The TBA will be closed Friday and Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday. We will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST. Online CLE programming will remain available throughout the holidays.

Join us for our continuing Law Tech Lunch & Learn Series in Nashville Feb. 7 at Belmont College of Law with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Guest speakers William Ramsey and Phillip Hampton will cover the history of AI’s evolution in the legal tech industry and the benefits, limitations and pitfalls to avoid. Registration/check-in/lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. CST. Find out more and register.

The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct ordered that Shelby County Criminal Court Judge A. Melissa Boyd is suspended effective Dec. 14. During this suspension, Boyd is prohibited from exercising any judicial power or authority. This suspension will remain effective until further order from the court.

A conservative legal advocacy group has sued the State Bar of Wisconsin, claiming its diversity fellowship program for law students violates the free speech rights of bar members whose dues are used to fund it, according to Reuters. The lawsuit, filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty yesterday on behalf of a Wisconsin attorney, is the latest in a series of legal challenges to diversity programs after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that colleges and universities cannot consider race in admissions. The attorney claims he should not have to pay for the program because it is unconstitutional and not germane to the core functions of the bar. The state bar responded saying it will "vigorously defend" the diversity program.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday rejected a reinstatement petition filed by Weakley County lawyer Thomas Allen Tansil, who was suspended by the court on Sept. 1, 2022, for five years, with one year to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation subject to conditions. After consideration of the reinstatement, the Board of Professional Responsibility recommended that the court dismiss the petition with prejudice and assess the costs of the disciplinary proceeding to Tansil. The court adopted the board’s recommendation.

Members of the TBA staff gathered recently to celebrate the holidays with a dinner in Nashville and a donation to the Room in the Inn toy drive. Room in the Inn provides a winter shelter program as well as services year-round that support those who call the streets of Nashville home. Programs for veterans, those seeking recovery and the medically fragile, emphasize human development through education, self-help and work. The nonprofit’s annual toy drive provides Christmas gifts for the children of its clients. See photos.

The notice of appeal filed by the Appellant, Myan Joy Spear, stated that the Appellant was appealing the judgment entered on February 15, 2023. As the orders appealed from do not constitute a final appealable judgment, this Court lacks jurisdiction to consider this appeal.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection met yesterday to consider claims from clients alleging financial loss due to the illegal actions of their lawyers. The fund approved two claims against Shelby County attorney Brian Chadwick Rickman: one in the amount of $12,995.96 and one in the amount of $3,500. It also directed Rickman to reimburse the fund for the expense. The Fund for Client Protection was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases also are posted online.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. An Ohio jury convicted Clarence Mack of aggravated murder arising from a 1991 carjacking. It recommended the death penalty. The judge agreed and imposed a capital sentence. After years of litigation in state courts, Mack petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus in federal court, alleging several claims relevant to today’s dispute: that prosecutors suppressed material evidence, that they introduced false testimony, that his trial counsel was ineffective, and that the state court denied him a fair trial when it denied the admission of certain testimony. The district court denied his petition. We affirm.

In 2022, the Defendant, Stasey Tyrome Gregory, Jr., pleaded guilty to six counts of methamphetamine related charges, and the trial court sentenced the Defendant to an effective sentence of fifteen years of incarceration. On appeal, the Defendant asserts that the trial court erred when it sentenced him. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.