SLIP - 2021 Summer Law Internship Program

2021 Summer Law Internship Program

Congratulations to all the graduates of our 2021 Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP). The Summer Law Intern Program provides diverse high school students the opportunity to experience the daily legal workplace of private law firms, corporate law divisions or governmental agencies in a virtual setting. Interns receive a stipend and are required to work a total of 45 hours during the summer program. This year’s program took place July 7 - July 28, 2021. Our program would not be possible without the sponsors, committee members, speakers and event organizers. Interns were recognized for their hard work during the Closing Ceremony at the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse. 

SLIP Interns Program Closing Ceremony

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Courtroom Practice in the Western District of Tennessee

Federal court

By The HON. SHERYL H. LIPMAN, U.S. District Judge The HON. TU M. PHAM, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge

Who remembers life before mid-March 2020? We do not, because the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of our lives, both personally and professionally. The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee has remained open throughout the pandemic, but changes were made with three primary goals in mind: 1) protecting the rights of those charged with crimes; 2) keeping the “doors” of the courthouse open to the public; and 3) safeguarding the health and safety of all those who come before the court.

In the beginning of the pandemic, under the leadership of Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson, and through the tireless work of the Clerk’s Office staff and all members of the court family, the court was able to quickly transition to a virtual courtroom environment, with initial efforts focused primarily on conducting court proceedings in cases involving custodial defendants. Due in large part to the passage of the CARES Act, the magistrate judges first jumped into action to preside over initial appearances, appointments of counsel, detention hearings, and arraignments by videoconferencing, all to ensure the rights of those detained. As these virtual proceedings took hold, and under the authority of the CARES Act, the district judges were also able to conduct criminal proceedings by videoconferencing, including, with the defendant’s consent, felony change of plea proceedings and sentencings as well as probation and supervised release violation hearings. Both district and magistrate judges gradually added hearings in civil

matters to their virtual court docket, conducting scheduling conferences, motions hearings and other matters through the same platform. Throughout this challenging period, the court was able to ensure that the public had real-time access to court proceedings through video and teleconferencing. If The HON. anyone wanted to participate SHERYL H. LIPMAN, in a court proceeding, they

U.S. District Judge were allowed to do so through a court-provided video link. The court instituted another change to ensure that the public had access during the pandemic. Some lawyers will remember back in the days before electronic filing a person had to actually come to the Clerk’s Office to file a document or, if filing after hours, could file documents using the court’s drop box. Because the court was concerned about protecting the health of its employees and the public, we moved to a virtual work setting and reinstituted the drop box, primarily for the benefit of pro se litigants who lack access to electronic filing. This allowed them to file documents with the court even though the Clerk’s Office remained physically closed. We also utilized authorization under the federal rules to remotely review and issue search warrants, criminal complaints, and other investigative applications submitted by law enforcement agencies. By June of 2020, the court began to conduct limited in-court proceedings, with all participants strictly adhering to social distancing protocols and wearing masks, and with courtrooms being cleaned between proceedings and equipped with plexiglass barriers. By the Fall of 2020,

The HON. TU M. PHAM, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge