Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin last week. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater administered the oath of office at the annual Lawyers Luncheon. Barcus has been active in the TBA for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She also has been active in the Knoxville Bar Association and American Bar Association. She handles health care, litigation, product liability and professional liability matters as a shareholder with Lewis Thomason. Read more about her career in this press release.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows held its annual meeting Friday night as part of the TBA's 2025 Annual Convention. The group elected Memphis attorney Mason Wilson as president, Chattanooga attorney David McDowell as vice president, Memphis attorney Nicole Grida as secretary and Nashville attorney Jamie Durrett as treasurer. Outgoing president Michelle Greenway Sellers of Jackson inducted seven new fellows: Nashville attorney Anthony Adewumi, Chattanooga attorney Brittany Faith, Franklin attorney Charles Ferguson, Knoxville attorney Matt Knable, Nashville attorney Princess Rogers and Nashville attorney John Wilks. Nashville attorney Joycelyn Stevenson was named an honorary fellow. Stevenson was TBA's executive director from 2017-2022 and now serves as managing shareholder of Littler Mendelson's Nashville office. See photos from event. Earlier in the day, the group presented the 2025 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Read more about that recognition in this press release.

The federal sentencing hearings for five former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols have been canceled after a judge recused himself last week. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were expected to be sentenced in federal court this week for their roles in Nichols’ death. According to the Daily Memphian, U.S. District Judge Mark Norris recused himself June 13, and the hearings were officially canceled with a notice filed today. A status conference is scheduled for June 20. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman is now overseeing the case.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued a decision in State of Tennessee v. Pervis Tyrone Payne affirming the trial court’s modification of Payne’s death sentences but vacating its order that the sentences be served concurrently instead of consecutively. Payne was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 1987 for the murders of Charisse Christopher and her 2-year-old daughter, and the attempted murder of Christopher’s 3-year-old son. The court ruled that while a 2021 law allowed the trial court to reduce Payne’s death sentences due to intellectual disability, it did not authorize the court to change the sentencing alignment. As a result, Payne’s life sentences must be served consecutively, delaying his eligibility for parole. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan had ruled in February 2022 that Payne would serve his two life sentences concurrently, which would have made him eligible for parole in five years. His death penalty sentence was officially vacated in November 2021.

Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, Deputy Commissioner Andy Holt and State Forester Heather Slayton toured storm-damaged farms in Unicoi and Washington counties to witness firsthand the cleanup efforts underway and assess the remaining needs following the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene. Joined by State Reps. Renea Jones, R-Unicoi and Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, the officials visited several sites, including Miller Farm and Scott’s Strawberry and Tomato Farm, reaffirming the state’s commitment to helping farmers and forest landowners recover, according to the state Department of Agriculture. The storm, which hit the region in September 2024, caused an estimated $547 million to $1.8 billion in agricultural and timber losses across more than 150,000 acres. The Department of Agriculture has petitioned the USDA for a block grant to cover losses and is working to secure additional federal aid. Gov. Bill Lee’s $100 million Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund also will support ongoing recovery, with first round recipients to be announced in July.

The TBA’s International Law Section will host a webcast on June 19 exploring the evolving landscape of tariffs and customs within the 2025 global market. “Tariffs and Customs: Insights into How to Navigate the Changes Within the 2025 Global Market” will examine current trends, trade disruptions and strategies for maintaining customs compliance. The panel will be led by Terry Olsen, chair of the International Law Section, and will include George Phillips of Phillips Ralston and Lee Broyles, vice president of international sales at Steam Logistics. Registration is available on the TBA website.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government and more than two dozen federal departments and agencies asking a federal court to declare unconstitutional what it called the Trump administration’s "ongoing unlawful policy of intimidation against lawyers and law firms." The group argues these attacks have had a chilling effect across the legal profession “causing harm to the justice system at large and limiting access to representation for individuals and organizations whose positions the administration disfavors.” Read more about the suit in a press release. According to Bloomberg Law, the group is being represented by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms that sued the administration over an executive order that targeted its work.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, supporting military veterans and their families in receiving full GI Bill education benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The case, Yoon v. Collins, centers on Lt. Col. Paul Yoon, a decorated Virginia Army veteran who served 24 years, including deployments. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rudisill v. McDonough, the VA continues to deny Yoon full GI Bill education benefits and has blocked him from transferring those benefits to his daughter. “Tennessee is the proud home to so many who have served, and it’s my honor to join Virginia’s Jason Miyares and 50 other AGs to support the men and women who put their lives on the line protecting our freedoms,” Skrmetti said in a press release.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee today announced the appointment of Jeff Holmes as interim commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services. Holmes succeeds Matt Van Epps, who stepped down June 10 to pursue a new venture after serving in multiple roles in the Lee administration. Holmes currently serves as director of planning and programming at the Tennessee Board of Regents and previously held the position of Tennessee’s 76th adjutant general, overseeing the state’s Military Department. “Jeff Holmes has a significant track record of serving Tennesseans for more than 40 years in the Tennessee National Guard, and in my administration as adjutant general,” Lee said in a press release. “I’m proud to welcome him back to serve as a member of my Cabinet and appreciate his willingness to lead the Department of General Services.”

Last month, U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil, R-WI, and Joe Morelle, D-NY, held a roundtable discussion in Nashville with a panel of experts to address artificial intelligence’s effect on creativity and copyrights. During the two-hour conversation, House Administration Committee Chairman Steil and Ranking Member Morelle explored the implications of AI in the music industry with professionals from Nashville and beyond, the Tennessean reports. In March 2024, Tennessee became the first state to enact an AI-focused law protecting individuals’ voices and likenesses from misuse. A similar national bill, the No Fakes Act, is now under consideration in Congress. Tennessee's senior senator Marsha Blackburn has sponsored the bill in the U.S. Senate.