The Tennessee Supreme Court has dismissed a petition for reinstatement from Shelia L. Robinson-Beasley. The Shelby County lawyer was temporarily suspended on April 4 for misappropriating funds for her personal use and posing a threat of substantial harm to the public. On May 7, Robinson-Beasley filed a petition for reinstatement/dissolution and/or amendment of temporary suspension. A three-member panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility recommended that the petition be denied. The court agreed, keeping the temporary suspension in place until final disposition of the pending disciplinary complaint.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced a “major bipartisan win” in federal court against Google following a ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta that Google violated federal antitrust law, specifically Section 2 of the Sherman Act, regarding the monopolization of its search and advertising business. In a statement released today, Skrmetti said, “I’m proud my Office was part of the trial team that successfully proved Google is an illegal monopolist. We will continue to work alongside our AG partners and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division to protect consumers from Google’s anticompetitive conduct.” Reuters has more on the ruling.

Former TBA President Sherie Edwards was elected to the executive council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) during the group’s Annual Meeting in Chicago last week. The NCBP — a nonprofit founded in 1950 to provide resources and training for state and local bar association leaders — met in conjunction with the American Bar Association (ABA), ABA Young Lawyers Division and National Association of Bar Professionals. See a photo from the meeting.

Lauren Castor has been promoted to the position of Tennessee Lawyers Association Program (TLAP) clinical director. Castor has been a clinical case manager for the program since March 2021. In a release from TLAP, Executive Director J. E. "Buddy" Stockwell III said that Castor’s advancement is marked by years of excellent service and recent licensure by the state as an LPC-MHSP (temp). “Lauren is dedicated to supporting TLAP’s mission of providing excellent clinical support tailored specifically to the demanding needs of lawyers, judges and law students. Her clinical leadership will continue to generate advances in TLAP’s mission to provide confidential assistance, help to support fitness to practice law and education about mental health challenges in the legal profession,” he said.

Kevin Ritz, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, recently spoke at the graduation ceremony for the Federal Reentry Court. He congratulated the individuals who completed the program and encouraged them to stay on the right path. Supported by U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., the Reentry Court works to remove unnecessary barriers for those who have served their sentences and are reentering the community.

Lauren Castor has been promoted to the position of Tennessee Lawyers Association Program (TLAP) clinical director. Castor has been a clinical case manager for the program since March 2021. In a release from TLAP, Executive Director J. E. "Buddy" Stockwell III said that Castor’s advancement is marked by years of excellent service and recent licensure by the state as an LPC-MHSP (temp). “Lauren is dedicated to supporting TLAP’s mission of providing excellent clinical support tailored specifically to the demanding needs of lawyers, judges and law students. Her clinical leadership will continue to generate advances in TLAP’s mission to provide confidential assistance, help to support fitness to practice law and education about mental health challenges in the legal profession,” he said.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today directed California lawyer Bradley Roy Peacock to fulfill outstanding obligations to the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and the Tennessee Department of Revenue by Sept. 16 or face dismissal of his petition for reinstatement. Peacock filed the petition on July 11.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on July 29 dismissed a reinstatement petition that had been filed by Mississippi lawyer Andrew Jackson Clark. On June 10, the court noted that Clark had outstanding obligations with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The court dismissed the petition after Clark failed to satisfy those obligations by the deadline of July 25.

Voters are going to the polls today to vote in Republican and Democratic primary elections but data from the early voting period shows that turnout was down 39% from 2020. According to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, 353,774 voters cast ballots over the 14-day early voting period, compared to the 583,704 four years ago. Tennessee Journal has more.

The Lone Mountain Shores Homeowners Association (HOA) is back in court, appealing a decision that its covenants are too ambiguous to ban short-term vacation rentals, Knox News reports. The group pledged to appeal the decision in April after a Claiborne County judge found that a neighborhood rule limiting homes to "single family residential purposes" can include renters who use the properties like a home. It had sued renters in August 2023. In a separate case, the Tennessee Supreme Court held in 2023 that "residential" could be interpreted many ways and is not clear enough to ban listings on sites like Airbnb or Vrbo. In a counter suit, homeowners opposed to allowing short-term rentals accuse the HOA board of moving forward based on a fraudulent vote.