Brentwood attorney Cynthia Elaine Kinser died May 13. She earned her law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, and worked for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Her work focused on consumer protection, including arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, along with numerous other appearances on behalf of Tennessee consumers in various courts. Services will include a private burial for family and close friends at Watkins Cemetery in Loudon, followed by a celebration of life at her home May 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT. Donations may be made in her memory to Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee.

Retired U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla died May 15 at age 79. McCalla was born in Memphis and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1969. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army until 1971 and, upon his return, enrolled at Vanderbilt University Law School, where he earned his law degree. McCalla later returned to Memphis and practiced law privately until he was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by President George H.W. Bush. He was confirmed in 1992 and served as a full-time judge until taking senior status in 2013. Read more about McCalla’s career in the Daily Memphian. A burial liturgy will be held at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis sometime in June, the church announced.

Former Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Gerald Skahan died May 5 at age 61. Skahan, who worked as both a private defense attorney and public defender before taking the bench, was first elected in 2014 and became the first judge to preside over the county’s newly established mental health court. He served until 2022, when Judge Sheila Renfroe was elected to the seat. Skahan earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1991. After leaving the bench, he served as special assistant for post-conviction litigation in the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Read more in the Daily Memphian. 

Retired Colonel Karen Victoria Fair of Alcoa died April 6 at age 62. Fair graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point University in 1985 and immediately began her Army career. She was a decorated veteran with over 25 years of leadership, including service as general counsel for Commanding General First Armored Division in Wiesbaden, Germany, and strategist and later division chief to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. She served as a deputy general counsel in Iraq during “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” She was appointed by the Pentagon as litigation manager and led a team that successfully prosecuted soldiers for the human rights violations in the highly publicized Abu Ghraib scandal. Fair graduated on the Commandant’s List as a top scholar in international and operational law from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal School at the University of Virginia Law School, and she received the James L. Powers Award for Highest Excellence in Trial Advocacy while completing her law degree at the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law. Services were held April 15.

Former Judge Bernard "Bernie" Weinman died April 20 at age 92. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1961 and, after five years in practice, was appointed by Mayor William B. Ingram as a judge of the Memphis City Courts, becoming the youngest and first Jewish judge on the court. During his tenure, he served as chief administrative judge, instituted new programs and advocated for indigent defendants. Elected to the Shelby County Criminal Court in 1974, he served as Division II judge for 30 years, presiding over high-profile cases and issuing rulings including a case of first impression, later affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing victim impact statements in capital sentencing hearings. After retiring, he served as an assistant disciplinary counsel for the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary, on the Shelby County Civil Service Commission and practiced with his son at Weinman and Associates. A funeral was held at Temple Israel on April 23. Donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

The 1st Judicial District Court today announced the death of Dr. Mary Langenbrunner, who had been director of the court's clinic since its inception 18 years ago. In a statement, Circuit Court Judge James Edwin "Eddie" Lauderback said Langenbrunner “had an incredible heart for helping people and families, and with the assistance of former Judge Jean Stanley, was instrumental in helping create the Court Clinic. She helped many families mediate their issues, often on a pro bono basis. Please keep her two sons and the rest of her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Tennessee state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, who died April 24 at the age of 71, will lie in state at the Tennessee State Capitol on April 30. Colleagues and the public are invited to visit the capitol to pay their respects. According to the Commercial Appeal, a celebration of life service also will be held at a date to be determined. That event will take place in Memphis at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 N Bellevue Blvd. Memphis 38104. Hardaway had served in the Tennessee House since 2007.

Jonesborough attorney Wesley Wilson died Jan. 4. Wilson attended Berea College and earned his law degree from the University of Louisville Louis D Brandeis School of Law. Before entering private practice, he served in the U.S. Army in Korea and worked as a State Farm Insurance claims representative for 15 years. Mountain Empire Crematorium in Jonesborough is handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Berea College, memo: Mary Wilson Hollyfield Memorial Scholarship Fund, CPO 1855, Berea, KY 40404, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, has died at age 71. First elected in 2007, Hardaway represented House District 92 before redistricting and later District 93, which includes parts of South Memphis, Orange Mound and the Shelby Farms area. Prior to his legislative service, he served as executive director of 100 Black Men of Memphis. Colleagues and state leaders remembered Hardaway for his advocacy and commitment to his community, with Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Rachel Campbell saying he “led with heart” and worked to ensure all Tennesseans had a voice. The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a resolution April 23 honoring his service. Read messages of mourning and remembrance from state and local elected officials in the Commercial Appeal.

Nashville attorney Malcolm Leonard McCune died April 16 at age 78 after a long illness. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School, graduating in 1973 as an associate editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He later earned a masters of business administration from Belmont University. McCune focused his career on complex products liability litigation, practicing with the firms of Maddin, Miller & McCune; Blackburn & McCune; and most recently, McCune, Zenner and Happell. McCune was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, served as vice president of the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, and was a member of the Defense Research Institute. He also coached high school mock court teams. Services will be held May 2 at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204.