The Tennessee Judiciary is mourning the loss of Ellen Lee Abbott, director of the Office of Criminal Justice Services at the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS), who died Monday at age 56. The Administrative Office of the Courts said today that Abbott played a vital role in the development and success of the state's recovery courts, including drug courts, Veterans courts, mental health courts and safe baby courts. Abbott joined TDMHSAS in 2006 and worked closely with many judges and court staff in nearly every Tennessee county over the years. She also played an essential role in both the Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative and the Tennessee Judicial Opioid Initiative, now known as the Tennessee SMART Justice Network. A celebration of life service for family and close friends will be held Friday at noon CST at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will take place prior to the service beginning at 10 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to any veteran organization. Read more about Abbott’s career and remembrances from colleagues on the AOC website. Post a remembrance here.

Joseph Wayne Wolfenbarger of Bean Station died Jan. 7 at 77. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Wolfenbarger served for 32 years as the Grainger County general sessions and juvenile court judge. Due to the ongoing pandemic, funeral services will not be held. Wolfenbarger will lie in repose at Smith-Reagan Funeral Home in Rutledge today from noon to 4:30 p.m. and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to noon. A graveside service will be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Grainger Memorial Gardens. All times eastern.

Former Circuit Court judge Ira Stephen North Sr. died on Dec. 28. He was 79. North earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School and was an attorney for more than 50 years, including an eight-year term as a Davidson County Circuit Court judge. A private service will be held at the North Family Farm in Neely's Bend. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Inner City Ministry and Church of Christ Disaster Relief.

Memphis Municipal Judge Teresa Jones died over the weekend after a battle with cancer the Commercial Appeal reports. A Mississippi native, Jones earned her law degree from the University of Memphis and served as an adjunct professor there. She also served as a former Shelby County Schools board member and chair of the board, as well as chief city prosecutor. Jones was appointed to the Memphis Municipal Court in 2018 to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Earnestine Hunt Dorse. She ran for the seat in the general election later that year, winning with 73% of the vote. Her current term runs through 2023. Jones also was an active member of the legal community, sitting on the Memphis Area Legal Services board and serving as a member and past chair of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program. No funeral information is available yet.

Dayton City Judge James Wendell McKenzie died Saturday at 76. A 1971 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law, McKenzie first practiced law with his father until 1998, when he was elected as the first Rhea County Family Court judge. He later served as attorney for Dayton and Rhea counties and city judge for Graysville and Spring City. The grandson of Ben G. McKenzie — who was prominent in the prosecution of John T. Scopes in the landmark 1925 Scopes Trial — McKenzie often was cast in the role of his grandfather for the county’s annual reenactment of the trial. Visitation will take place tonight until 8 p.m. at Coulter Garrison Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST at First Baptist Church of Dayton. Interment to follow at Buttram Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the First Baptist Church of Dayton’s Benevolent Fund or Rhea County Sheriff’s Christmas Toy Drive.

Memphis attorney John Thomason died Dec. 24 at 91. Thomason earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1952 and, after graduating, served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps until 1955. In 1967, he helped found Crawford, Thomason and Hendrix, which became Lewis Thomason in 2014. During his years in practice, he tried hundreds of jury trials in both state and federal jurisdictions.  He was selected for membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Association of Defense Counsel, and Best Lawyers in America, and served as chairman of the General Practice Section of the American Bar Association. In 2002, after fifty years in the bar, he retired from the practice of law. He was a prolific writer and went on to author three books.

Former Collierville and Germantown city attorney Tom Cates died Dec. 23 at 79. Cates earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School and practiced law for 48 years before retiring from Burch, Porter & Johnson in 2013.  He became attorney for Germantown in 1991 and for Collierville in 1995, holding both positions until his retirement. During his time as Germantown attorney, Cates helped the city negotiate the development of Wolf River Boulevard and was a key legal adviser in the formation of municipal school districts in Shelby County suburbs. “He was a unique individual,” said Nathan Bicks, who followed Cates as Collierville’s attorney. “He was a lawyer who could handle a multi-million-dollar transaction, but also handle a jury trial in federal court, and he could do it well.” The Daily Memphian has more on Cates’ legacy.

Nashville civil rights leader and former Metro councilmember Kwame Lillard died yesterday at 81. After growing up in segregated North Nashville, Lillard became active in the civil rights movements in the 1960s. He was a key organizer for the city’s sit-ins and leader of a protest to integrate city-run swimming pools. He also coordinated, trained and provided logistical support to hundreds of participants in the Freedom Rides. As a council member and an engaged resident, Lillard continued throughout his life to advocate for equity. Nashville Public Radio notes that Lillard is the fourth member of Nashville’s student-led civil-rights movement to die this year. He joins Alan Cason Jr., John Lewis and the Rev. C.T. Vivian.

George Harrison Cate Jr., the first vice mayor of Metro Nashville and longtime community leader died Friday at 92. The Tennessean looks at his life, which included significant roles in city government, educational systems and civic life for 50 years. A 1951 graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School, Cate began his legal career as a partner with his father. In the 1960s, he was instrumental in the creation of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. In 1962, he was elected the first vice mayor of Metro Nashville and served from 1963 to 1966. He also served on the Metro Nashville Board of Education, including as chair in 1981 and 1982. After leaving public service, Cate remained dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of Nashville government, serving on the Metropolitan Historical Commission and a committee that planned the 50th anniversary of Metro. Cate retired in 2014. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to West End United Methodist Church, Vanderbilt University, Alive Hospice or the charity of one's choice.

Terry Lee Stinson of Atlanta died Nov. 20 at the age of 70. He had been battling Leukemia for several months. Originally from Nashville, Stinson attended Vanderbilt University and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee. He spent his career as a global real estate developer in the hotel industry, working in senior executive roles for the Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton hotel groups. A celebration of life will be held in the new year. Memorial gifts may be made to Emory Winship Cancer Institute, 1365 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322.