The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today took up the nomination of Memphis lawyer Andre Mathis for a seat on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. President Joe Biden nominated Mathis in November to fill a vacancy that will be created when Judge Bernice Bouie Donald takes senior status. Reuters reports that Mathis is the president’s first judicial nominee from a state with two Republican U.S. senators who do not support the nomination, and say that the White House failed to adequately consult with them about the pick. Sen. Marsha Blackburn called it "insulting" that the White House did not meaningfully consult her or fellow Sen. Bill Hagerty, and said she had "serious concerns" about Mathis' experience. Both she and Hagerty had recommended Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille McMullen as an alternative nominee for the post.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closing at 3:30 p.m. CST tomorrow for staff training. The virtual office will reopen at 8 a.m. CST on Friday.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee today announced the appointment of Judge John W. Campbell Sr. to the state Court of Criminal Appeals for the Western Division. Campbell currently serves as a criminal court judge in the 30th Judicial District, which covers Shelby County. He formerly served as an assistant district attorney general in the district for 27 years. Campbell earned his law degree from the University of Memphis. He will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Alan E. Glenn once approved by the General Assembly.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee today announced the appointment of Sarah K. Campbell to the Tennessee Supreme Court to fill a vacancy created by the death of Justice Cornelia A. Clark. Her nomination must be approved by the General Assembly. Campbell currently serves as the state’s associate solicitor general and special assistant to Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III. In that role she has represented Tennessee before the state Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She previously worked for Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, D.C. Campbell earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee and both a master’s degree in public policy and a law degree at Duke University. Following law school, she clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Tennessee Journal has additional information about Campbell’s career.

A residential builder in Nashville has pleaded guilty for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Tennessean reports. Blake Austin Reed pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. He was caught on video and in photos wearing ski goggles and a respirator. Reed is among 22 others with ties to Tennessee who have been arrested on charges stemming from the riot. He faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced April 15.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners yesterday announced there will be no remote offerings for the February bar exam, the ABA Journal reports. The organization says makeup dates for the exam will be offered in late March should a jurisdiction prohibit large gatherings due to COVID-19. “Due to firm deadlines set by ExamSoft, remote testing using NCBE exam materials is no longer an option for the February exam dates,” according to a press release. Nevada is the only state so far to offer its own remote exam in February. It will have seven essay questions and two performance tests, but no multiple choice questions.

Ex-Nashville police officer Andrew Delke waived the right to a parole hearing yesterday as part of a plea deal he was given for fatally shooting Daniel Hambrick in the back during a foot chase in 2018, the Associated Press reports. The agreement, reached after Delke pleaded guilty to manslaughter last July, stipulates that Delke cannot pursue parole. He received a three-year sentence, but attorneys on both sides say he will likely only serve a year and a half in jail with standard credits. Hambrick’s mother spoke at the meeting, calling the process unfair, secretive and racist. The Hambrick family maintains they were unaware of the plea deal until after it was done. Delke was about to face trial for a first-degree murder charge.  

The TBI is investigating Hamilton County District Attorney candidate Coty Wamp at the request of current DA Neal Pinkston, who is accusing his political rival of witness tampering. According to WRCB, Pinkston submitted the request on Jan. 6, alleging Wamp had participated in obstruction of justice after a shooting in Soddy Daisy two days prior. After a suspect was apprehended, the request says Wamp told police they had the wrong suspect in custody. It states the victims recanted their original story after interactions with Wamp. Wamp, who is legal counsel for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, told the Times Free Press she was “helping victims communicate” with the police department. She will face off against Pinkston in the Republican primary in May.

The Memphis office of Adams and Reese today announced it has appointed Ben Fox as partner in charge of the office, the Memphis Business Journal reports. Fox has been with the firm since 2008 and a partner since 2014. He specializes in commercial disputes, employment issues, personal injury and property damage claims. He has also done substantial work in legal ethics and sits on the Adams and Reese Ethics Committee. Fox will now head up the office comprised of eight Memphis-area attorneys.

Lang Wiseman, former deputy governor and chief counsel to Governor Bill Lee, has joined the Memphis law firm of Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the firm’s advocacy department. He will work out of the firm’s Memphis and Nashville offices and focus on business, financial services and construction, the Memphis Business Journal reports. Prior to his appointment to Lee’s cabinet in 2019, Wiseman was a founding partner at the Memphis law firm of Wiseman Bray PLLC, worked at Baker Donelson, worked for U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson in Washington, D.C., and clerked for Harry Wellford on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Wiseman announced his intention to step down from the governor’s office last August.