The petitioner, Tina M. Dixon, filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that her trial counsel were ineffective for failing to request a ruling on a motion for additional findings of fact related to a motion to suppress; failing to raise the issue of the trial judge and the prosecutor’s potential conflicts of interest prior to trial; and failing to advise her of a proposed plea agreement. The post-conviction court denied the petition, and the petitioner appeals. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Appellant, Lorenzo Malone, filed a motion to correct an illegal sentence under Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36.1, which was summarily denied by the trial court. Because Appellant has failed to state a colorable claim that his life sentence for first degree felony murder is illegal, we affirm the decision of the trial court.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee at Nashville. The new magistrate will replace Judge Juliet Griffin, who is retiring. Applications must be submitted only by applicants personally and must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 17.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP today announced it has expanded into Florida with the addition of 12 lawyers, a significant step in its ongoing strategic growth. Tampa will be the firm’s eighth office, adding to its existing locations in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia. An AmLaw 200 firm, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is one of the largest law firms in the Southeast with more than 460 attorneys.

William “Bill” M. Cloud Jr. died Monday (Jan. 12). He was 72. Cloud’s law career spanned 40 years in private practice as well as time serving as an Assistant District Attorney. Visitation will be today from 3 - 8 p.m. at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home. Memorial services will be tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Hilldale United Methodist Church. Memorials may be made to the Hilldale United Methodist Church Building Fund, 1751 Madison Street, Clarksville.

Learn about TennCare rule changes that go into effect Jan. 1 related to the Safety Determination process and PAE Functional Assessment. This one-credit CLE course will review the changes to select functional assessment questions and criteria.  Visit TBA CLE to register.

Passions ran high on the first day of the Tennessee General Assembly as women's rights groups rallied against Amendment 1, WSMV reports. The amendment, which passed last November, allows lawmakers more power in regulating abortions. Sen. Sara Kyle (D-Memphis) backed up the protesters. "We, as government people, don't need to tell women what to do here with their health," Kyle said. Supporters of the amendment argued that their mission lies in safety and protecting women.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that a successor judge who takes over a case from the judge that presided over the trial, may act as the “13th juror” in a case. In its ruling, the Court created a rebuttable presumption, which means that it is assumed the judge can act as a 13th juror unless evidence is presented that contradicts that assumption. A successor judge may act as the 13th juror in all cases except in the rare occasion in which the demeanor of a witness was the critical issue in weighing the evidence that led to the verdict. The Chattanoogan has more.

Twenty-five states’ top lawyers blasted the federal government’s claim that President Barack Obama’s executive order letting more than 4 million undocumented immigrants stay in the U.S. is above judicial review. The administration claims the policy is “challengeable by no plaintiff, reviewable by no court, and subject to no public input,” lawyers for the states said in an 88-page filing. The states claim they have the legal right to challenge the executive order because they may have to spend “hundreds of millions of dollars on health, education and law-enforcement programs” to serve new waves of immigrants. The Columbia Daily Herald has more from Bloomberg News. 

People accused of domestic violence would be required to stay behind bars for at least 12 hours if a new proposal becomes law, the Tennessean reports. State law requires a 12-hour "cooling off" period, but judges are allowed to waive the period. That judicial discretion led to a controversial case in Nashville last June and prompted Rep. William Lamberth, R-Cottontown, to file this bill.