Thomas Varlan to take senior status in October

U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan will take senior status in October 2026. Varlan, 70, was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee by President George W. Bush in 2003. After U.S. Senate confirmation, he received his commission on March 1, 2003.

Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Varlan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1981. He was in private practice in Atlanta from 1981-87.

He was the law director for Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe from 1988-98, thereafter returning to private practice in Knoxville from 1998 to 2003.

Varlan was Chief Judge from October 8, 2012, to March 31, 2019.

Judge Varlan and his wife, Danni, are the parents of four children. Danni Varlan has made notable contributions through volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Hospital and the Bearden High School PTSO, and professionally as major gifts and annual fund officer for Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital in Knoxville. She has served on the Tennessee Board of Regents and worked to bring low-cost air flights as a board member of McGhee Tyson Airport.

Trump nominates staff lawyer, Adkisson, to federal bench

Samuel Adkisson

President Donald J. Trump has nominated Samuel Adkisson, 33, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Adkisson will have a lifetime appointment. He now serves as associate counsel to the president.

Prior to joining the Trump administration, he lived on Signal Mountain, Tennessee with his wife and three children. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and Yale Law School (2018) where he was president of the campus Federalist Society.

After law school, Adkisson clerked for Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr., Judge Amul R. Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. During Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, he worked for Sen. Charles E. Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

He practiced law in the private sector from 2022 until January 1, 2025, when he began his job for Trump.

Houston Havasy is Knox clerk and master

Houston Havasy

Attorney Houston Havasy, 40, has been hired as clerk and master in Knox County, replacing J. Scott Griswold, who resigned to become chief clerk for the TN Supreme Court. The clerk and master is appointed by the chancellors and oversees the staff and record keeping for the three courts.

Havasy moved to Knoxville from Newport, Tennessee, to attend the University of Tennessee where he completed both his undergraduate and law school degrees. Houston joined the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in January 2024, after working in the Knox County Law Director’s office since 2017. Prior to that, he engaged in private practice in local law firms as well as operated his own private practice. During his career, he has enjoyed working on a variety of litigation ranging from simple legal matters to complex jury and non-jury trials in the state and federal courts with a concentration on governmental law and civil rights, according to information posted on the Knox County website.

In his time away from work, Houston spends time with his wife and two children at their Knox County home. He is admitted to the bar in the state, federal district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Laughing is a lot like crying

If you’re looking for something light (or lightish) check out Josh Gohlke who writes on Substack. Here’s his story: “Dating from my first failed interview, it took me about a decade to get a job at the Los Angeles Times.” He was an editor, at the top of the heap, but two years later he jumped off.

“This wasn’t out of an idiosyncratic impulse to end my long legacy media career and start one of Substack’s most obscure newsletters.” Why did Josh, a bunch of reporters and multiple advertisers leave? Find out here.

But the column I really like is the one from August 21, 2026, about Trump’s most shocked supporters and gloves. “The immigration crackdown keeps sweeping up people who voted for it. How could this happen?” Josh interviews three people, all Trump supporters, who have been impacted.

And the gloves? Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has plans to spend $20 million on gloves that will allow its agents to administer painful electric shocks on contact. The Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter – “G.L.O.V.E.” It’s at the same link as above.

In memoriam

Jennifer Gonzalez

Jennifer Hall Gonzalez, died on August 18, 2026, in Wilmette, Illinois, at the age of 55. Born April 9, 1971, in Knoxville, Tennessee, she is survived by her husband and five children. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa in 1993, and her J.D. from John Marshall Law School in 1996.

Jennifer dedicated much of her career to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she served for over two decades. As chief of the Sex Crimes Division 2011-2021, she led one of the largest divisions of its kind in the country, working with community groups and advocates, proposing legislation and prosecuting complex, high profile cases.

Throughout her career, Jennifer tried over 300 bench trials and more than 40 jury trials. She also worked for four years as corporate attorney for Groupon.

A Funeral Mass will be lived streamed on Wednesday, August 26, at 11:30 a.m. Click the link HERE. The obituary is here.

Notes & quotes

Knox Asian Festival is Sunday, August 30, 2026, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. at World’s Fair Park. Tickets and details here.

Outdoor Knoxville lists hundreds of activities, many free, all outdoors.

Quote: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” – Thomas Payne

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Sandra Clark compiles obituary links and writes daily at KnoxTNToday – the Let’s Talk series includes topics of law, neighbors, schools, leaders and outdoors. Enjoyed this article? Read more Let’s Talk – Law  by Sandra Clark.

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