Nashville attorney Darius Walker Jr. will serve as the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) president in 2027-2028. His election to the post was uncontested. After taking office as vice president at this summer's TBA Convention, Walker will become president-elect in June 2026 and president in June 2027. He has served as YLD treasurer for the last three years and is a member of the TBALL class of 2025. Walker earned his law degree from The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and is an associate at Ogletree Deakins in their Sports and Entertainment Industry Group. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Civil Rights Law and Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star.

A federal judge is expected to rule that Germantown school officials may maintain a ban on Herbie, a seizure-alert dog they say has been more disruptive than helpful to a student with multiple disabilities, the Daily Memphian reports. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker said in a hearing last week he would deny a request to lift the ban after the student’s parents filed a lawsuit in November. They claim Germantown officials violated federal disability laws in banning Herbie. The school district argues that the dog did not follow the student’s commands and “posed a danger” to him and other students. Parker found the school was not intentionally discriminating against the student by banning the dog. He said the official ruling will come soon but did not offer a timeline. “The ruling that I’m making today ... is not necessarily forever and always,” Parker said. “... Perhaps the court could revisit this question down the road.”

A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jon McCalla has raised concerns about the future of the Kendrick Consent Decree, a federal order that has long prevented the Memphis Police Department (MPD) from spying on citizens, the Commercial Appeal reports. McCalla's decision modifies the decree by replacing a private attorney who monitors police activities with two lawyers employed by the city of Memphis and assigned to the Memphis Police Department. Memphis lawyer Ed Stanton has been serving in the role since 2018. The ACLU of Tennessee, city outside counsel Bruce McMullen and Stanton support the change, saying the independent monitor role was not intended to be permanent. Others — including attorney Bruce Kramer, who first sued the city in 1976 over MPD’s illegal surveillance — argue that the shift risks undermining protections against civil rights violations. The Kendrick Consent Decree, established in 1978 after the MPD was found to have spied on political activists, has been crucial in safeguarding First Amendment rights, supporters say.

Aprio, a U.S.-based business advisory and accounting firm, and Radix Law, a full-service business law firm in Arizona, announced last week they have entered into an exclusive letter of intent to merge into Aprio Legal LLC, a full-service Alternative Business Service (ABS) law firm. The new firm will provide a holistic approach to serving entrepreneurs and business leaders, according to an Aprio press release. Both Aprio Legal and Radix Law are licensed by Arizona's ABS program, with Aprio receiving approval in May 2024 and Radix Law in 2021. The merger is expected to be finalized in late spring. Last month, KPMG — another accounting firm seeking to enter the legal services market — had its application put on hold after the state’s Supreme Court requested additional information.

The city of Johnson City agreed last week to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by multiple anonymous women who accused the city police department of failing to investigate a man who allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women between 2018 and 2021. The department has denied allegations of corruption or bribery in the handling of the cases, according to WPLN News. The accused assailant, Sean Williams, is currently in jail on charges of producing child sexual abuse images and escaping police custody, though he has not yet been charged in connection with the women's allegations. The lawsuit is one of three accusing the police department of mishandling evidence that Williams was drugging and assaulting women for years. The city said it has since improved department practices, including adopting a new sexual assault investigation protocol and creating a "comfortable space" for victim interviews.

Those interested in an appointed position on the TBA Young Lawyers Division's 2025-2026 Board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. Get details on positions and a link to the application on the YLD's webpage.

About 30 religious organizations sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in federal court Tuesday, challenging its recent decision to conduct immigration raids in places of worship. According to Bloomberg Law, the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claims the revocation of a previous DHS policy that restricted immigration enforcement in or near places of worship violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion protections and other federal laws. The new lawsuit echoes and expands on arguments made in a similar lawsuit filed Jan. 27 by five Quaker congregations, which is currently pending in U.S. District Court in Maryland. A memorandum filed last week by the Department of Justice, opposing the thrust of the Quaker lawsuit, outlined further arguments that may also apply to the new lawsuit, AP News reports. The memo suggests that the plaintiffs' request to block the new enforcement policy is based on speculation of hypothetical future harm, making it insufficient grounds for issuing an injunction.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and key Republican senators are deflecting calls to impeach judges who have temporarily sided with challenges to halt White House initiatives. “That will not happen now,” Bondi said at a Justice Department news conference on Wednesday. “We’re going to follow the law right now. We’re going to follow the process. These are federal judges with lifetime appointments.” Bloomberg Law also reports that key Senate Republicans defended the power of the courts to rule against the president. “We’ve got a system of checks and balances, and that’s what I see working. I learned in 8th grade civics about checks and balances and I expect the process to work its way out,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley told reporters. The response comes as some legislators and members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have called on Congress to impeach judges who rule against the president.

TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast features attorneys and lobbyists Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC and Brad Lampley of Adams and Reese. In the most recent episode, they discuss key topics including Gov. Bill Lee's State of the State address, SB1052 and HB1355 on token financial support by a biological father, SB541/HB906 on claims of creditors filed against an estate, and SB540 and HB492 on custody determinations related to the failure to pay child support. Listeners can tune in on the TBA website at or directly through this link.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a federal lawsuit Thursday seeking to strike down a Memphis suburb's ordinance dictating when and how residents can display holiday decorations, the organization reports. FIRE also defended Alexis Luttrell in municipal court after the Germantown resident was cited for celebrating Christmas with decorative skeletons and violating a local ordinance on the length of time holiday decorations can be displayed. With FIRE's support, Luttrell is challenging the ordinance as unconstitutional. “City governments can impose reasonable restrictions on yard displays that address concerns like safety, noise or light pollution, but Alexis’s decorations aren’t harming anyone,” said FIRE attorney Colin McDonell.