A suspect in the death of Knoxville high school football player Zaevion Dobson was found guilty today of attempting to murder his friend for talking to police, Knoxnews reports. A Knox County Criminal Court jury convicted Richard Gregory Williams III of trying to kill Larry Eugene North, a friend of Williams’ who had talked to police investigators about the shooting death of Dobson. Williams and another suspect, Christopher Drone Bassett, are still awaiting trial in that case.

The Attorney General’s office will defend Tennessee’s right to pass legislation at odds with federal directives, Chief Deputy Attorney General Paul Ney wrote in a letter to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge. The Tennessean reports the letter said in part, “We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the interests and rights of the State and to standing behind and supporting our Tennessee school districts.” Legislation has been proposed in the past two sessions that would have gone against federal policies, specifically an Obama-era directive designed to prevent school districts from enacting regulations on access to bathrooms for transgender students.

On Tuesday Davidson County lawyer Robin Jeffery Gordon was censured by the Board of Professional Responsibility. In 2014, Gordon was found to have failed to file a child support worksheet in a case, and one month later filed the worksheet but did not send it to the judge’s chambers. He failed to ensure that the proposed agreed order was signed by the judge in a timely fashion.

A CLE on criminal law will be held at the Bar Center in Nashville on May 3. Attendees will learn about the latest in Tennessee DUI law and best practices for handling criminal cases. Sessions will touch on the technical and legal aspects of criminal defense and provide tips on how to best advise clients. Additional topics will cover client communication, general guidelines for handling criminal cases and field sobriety testing.

Senate Republicans deployed the “nuclear option” today, permanently changing rules to bypass a Democratic filibuster and clear the way for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed by a simple majority vote, the New York Times reports. Republicans needed 60 votes to confirm Gorsuch without changing the rules, but could only secure 55, leading to the rule change. Knoxnews confirms that Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker voted in support of the change.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended the law license of recently-resigned Nashville General Sessions Judge Casey Eugene Moreland, finding that he posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Moreland may not use any indicia of lawyer, legal assistant or law clerk, nor maintain a presence where the practice of law is conducted.

An item in Tuesday's TBA Today incorrectly stated the names of the keynote speaker at the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women's Empowerment Conference. The speakers were Judge Julia Gibbons of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and Col. USAF Linda Strite Murnane, chair of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.