A Hamilton County Criminal Court judge has dismissed petitions intended to halt the execution of the Chattanooga man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend by burning her alive, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Criminal Court Judge Don Poole denied two of three motions filed on behalf of Leroy Hall Jr., saying the defense’s arguments didn't meet the standards of law or precedent. The court will today consider a third motion for post-conviction relief, with attorneys for Hall saying he deserves a new trial because a juror did not disclose that she was a victim of "severe domestic violence, including rape." Today’s hearing is focused on whether the one-year limit on filing a motion for post-conviction relief can be waived on grounds of due process. Hall's execution is scheduled for Dec. 5.

U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla has denied a motion from the city of Memphis to modify a 1978 consent decree that bars political surveillance by the Memphis Police Department. The city argued that the decree keeps police from acting quickly on public safety concerns and threats and prevents them from sharing information with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Shelby County Schools, the FBI’s joint terrorism task force, the Tennessee Fusion Center and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. Judge McCalla disagreed with city and in his ruling wrote that changes would “erode the barrier put in place by the Decree.” He added that the decree ensures the city’s surveillance practices “do not cross the line from being a powerful weapon in the fight against crime to becoming an intrusive tool that improperly interferes with its residents’ First Amendment protected activities.” Read more at the Daily Memphian. 

University of Memphis basketball star James Wiseman has dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, opting to sit out until a settlement is reached over his eligibility, the Tennessean reports. The NCAA declared Wiseman ineligible to play earlier this month, a decision made after an $11,500 payment was made from Memphis coach Penny Hardaway to Wiseman’s mother. A Nov. 8 lawsuit on Wiseman’s behalf was filed to obtain a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing him to keep playing for Memphis until the next step in the legal process. If a “fair and equitable” decision is not reached, Wiseman could potentially refile the suit.

Former House Speaker Glenn Casada has agreed to a plan to drop assault charges against Nashville activist Justin Jones, the Tennessean reports. Jones, who filed papers to run for Congress earlier this week, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct in February after allegedly throwing a paper cup of liquid into an elevator Casada was using. According to the agreement, Jones cannot have contact with Casada and another lawmaker involved in the case, he cannot enter the Cordell Hull legislative office building and he must “conduct himself as a good and lawful citizen.” The original terms of the agreement were modified to now allow Jones to enter the State Capitol. The case will be placed on a retirement docket until April 22, 2020, and charges will be dropped at that time if Jones abides by the agreement.

Raymond Santana, a member of the “Exonerated Five”, formerly known as the “Central Park Five”, will speak to an audience at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis on Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event titled “Community Conversations: Criminal Justice Lessons Learned from the Exonerated Five” will feature a screening of Netflix’s four-part miniseries “When They See Us,” which tells the story of Santana and four other men who, when they were teenagers, were convicted of the 1989 rape of a woman jogging in Central Park. All five men were later exonerated. Santana will take part in a panel discussion after the screening. The event is sponsored by the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office, the National Civil Rights Museum, Mississippi Boulevard and Just City. Read more on the program at the Daily Memphian.

This year’s Administrative Law Annual Forum will include a panel discussion of the agency deference doctrine, a session delving into the implications of policymaking and rulemaking and will end with an ethics session that not only provides an update from the BPR, but also an ethical analysis of ex parte communications. Earn up to three hours of CLE (two general and one dual). Arrive early to the program and join us at the Meet Local breakfast networking event for government and public interest attorneys. Meet Local is a free event and will provide attendees with light breakfast options and a chance to network with others. Please complete the RSVP form here if you are planning to attend Friday's event. 

Vanderbilt University is honoring Chancellor Emeritus Nicholas S. Zeppos by naming one of its new residential colleges in his honor. Plans for the Nicholas S. Zeppos College, slated to open in 2020, were unveiled at a celebratory dinner last week. It was also announced that Zeppos was appointed University Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science and will hold full-status appointments in the political science department and at the law school. He will also hold the newly created Cornelius Vanderbilt Chancellor Emeritus Chair. Read the full story on Vanderbilt's website. 

A lawsuit filed by the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims is moving forward at the state level after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block it, NPR reports. Originally filed in 2014, the suit says the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, the same kind used by a gunman to kill 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook, should never have been sold to the public because it is a military-style weapon. It also accuses Remington of violating Connecticut’s unfair trade practices law by marketing and promoting use of the rifle in “assaults against human beings.” Since the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear Remington’s appeal of the suit, it will return to lower court in Connecticut where it will hinge on how Remington marketed the gun.

Coffee County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Timothy R. Brock died over the weekend while attending a national judicial training in Nevada. Brock, 62, earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1982 and was first elected as general sessions judge in 1990. He later added juvenile court jurisdiction to his duties in 1998 and presided over the Coffee County Drug Recovery Court, Mental Health Court, Family Treatment Court, Juvenile Recovery Court and the Safe Baby Court at the time of his death. You can leave a remembrance or condolence for Judge Brock on the Tennessee State Courts website.

A video showing Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins holding a baby on his hip while swearing in a new attorney has gone viral, getting picked up by several national outlets including The Hill and Buzzfeed. Dinkins was holding and bouncing the baby while administering the oath of office to attorney Juliana Lamar, the baby’s mother. Lamar told Buzzfeed that it was Dinkins’ idea to involve her son in the ceremony, calling it “one of the greatest moments” of her life.