The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously reinstated the conviction of Jeremy Reynolds for premeditated first-degree murder. The court determined there was sufficient proof of premeditation to support the jury’s verdict, and that the introduction of evidence about gang membership did not warrant a new trial. The ruling reverses the Court of Criminal Appeals, which had overturned the jury’s verdict on the basis that the trial court erroneously admitted prejudicial information about the defendant’s gang affiliation.

Lang Wiseman, the deputy to Gov. Bill Lee and the administration’s chief legal counsel, is stepping down on Friday, the Tennessee Journal reports. Wiseman’s plans to leave had been announced earlier, but he had not given a firm date for his departure. He will return to the private sector. Lee has yet to name a successor. Wiseman is a former University of Tennessee basketball star who went on to earn a law degree from Harvard University. He is also a former Shelby County Republican Party chair who later served on the reconstituted University of Tennessee Board.

Join the TBA Administrative Law Section for its annual forum Friday from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. CST. Worth one dual and two general CLE hours, the program will begin with a session covering Supreme Court changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Rules for Disciplinary Enforcement. It will also feature a session on recent updates related to the Tennessee Public Records and Open Meetings Act and a panel discussion that explores the UAPA and environmental contested cases. Learn more and register for the program here.

Gov. Bill Lee today named Lisa Helton as interim commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Correction. Helton will assume the office on Wednesday. Helton currently serves as the assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Correction Community Supervision Division and has more than 25 years of experience across the criminal justice field. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University and master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. She will serve until a permanent commissioner is named to replace retiring commissioner Tony Park.

The number of applicants to law school nationwide has declined year-over-year for the first time since 2018, according to data from the Law School Admission Council. As of Nov. 28, some 22,662 people had applied to start law school in the fall of 2022, nearly 5% fewer than this time last year. Reuters has more on the development and what it means for the legal industry.

Knox County Juvenile Court invites the legal community to a celebration honoring Magistrate Michael Fortune’s career with the court. The event will take place Dec. 8 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST. Those who are interested also may send a note or card to the court to be presented to Fortune at the ceremony. Send correspondence by Dec. 6 to Debbie Wade, Knox County Juvenile Court, Carey E. Garrett Juvenile Court Building, 3323 Division St., Knoxville, TN 37919.

Earlier this month, the National Republican Congressional Committee added U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, to its list of 2022 targets in a sign that national Republicans seem to be growing more optimistic they can win the Nashville-based district, the Nashville Post reports. That effort could be aided if state Republicans split Nashville into multiple congressional districts, potentially putting the city’s reliably Democratic electorate into GOP-friendly districts. Cooper has been warning about a possible split for months, even going to the state legislature to publicly ask lawmakers to leave his district intact. And while he faces the possibility of a redrawn district, Cooper also must weather a primary challenge from Odessa Kelly, his "most spirited" opponent yet according to the paper.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has directed federal prosecutors to prioritize cases involving violence on flights amid an increase in assaults on airline workers, WSMV reports. In making the announcement, Garland cited dozens of violent air travel incidents referred to the FBI for investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has received 5,338 reports of unruly passengers, about three-quarters involving the federal transportation mask mandate, and has opened more than 1,000 investigations. It has publicly disclosed more than $1.6 million in fines against passengers accused of violence or misbehavior.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. has ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to remove a Nashville man from solitary confinement, the Tennessean reports. Alex Friedmann, a criminal justice advocate accused of concealing guns and contraband inside the Davidson County jail, spent nearly two years in an isolated cell without being convicted of a crime. Friedmann sued the corrections department earlier this year alleging his confinement in a cold, dark steel cell was unconstitutional. He also sued for damages, though Crenshaw did not rule on those claims. Friedmann faces a range of state and federal charges, including felony vandalism. A federal trial on an illegal weapons charge is slated for February 2022.

Madison County attorney Sherry Marie Percival was reinstated to the practice of law last week. She was suspended on May 27, 2021, for five years, with six months to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. Percival filed a petition for reinstatement on Sept. 23, which the Board of Professional Responsibility found to be satisfactory. The Tennessee Supreme Court adopted the board’s recommendation but conditioned the probation on Percival engaging a practice monitor and meeting with the monitor monthly to assess her trust account practices, case load, timeliness of tasks and adequacy of communication with clients. The court also directed her to engage a certified public accountant to reconcile her trust account on a quarterly basis.