Sixty-one candidates have picked up petitions to be on Williamson County’s May 6 primary ballot to contend for judgeships, county constitutional offices and numerous seats on the county commission. The last day to qualify for the election is Feb. 20. Voter registration is April 7. Candidates have also been picking up petitions to qualify in the Aug. 7 primary for state Senate and House seats and state executive committees. The qualifying deadline for the August election is April 3. Visit the Tennessean for a full list of candidates. 

The Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) will hold a memorial service on March 7 at 11 a.m. in the Hamilton County Courthouse. Those remembered will include the Hon. Edward A. “Butch” Synder, Ralph Russell Armstrong, former Tennessee Bar Association President Charles Gearhiser, Allan Geschwind, John Lee III, Ben Haden and J. Guy Beatty Jr.

Tennesseans for Independent Courts, a new nonprofit political action committee, has announced it will educate the public on the “dangers of partisan political pressures on judicial elections and appointments.” The group, formed Jan. 10 by former personnel commissioner Randy Camp, who served in Gov. Phil Bredesen’s cabinet, will also provide support to judicial candidates who want to run for office without political affiliations, and back legislative and gubernatorial candidates who want the same. Camp states that the non-profit corporation has filed for 501 (c) designation with the IRS, and will be dedicated to informing, educating, engaging and involving the citizens of Tennessee in ensuring that the judicial branch of Tennessee’s government remains free and independent of partisan political pressures from any group or organization. KnoxBlogs has more.

The defendant, Jeffrey Walton, was convicted by a Shelby County Criminal Court jury of vandalism over $10,000, a Class C felony, and burglary of a building, a Class D felony, for which he received sentences of fifteen years as a persistent offender and twelve years as a career offender, to be served consecutively, in the Department of Correction. On appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the convicting evidence. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The pro se petitioner, Daniel Lee Draper, appeals the summary dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus. He argues that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to sentence him to life with the possibility of parole, that the habeas court erred in summarily dismissing his petition without a hearing, and that the habeas court erred in failing to treat his habeas petition as a post-conviction petition. After review, we affirm the summary dismissal of the petition.

The Defendant, Aivar Lang, pled guilty to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor, and agreed to allow the trial court to determine his sentence. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced him to eleven months and twenty-nine days in the county jail. On appeal, the Defendant contends that his sentence is excessive. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we conclude that no error exists in the sentence imposed by the trial court, but a corrected judgment form is required.

Plaintiff appeals the trial court’s judgment in favor of Defendant in this action to recover amounts allegedly due under an oral loan agreement. We vacate the trial court’s judgment and remand the matter for findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 52.01.

Physicians filed an action for malicious prosecution and abuse of process against Patient after Patient voluntarily dismissed her medical malpractice lawsuit against them. Following a change in the applicable case law, Physicians voluntarily dismissed their malicious prosecution and abuse of process claims. Patient moved for attorney fees under Tenn. R. Civ. P. 37.03(2) as a sanction against Physicians for their failure to admit a matter requested under Tenn. R. Civ. P. 36.01. Patient also sought discretionary costs.

In this divorce appeal, husband challenges the trial court’s decisions regarding the primary residential parent, rehabilitative alimony, the division of the marital estate, and the award of attorney fees. With the exception of the designation of alimony as “rehabilitative,” we find no error in the trial court’s decision.