Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has announced that Alise Housden has joined the firm as a housing attorney in the Murfreesboro office, the Daily News Journal reports. Housden will provide legal services for Rutherford County residents in eviction-related cases and assist clients in applying for the county’s COVID-19 Rental Relief Program. Housden previously worked with Long, Burnett & Johnson in Nashville. She earned her law degree from Charlotte School of Law in 2015.

Miller & Martin attorneys David Kesler and Merrill Nelson have been awarded the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award for representing a paralyzed Navy veteran in his appeal for additional disability benefits, Chattanoogan.com reports. Beginning in 2018, the attorneys dedicated more than 150 pro bono hours, exhausting all appeals and administrative remedies. They then filed a request with the Board for the Correction of Naval Records, which has the authority to correct a service member’s record. The board denied the request but said it would reconsider if additional evidence was found. With the help of a JAG captain, the team was able to identify evidence not previously considered. This time their persistence paid off and the client was awarded the full $100,000 to which he was entitled. 

Belmont University College of Law recently hosted a panel discussion on State Constitutionalism: A Justice’s View. The event featured perspectives from Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Bivins, Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick and Belmont Law Dean Alberto Gonzales, a former member of the Texas Supreme Court. The panel was moderated by Belmont Law Professor Jeffrey Usman and sponsored by the Federalist Society and the Student Bar Association.

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday defended her record as a federal judge during the second day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Associated Press reports. Jackson strongly pushed back against suggestions that she was too lenient on child pornographers. In response to accusations that her rulings have endangered children, Jackson said, “nothing could be further from the truth.” Tuesday’s hearing was the first of two days of questioning after Jackson and the 22 members of the panel gave opening statements on Monday. On Thursday, the committee will hear from legal experts before an eventual vote to move her nomination to the Senate floor. Watch a live stream on the committee’s website.

The Coalition for Mediation Awareness in Tennessee (CMAT) has announced that Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee is this year’s recipient of the Grayfred Gray Public Service in Mediation Award. According to a CMAT press release, Lee was chosen for the honor based on her “innovative and lasting contributions to the field of mediation.” Those contributions include her leadership in implementing the Supreme Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Plan, which aimed to help reduce case backlogs by encouraging the courts to refer cases to mediation. “I am honored to receive this award,” Lee said. “Mediation is an integral and valuable part of our system of justice which allows people to resolve disputes efficiently and effectively.” Lee will receive the award during the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators annual meeting on April 8. Gov. Bill Lee proclaimed April 2022 as Mediation Month in Tennessee to recognize the contributions of mediation and to encourage its further growth in the state.

Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) and Tennessee Voices for Victims will soon launch a statewide virtual support group for those affected by homicide, the Chattanoogan reports. The groups, which will be led by trained counselors, aim to provide connectivity and understanding and give attendees the tools they need to create a “new normal” in their lives. There is no cost to participate. “We hope these support groups can be beneficial for members of our district and go the extra step to build an even stronger sense of community,” Pinkston said of the support groups. The public can sign up for a group on the TNDAGC’s website. 

The Department of Homeland Security is discontinuing a policy expanded under former President Donald Trump that allowed for expedited removal of individuals who were undocumented, had committed fraud or misrepresentation, or had been in the country for less than two years. In a statement to Newsweek, the agency said it conducted a thorough review and found that ending the program "was consistent with the Department's need to prioritize its limited enforcement resources.” The department estimates that some 25,000 migrants waiting in shelters south of the U.S.-Mexico border could be affected by the change.

Former state Sen. Katrina Robinson was sentenced Friday to time served and one year of supervised release after having been found guilty on two counts of wire fraud in September 2021, The Commercial Appeal reports. That means she will not serve any prison time. The supervised release will include standard conditions such as collection of DNA, police access to financial information and mental health counseling. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman said several factors went into her ruling, including all the good Robinson has done in the community as a nurse during COVID-19 and founder of The Healthcare Institute. Lipman also cited the "very significant" loss that Robinson has already endured, including the loss of her position as a senator, potential loss of her nursing license and financial loss. While Robinson said she believed the sentence was appropriate, she still plans to appeal the guilty verdict.

The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary has given a “Well Qualified” rating to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. The committee voted unanimously on the rating after evaluating Jackson’s professional qualifications including integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament. Chair of the committee, retired Judge Ann Claire Williams, will testify on the rating before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 24. Read the ABA’s full letter the Senate Juciary Committee here.

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) earlier this month honored Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway with the Senator Douglas Henry Public Official of the Year Award at its annual Children’s Advocacy Days. Calloway was recognized for her work on the behalf of Tennessee children, specifically her implementation of a trauma-informed youth justice system that’s helping to change the lives of Nashville youth. “It’s truly an honor to be recognized as someone who is also a servant,” Calloway said. “I absolutely love my job and love what I do. I do it not to be honored or admired; I do it because it’s what I love and it’s my passion.” Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.