This week, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated four lawyers who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements, including one in 2021 and three in 2023.

The race for Elizabethton municipal judge is shaping up to be the third rematch between Municipal Judge Jason Lee Holly and Teresa Murray Smith, who held the post for three months in 2020 and was the city’s first female judge. The Elizabethton Star looks at the candidates, the history of their service and Smith’s reasons for entering the race this year.

The State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission recently announced that Crossville lawyer Hayden T. Shadden was named its new general counsel. Shadden graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2020 and previously was in private practice focusing on civil litigation, mergers and acquisitions, employment law and estate planning/taxation. The commission is composed of 11 volunteer members who recommend textbooks and instructional materials to the State Board of Education and hear challenges to public school library books and materials.

This week, in a letter to Congress, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 41 attorneys general called on lawmakers to pass legislation authorizing a U.S. Surgeon General warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms. The group cites research that links young people’s use of such platforms to psychological harm, including depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. They also note how platforms feature “irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling and a constant stream of notifications” to keep kids engaged “even at the expense of taking breaks, engaging in other activities or sleeping.” Read more in a release. Last year, Skrmetti joined a nationwide effort to sue Meta alleging many of the same harms.

Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson ruled Wednesday that gun control questions can appear on the November ballot, the Daily Memphian reports. Taylor Jefferson agreed with the Memphis City Council’s private attorney that state claims that the referendums are preempted by state gun laws were “not ripe” because the referendums are just proposals, and no amendments have yet been made to the city charter. The Memphis City Council approved the ballot measures in July but the Shelby County Election Commission ruled they would not be added to the ballot based on guidance from state officials. The council then sued the commission.

After about 13 hours of arguments over two days, a jury has been empaneled in the Tyre Nichols federal criminal case, according to the Commercial Appeal. Opening arguments also have been made in a trial that will determine whether or not former Memphis police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. are guilty of violating Nichols' civil rights during a beating after a Jan. 7, 2023 traffic stop. Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty before the trial to using excessive force and conspiracy to witness tamper. A number of witnesses also took the stand yesterday, including a police department trainer and the nurse who admitted Nichols to the hospital. Read more in the Daily Memphian.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has arrested David Joseph Bush, 23, on an indictment charging him with multiple crimes in connection with last September’s shooting into a car driven by Davidson County Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles on I-440. During the incident, which police say was motivated by road rage, Myles was struck by broken glass but otherwise uninjured. Her front seat passenger suffered gunshot wounds to the hand and leg and was hospitalized before being discharged to continue recovering at home. Police linked Bush to the incident based on ballistic evidence and cell phone data. At the time of his arrest, Bush was free on a $125,000 bond for a March arrest for an alleged road rage shooting case on Murfreesboro Pike. Read more in a release from the department.

A Nashville judge has restored the voting rights of four people in Davidson County, rejecting a state rule that formerly incarcerated individuals must have their gun ownership rights restored before voting rights can be restored, WPLN reports. The Tennessee State Election Commission issued guidance in July requiring restoration of gun ownership rights as well as the payment of restitution, court costs and child support payments before voting rights could be restored. Advocates argued that since many felony charges bar people from owning a gun, that right could never be restored. Criminal Court Judge Angelita Dalton, citing the Tennessee Supreme Court’s holding in State v. Johnson, found that the prohibition on possessing firearms does not render the petitioners ineligible from having full citizen rights restored. In related news, Tennessee Lookout reports that Gov. Bill Lee pledged to look into the issue after the New York Times reported on the challenges facing Tennesseans.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced three judicial appointments last week. Adrienne Waters Ogle, a partner at Ogle McCarter and a magistrate on the Sevier County Juvenile Court, has been named to the 4th Judicial District Circuit Court. The court serves Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. Kimberly Lund has been named to the 19th Judicial District Chancery Court, which serves Montgomery and Robertson counties. She currently serves as an assistant district attorney in the district. The governor selected Lund after fewer than three lawyers applied for the vacancy. Finally, Joshua Turnbow has been named to the 23rd Judicial District Circuit Court. He currently is an assistant district attorney in the district, which serves Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties. All three seats are new judicial positions created by the General Assembly during the last session. Read more about new jurists in a release from the governor's office.

The TBA’s 2024 Environmental Forum will take place in person on Nov. 15 in Nashville. This year’s program will address topics such as endangered species litigation, underground storage tanks, drinking water, the Chevron decision, brownfields, ethics and more. Breakfast and lunch will be included. Watch for more information coming soon.