Gov. Bill Lee has issued a temporary reprieve in the execution of Oscar Franklin Smith roughly one hour before he was set to die by lethal injection, the Tennessean reports. “Due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection, the scheduled execution of Oscar Smith will not move forward tonight. I am granting a temporary reprieve while we address Tennessee Department of Correction protocol," a statement from the governor's office indicated. Further details on what the oversight was were not immediately available. No word on when the reprieve would end. The Tennessee Supreme Court will select his next execution date.

Knox County lawyer Keri Elizabeth Rule was today placed on disability inactive status by the Tennessee Supreme Court. She cannot practice law while on disability inactive status, but may return to practice after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing that her disability has been removed in accordance with Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 27.7.

Connie Reguli, a Brentwood attorney and candidate for Williamson County Juvenile Court judge, was yesterday convicted on charges stemming from her involvement in a 2018 case, the Williamson Home Page reports. A Williamson County jury concluded that, in 2018, Reguli transported a woman and the woman’s daughter to her home after learning of a court order to place the daughter in DCS custody and of a TBI endangered child alert that had been issued for the daughter. Reguli’s attorney argued she was trying to best advise the woman, who was her client, and protect the woman’s daughter. Reguli was convicted of facilitating custodial interference and two counts of accessory after the fact. She will be sentenced on June 24.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will host its inaugural Spring Speakers Series tomorrow from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. The kickoff session will feature a discussion with Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationally, and his attorney, Al Gerhardstein. The event will take place in the law school’s Wade Auditorium. Read more here.

The Justice Department has appealed a federal judge’s ruling that recently ended mask mandates on public transit, CBS News reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the mandate “remains necessary for the public health,” and asked the Justice Department to appeal U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s ruling. Mizelle on Monday voided the CDC’s requirement of masks on airplanes and other public transit, ruling that the mandate exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials.

Sullivan County lawyer Kyle Douglas Vaughan was today disbarred from the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Vaughan was convicted of theft of property from his law partners in Washington County Criminal Court. He must pay restitution to his former law partners in the amount of $223,452.20 and pay all costs incurred to the Board of Professional Responsibility.

Say hello to Brooke Leeton! Part of the TBA CLE team, Brooke is the Education & Professional Development Coordinator, meaning she coordinates educational programming for attorneys in a variety of Sections, including Communication Law and Dispute Resolution. Working with the Executive Committees of these Sections, Brooke researches compelling subject matter to include in each group’s CLE programming and plans the events accordingly. She also creates professional development opportunities for attorneys to meet and share success stories, ask their colleagues questions or brainstorm solutions for complications that arise in daily practice. In addition, she helps coordinate the TBA’s Women in the Profession Committee. Her most irrational fear? Quicksand. Likely caused by the Swamp of Sadness scene in the movie Neverending Story!

The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff members makes the association run. Check back every Wednesday for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Death row inmate Oscar Franklin Smith yesterday filed a lawsuit claiming his First Amendment rights have been violated by Tennessee courts refusing to hear his case, the Tennessean reports. Smith has exhausted his appeals through local criminal courts, appellate courts and the state Supreme Court, which yesterday declined to hear his case. “Thus, despite having evidence that proves that he is not the person who handled the murder weapon, Mr. Smith has been shut out of state court,” he now argues. The new filing takes the case out of state courts and into the Middle District of Tennessee federal jurisdiction. Smith is asking the court to immediately stay his execution and stay his case until the courts hear a full case on the evidence Smith says has been revealed by new DNA testing. He is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday night.  

The Knox County Board of Education has settled a monthslong lawsuit that led to the county’s school mask mandate, agreeing to pay $145,000 in attorney’s fees to the plaintiffs, the Knoxville News Sentinel Reports. The agreement between the parties says neither side is admitting wrongdoing, and the cost of the mediator will be split among the board, the families and the state. The end of the lawsuit also means the mask mandate in Knox County schools has expired. The lawsuit began in February after two Knox County families sued the board on behalf of students with disabilities for protection against COVID-19. With no court hearing, no legal precedent will be set on where universal masking falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Legislation that would make camping on public property a misdemeanor crime was yesterday cleared by the Tennessee House and now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature. House Bill 978 would make camping on the shoulder, right-of-way, bridge, overpass or underpass of a state or interstate highway a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a $50 fine or community service. Sponsors Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, claim their bill would be a useful tool law enforcement could use to address homelessness. “This is not mandatory, but just gives them the ability to do so,” Bailey said during a Senate session. Critics of the measure say it effectively criminalizes homelessness. Democrats and some Republicans opposed the legislation, which last week cleared the state Senate with a 22-10 vote and the House yesterday with a 57-28 vote. The Tennessean has the full story.