Sumner County Circuit Court Judge C.L. “Buck” Rogers died early this morning of an aortic aneurysm. He was 63. Rogers first ran for the office in 2000 to fill an unexpired term for Judge Thomas Goodall who also passed away while in office. He was elected again in 2006 and was running unopposed in the Sumner County Republican Primary in May. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville. Visitation will be 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Hendersonville Memory Gardens and Funeral Home.

Many in the University of Tennessee community are mourning the loss of Sally Carter, a supervisor of the College of Law Library, who died early Monday in an accident in the White Avenue Parking Garage. Carter began working at the school in 1979, first at Hodges Library and then moving to the law library in 1981, according to Tennessee Today. College of Law Dean Doug Blaze mourned the loss saying, “Sally was a treasured and valuable member of the law school community who contributed so much to make the College of Law a better place. She will be sorely missed.” Funeral services will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, 3736 Tuckaleechee Pike, Maryville 37804. Visitation begins at noon. Donations in Carter’s memory may be made to the church or to Gideon’s International, Blount County South Camp, P.O. Box 4035, Maryville, TN 37802.

Former Assistant District Attorney General Eric D. Christiansen of Greeneville died Tuesday. He was 72. After his retirement, the University of Tennessee College of Law graduate continued to serve the courts as a senior member of the local bar. The family will receive friends tonight from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Children’s Center, 119 Fairgrounds Circle in Greeneville.

Richard Parker, 49, of Lebanon pleaded not guilty to charges that he delivered a package containing an explosive device to the home of his wife's parents, Jon and Marion Setzer, last Monday. Jon, a retired lawyer, was killed instantly when the package exploded. Marion died two days later. Parker, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of premeditated murder, was in a Wilson County courtroom this morning for arraignment. The funeral for Jon and Marion Setzer will be Saturday at noon at the First Church of the Nazarene, 510 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206. WKRN has more on the story.

David Michael DiScenza died Monday (Feb. 10) at the age of 39. He was the son of Tim DiScenza, former federal prosecutor and disciplinary counsel at the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct. Visitation will be held Friday at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis at noon, with funeral services immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Calvary Episcopal Church (102 N. Second St., Memphis, TN 38103), The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee (2021 21st Ave., Suite C400, Nashville, TN 37212) or the charity of your choice.

Nashville lawyer Samuel Arthur Butts III died last Tuesday (Feb. 4). A native Nashvillian, Butts graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1967. He obtained his undergraduate and law degree (1975) from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For 38 years Butts worked as an ERISA and employee benefits lawyer. Among his many accomplishments, he served as president and member of the executive committee for the Middle Tennessee Employee Benefits Counsel. He also chaired the Committee on Retirement Plans for the City of Nashville and served on the city’s Employee Benefits Study & Formulating Committee. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be given to the South Cheatham Public Library, c/o Janet Walker, 358 N. Main St., Kingston Springs, TN 37082 or Alive Hospice at St. Thomas, 4220 Harding Rd., Wing 3-B, Nashville, TN 37205. The South Cheatham Advocate reported the news.

Retired Chancellor Frederick D. McDonald died Saturday (Jan. 25) at the age of 85. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, McDonald served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the Pentagon and later in the 3rd Infantry Division in Korea. McDonald moved to Knoxville in 1968 to practice law. He was first appointed to the Knox County Chancery Court in 1973 by former Gov. Winfield Dunn. During his 25-year tenure, McDonald presided over several high profile cases and served as president of the Tennessee State Judicial Conference. The family will receive friends this evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Funeral services will be tomorrow (Jan. 28) at 10 a.m. Internment will follow at Highland Memorial Cemetery, 5315 Kingston Pike. Knox News has more on his life.

Memphis attorney Lyman Christian (Chris) Harrell III died Jan. 15. The Washington & Lee las school graduate was 76. The visitation will be at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis Saturday at noon, immediately followed by funeral services at 1 p.m., the family says.

Memphis attorney Cecil Douglas Smith, 74, died Friday (Jan. 3) after a long illness. A Memphis native, Smith was a scholarship track athlete at the University of Memphis, where he later went on to receive his law degree. Following graduation, he joined the IRS as a federal estate tax examiner, living and working in Knoxville. Upon returning to Memphis, he entered practice in the area of estate planning and later became a partner in the firm of Apperson-Crump. Visitation will be held at the Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel on Wednesday from 5-8 p.m., with funeral services following on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Wilson Chapel of Christ United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to Christ United Methodist Church or to Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

Retired Knoxville lawyer Louis Eysenbach Hofferbert Jr. died yesterday (Jan. 2) at the age of 86. After serving in the Navy, Hofferbert began studying at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1953. Following graduation, he entered private practice and worked as a lawyer until he retired in 2013. Hofferbert also served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 38 years, retiring in 1984 as a captain. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to noon tomorrow (Jan. 4) at West Hills Presbyterian Church. A funeral service will follow. Interment will be at Lynnhurst Cemetery with military honors by the U.S. Navy. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to West Hills Presbyterian Church, 7600 Bennington Dr., Knoxville, TN  37909; or the American Heart Association. Knox News has more on this life.