale, as well as a stabbing, an alleged severe beating, and reports of multiple drug overdoses, Chattanoogan.com reports.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine have announced creation of bipartisan coalition of 53 attorneys general who are urging Congress to pass The Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022. The legislation addresses gaps in support for public safety officers who become disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or lose their lives to trauma-linked suicide, the pair say. In a letter to members of Congress, the attorneys general praise the work of public safety officers who respond to stressful and potentially traumatic situations and note, that compared to the general public, these public servants are 25.6 times more likely to develop PTSD and face increased risks of suicide. The coalition joins a number of law enforcement groups also on record supporting the legislation.

Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton III took office as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee after being appointed by the U.S. District Court. He will serve in this capacity until the vacancy is filled by a presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed nominee, Chattanoogan.com reports. Hamilton had been serving as interim U.S. attorney by appointment of U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following his service as the district’s acting U.S. attorney. A native of Nashville, Hamilton joined the office as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2002. Since then, he has served in numerous leadership positions, including first assistant U.S. attorney, deputy criminal division chief and senior litigation counsel. He earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee welcomed Rachel Ralston Mancl as a newly appointed bankruptcy judge for the district, Chattanoogan.com reports. District Judge Clifton L. Corker administered the oath of office to Mancl in a private ceremony. Mancl, who was selected by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month, will serve as the primary judge for the Greeneville Division. She succeeds Chief Judge Shelley D. Rucker, who has been the acting bankruptcy judge in Greeneville since former Chief Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons retired in September 2020. Prior to her appointment, Mancl was in private practice at Hunter, Smith & Davis, with offices in Johnson City and Kingsport. Mancl is a former member of the TBA Board of Governors, former TBA Young Lawyers Division president and a former president of the Kingsport Bar Association. A public investiture will take place in the coming months, the court said in a release today.

The TBA held its annual Reporters Workshop this past weekend in Nashville after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The event began Friday with introductory remarks from TBA Communication Section Chair Paul McAdoo with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Ron Harris with Neal & Harwell, Lexie Boaz with the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, and TBA Assistant Executive Director Barry Kolar. The 13 participating journalists then heard presentations on copyright law, legal and judicial ethics, defamation suits, right to record laws, drone law and the Tennessee Reporter's Shield Law. The program continued on Saturday with sessions on open records and meetings, investigative journalism and covering state and local government. The program wrapped up with a panel of judges talking about covering the courts. Special thanks to the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Tennessee Press Association for co-sponsoring the program and Neal & Harwell, Sherrard Roe Voight & Harbison and Waller for sponsoring meals for attendees. See photos from the event.

The Memphis Bar Foundation Fellows Reception was held recently at The University Club of Memphis. During the event, 32 Memphis area attorneys and judges were recognized for their service to the legal profession and the community and inducted into the group. The foundation annually nominates attorneys and judges to become fellows. Nominees are chosen based on their devoted and distinguished service to the legal profession and the administration of justice, and their adherence to the highest standards of professional ethics and personal conduct. See the list of new members.

The Lawyers Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter held its Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet at the Music City Center in Nashville. The association honored Christen Blackburn with its Rising Star Award and Barbara J. Moss received the 2022 Martha Craig Daughtrey Award. The association elected a new slate of officers and outgoing LAW President Kimberly Faye passed the gavel to incoming President Shellie Handelsman. See photos from the event.

Employment data released this week from the American Bar Association shows that legal employment for new law school graduates rebounded in 2021 from a 2020 pandemic slump, Reuters reports. Reporters crunched the ABA's numbers to find out which law schools had the most graduates in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage. Leading the pack was Columbia Law, with almost 96% of grads landing full-time jobs, followed by the University of Chicago and Duke, both at 94%, University of Georgia School of Law at 92.6% and Vanderbilt University Law School at 91%. The data also shows that 76% of 2021’s new lawyers found jobs within 10 months of leaving campus — up from 72% among the class of 2020.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has removed 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Young from presiding over a governmental lawsuit against opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies after determining that he used the case to bolster his reelection campaign. The opinion, issued Wednesday, said that Young billed himself as a warrior against the drugs on his Facebook page, and that his public statements indicated he was not impartial with the parties in the case. The appeals court also vacated a ruling from Young against defendants for allegedly withholding documents from prosecutors. A new judge will be appointed to the case, Tennessee Lookout reports. Young has filed for reelection and faces challenger Caroline E. Knight in the May Republican primary.