Appellant, Patricia Tarver, appeals the trial court’s revocation of her probation, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion by ordering her to serve her original sentence in confinement. Because there is substantial evidence to support the trial court’s finding that Appellant violated the terms and conditions of her probation, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by revoking Appellant’s probation and executing the underlying sentence. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

The defendant, Jonathan Casey Bryant, pleaded guilty in the Warren County Circuit Court to promoting the manufacture of methamphetamine, reserving as a certified question of law whether the evidence obtained following a traffic stop should have been suppressed because it arose from his illegal detention. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The petitioner, Gerry Tallant, appeals from the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his premeditated first degree murder conviction. He argues that he received ineffective assistance of counsel because counsel failed to argue in the motion to suppress that: (1) he was arrested on the murder charge although the officers lacked probable cause; (2) he was detained for a custodial interrogation although the officers lacked probable cause; and (3) he was seized without reasonable suspicion. After review, we affirm the denial of the petition.

This appeal concerns a post-divorce modification of child custody. Randall Charles Harrell (?Father?) filed a petition against his ex-wife Chassity Necole Harrell (?Mother?) in the General Sessions Court for Wilson County (?the Trial Court?) to modify the permanent parenting plan concerning the parties‘ two minor children. Father sought to be designated primary residential parent based, in part, upon Mother‘s alleged drug abuse and instability.

A team of University of Tennessee College of Law students won second place and second-best brief in the national Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition, hosted at Brooklyn Law School last week. The competition provides law students from across the nation the opportunity to write and argue an appellate brief that addresses evidentiary issues in a contemporary context.

In many states, teenagers who share sexually explicit images of themselves are punished with decades-old laws that were meant to be applied to adults who exploited children. But an opinion piece in The New York Times asserts new sexting laws that criminalize teenage sexting are being unfairly applied. “A better solution would be to bring child pornography laws in line with statutory rape laws by exempting teenagers who are close in age and who consensually create, share or receive sexual images,” the author writes.  

The Board of Directors for CASA Nashville and the CASA staff announced that Julieanna Huddle was promoted to executive director. Huddle has served CASA Nashville as volunteer and training manager for the past four years.  

The U.S. Supreme Court today announced it will hear a Colorado case challenging whether jurors' claims of racially charged comments by another juror can overcome the need for secrecy in jury deliberations, The Associated Press reports. The appeal is from a Hispanic man who claimed he did not have a fair trial because a juror made offensive comments about Mexicans. Attorneys were told about the comment after the jury convicted the man of sexually harassing two women in a bathroom. 

A legal opinion from state Attorney General Herbert Slatery said a proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution regarding public school funding would not negatively impact the state's equal protection provisions. The Times Free Press reports Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, requested the opinion about his proposed amendment that would allow state lawmakers "to devote as much - or as little - funding as they wish to public education.” The proposed amendment, HJR 0493, comes after Hamilton County and other school systems have sued the state over the school funding formula. 

The bill that would lower the legal penalties for repeated drug possession and increase penalties for repeat DUI offenders is now headed to Gov. Bill Haslam’s desk. The Tennessean reports the state Senate yesterday approved the measure (HB 1478) with a 32-0 vote after the House signed off on it last week.