The Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) has announced changes to its leadership. The commissioners have elected board member Nancy Sullivan as their new chair, effective July 1. Sullivan will serve a two-year term, succeeding Joycelyn Stevenson. Stevenson, a former TBA executive director, has been renominated to the board by Mayor Freddie O'Connell and if confirmed by Metro Council, will serve a seven-year term. O'Connell has chosen Glenn Farner Jr. to fill the board's current open seat for a term ending in early 2031. The seat opened in March when Bill Freeman stepped down. Farner must also be confirmed by Metro Council. The Nashville Business Journal has more.

The state of Illinois will switch to the NextGen Bar Exam in 2028, becoming the 19th state or territory to commit and the largest jurisdiction yet to adopt the revised version of the national attorney licensing exam. Illinois officials have not yet determined whether the switch will occur in February or July 2028, Reuters reports. Tennessee will transition to the new exam in July 2027.

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documents today, making him the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. The jury deliberated for two days after hearing several weeks of testimony. The judge in the case set sentencing for July 11. Each count carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison, though others convicted of this crime have often receive shorter sentences, fines or probation, Reuters reports. Trump has denied wrongdoing and is expected to appeal.

Two American Bar Association (ABA) groups are recognizing young lawyers in Tennessee. The ABA Business Law Section has named Legal Aid Society attorney Elizabeth Leiserson as its Outstanding Nonprofit Young Lawyer. The award recognizes distinguished service by a young lawyer in the nonprofit sector. Leiserson, who works out of the Nashville office, is project director of the Eviction Right to Counsel program, which assists low-income individuals across Middle Tennessee with housing-related legal matters. In addition, the ABA Young Lawyers Division has named its Top 40 Young Lawyers for 2024, including 8th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zachary Walden of Jacksboro and Corbin Carpenter with Carpenter Law in Memphis. This recognition honors ABA young lawyer members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement and legal and community service. See the full list or read more about the designation.

The Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) celebrated the 2024 Law Day last week at the Hunter Museum with more than 200 attending. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was the featured speaker. The CBA also presented its annual Liberty Bell Award for public service to retired Brigadier General Carl E. Levi. Levi’s career includes 53 years of public service to Chattanooga and Hamilton County government, 35 years of service in the U.S. Army and Tennessee National Guard and over seven decades of civic service and volunteer leadership, dedicated to the betterment of others. Chattanoogan.com has more details on his life. See a photo from the event.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy has spoken out on the city of Memphis subpoenaing his office for information he shared with Tyre Nichols’ attorneys, saying it was the city’s “mix-up.” Several weeks ago, the city sent a subpoena to Mulroy requesting all correspondence between his office and Nichols’ attorneys as well as with the U.S. Department of Justice, which is currently investigating the Memphis Police Department. Mulroy said he sent “part of the case file, video, reports of witness interviews, police reports and affidavits” to Nichols’ team and the city prior to receiving the subpoena. “I don’t think they realized we sent it all, so they sent the subpoena,” he said, according to the Daily Memphian.

The free online tax filing program piloted this year by the IRS will be made permanent and its scope will be expanded, The Hill reports. Known as “Direct File,” the online platform will be integrated with state tax systems and expanded beyond the limited number of deductions that it can currently process. The system was available in 12 states this year as a pilot program. The expansion will depend on state readiness but there will be no limit on the number of states that can participate. Read more from the IRS.

U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings have little impact on the decision-making of aspiring lawyers, according to a new study by two law professors. Reuters reports that University of Kentucky law professor Brian Frye and Indiana University law professor Christopher Ryan investigated whether the academic credentials of entering classes rose or fell in correlation with a law school's rise or fall in the rankings in the previous year. The study, according to the researchers, found little to no correlation between ranking changes and the behavior of applicants.

Henry Martin will retire in 2025 after 40 years as the federal public defender for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Nashville Banner reported in a recent newsletter. The office represents people accused of federal crimes who cannot afford an attorney and has a unit dedicated to representing Tennessee death row inmates in federal court. Martin recently announced his retirement plans internally and the court announced the forthcoming vacancy online, with a June 20 deadline for applications from those interested in the position. Martin joined the public defender’s office in 1985. His service has included membership on the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and as president of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In 2020, Martin received the TBA’s first annual Claudia Jack Award, which recognizes a public defender or court-appointed lawyer who serves their clients in an exemplary fashion.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals recently heard arguments in a case testing Tennessee’s redrawn congressional map, the Tennessee Journal reports. The Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP is suing over the state legislature’s decision to split a Nashville-based congressional district among three outlying districts. The group argues that the move was illegal gerrymandering designed to dilute the voting power of Black residents in urban Davidson County. The state is seeking dismissal of the suit.