Gov. Bill Lee has issued a temporary reprieve in the execution of Oscar Franklin Smith roughly one hour before he was set to die by lethal injection, the Tennessean reports. “Due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection, the scheduled execution of Oscar Smith will not move forward tonight. I am granting a temporary reprieve while we address Tennessee Department of Correction protocol," a statement from the governor's office indicated. Further details on what the oversight was were not immediately available. No word on when the reprieve would end. The Tennessee Supreme Court will select his next execution date.

Knox County lawyer Keri Elizabeth Rule was today placed on disability inactive status by the Tennessee Supreme Court. She cannot practice law while on disability inactive status, but may return to practice after reinstatement by the Tennessee Supreme Court upon showing that her disability has been removed in accordance with Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 27.7.

Connie Reguli, a Brentwood attorney and candidate for Williamson County Juvenile Court judge, was yesterday convicted on charges stemming from her involvement in a 2018 case, the Williamson Home Page reports. A Williamson County jury concluded that, in 2018, Reguli transported a woman and the woman’s daughter to her home after learning of a court order to place the daughter in DCS custody and of a TBI endangered child alert that had been issued for the daughter. Reguli’s attorney argued she was trying to best advise the woman, who was her client, and protect the woman’s daughter. Reguli was convicted of facilitating custodial interference and two counts of accessory after the fact. She will be sentenced on June 24.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will host its inaugural Spring Speakers Series tomorrow from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. The kickoff session will feature a discussion with Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationally, and his attorney, Al Gerhardstein. The event will take place in the law school’s Wade Auditorium. Read more here.

The Justice Department has appealed a federal judge’s ruling that recently ended mask mandates on public transit, CBS News reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the mandate “remains necessary for the public health,” and asked the Justice Department to appeal U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s ruling. Mizelle on Monday voided the CDC’s requirement of masks on airplanes and other public transit, ruling that the mandate exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials.

Sullivan County lawyer Kyle Douglas Vaughan was today disbarred from the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Vaughan was convicted of theft of property from his law partners in Washington County Criminal Court. He must pay restitution to his former law partners in the amount of $223,452.20 and pay all costs incurred to the Board of Professional Responsibility.

Weekend emails, late hours, and dozens of tasks await us each morning. Our dream is to hit peak productivity, but what happens when boundaries are not set? The desire to scale quickly can sometimes kill the passion that helped build our business in the first place, says Cathy Kenton, CEO of the Legal Tech Media Group. To combat mental fatigue, she recommends prioritizing stimulating work: the things that add value and make us excited to go to work in the morning. In an article for Fast Company, Aytekin Tank expounds on this topic, arguing that our obsession with productivity is drawing us away from what we love to do.

The Legal Aid Society this week announced that Nashville lawyers Frank Garrison and Leigh Walton will serve as co-chairs for its 2022 Campaign for Equal Justice. Garrison will oversee fundraising in the community, while Walton will lead efforts aimed at law firms and attorneys. Walton, a member at Bass, Berry & Sims, has more than 40 years of practice in the areas of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions and securities offerings. Garrison has more than 40 years of management and legal experience in both private and public companies in the financial and business service sectors. He presently serves as a Director of M3-Brigade Acquisition Corp II. The goal for this year’s campaign is $1 million according to LAS Director DarKenya W. Waller.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that the standard of appellate review for an alleged speedy trial violation is de novo with deference to the trial court’s factual findings. The court also concluded that the trial court in the case of State v. William Eugene Moon committed reversible error in allowing improper impeachment of a key defense witness at trial. Given these findings, the court reversed the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals, vacated the judgments of the trial court, and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. Read more about the decision from the Administrative Office of the Courts or read the opinion.

Rutherford County lawyer Andre Chase Rabideau was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 11. The court found that after agreeing to represent a client pursuing civil claims arising out of a fire, Rabideau failed to take any action to pursue his client’s claims and did not maintain good communication with his client. When the client inquired about the status of the representation, Rabideau falsely implied that a lawsuit had been filed. He also failed to return the client’s file materials. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4(a) and 1.16(d). In addition to imposing the censure, the court also ordered Rabideau to refund $750 in attorney’s fees to his former client within 90 days.