A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. The ruling, if not overturned, would allow dealers to sell handguns to 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, the Associated Press reports. The judge stated that many of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are granted at the age of 18 and gun ownership should not be any different.

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has named New York attorney Gregory Katz as the firm’s new managing partner, Bloomberg Law reports. Katz replaces firm founding partner Robert Lewis, who stepped down last week after 110 lawyers left to join a new venture launched by two former practice chairs. Lewis Brisbois has offices throughout the U.S. including Nashville. In January, 32 cybersecurity lawyers left the firm to join Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, which also has offices in Nashville.

The Memphis Police Department is beginning a town hall series, relaunching a podcast and working on what the department calls "a special project" to make Memphians more aware of department initiatives, the Commercial Appeal reports. The projects are meant to "foster more open lines of communication” to address crime issues and encourage discussion of solutions to move the city forward. The efforts follow a commitment by department leaders to communicate more consistently with the Memphis community after the death of Tyre Nichols. 

The Covenant School in Nashville is asking a Davidson County court not to release some of the writings of a shooter who killed six at the school last month, NewsChannel 5 reports. Attorneys for the school filed motions in two of the three lawsuits requesting that the assailant's writings not be released. The filings suggest the documents may include sensitive information, including schematics of the facility and confidential information about school employees and students.

Former Memphis attorney Leigh M. Chiles pled guilty in connection with a scheme to defraud an estate over which she was appointed to serve as executrix, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz recently announced. Chiles was appointed executrix in 2018 and was responsible for collecting estate assets and distributing them to heirs and beneficiaries. In violation of her fiduciary duty, Chiles used approximately $124,000 in estate funds to write checks to herself and to pay her personal credit card. The ABA Journal reports that Chiles had worked at Baker Donelson in Memphis but was no longer with the firm when the criminal activity occurred. She was suspended from practicing law in July 2018. Chiles, currently of Little Rock, will face sentencing before Memphis-based federal judge John T. Fowlkes on July 17.

Knoxville attorney and University of Tennessee (UT) College of Law Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus Douglas A. Blaze will be honored next month with the prestigious William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech and presented by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. Blaze joined the UT Law faculty in 1993 as the director of clinical programs. He also served as director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and interim associate dean for academic affairs. He was named dean of the law school twice and served from 2008-2015 and then again from 2020-2022. Blaze helped found the college’s Institute for Professional Leadership and served as its first director. He retired from full-time teaching in July 2022. The Leech Award will be presented at the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 16 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the TBA's full press release on the award.

Make plans now to attend this year’s Elder Law Forum, which will take place in person on July 21 at the Belmont University College of Law in Nashville. This annual staple for Tennessee attorneys provides an optimal learning experience, while allowing attendees to meet with other professionals sharing their focus. Topics for this year’s program include a probate judge’s panel, redetermination, ethics for elder law attorneys, crisis planning, tax considerations and more. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity! Learn more and register here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 18 attorneys on Monday for failure to pay the annual registration fee; five of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

U.S. Chief District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. has ruled that former Tennessee senator Brian Kelsey will not be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea for violating federal campaign finance laws, reported the Tennessean. Crenshaw criticized Kelsey's legal argument that he did not fully understand the implications of a criminal felony plea given Kelsey’s career as a constitutional lawyer and state lawmaker. Kelsey pleaded guilty in November 2022 and filed to withdraw his plea in March 2022. Sentencing is expected in July.

JULIA SMITH GIBBONS, Circuit Judge. Local law enforcement officials in Rutherford County, Tennessee raided twenty-three stores selling cannabidiol (“CBD”) products because they falsely believed that such products were illegal under state drug laws. The charges were dropped, as the products were legal under both state and federal law. The shop owners then sued the responsible law enforcement agencies, asserting violations of their constitutional rights and conspiracy to violate those rights. All but one of the shop owners ultimately settled. The sole remaining plaintiff, James Rieves, sought to progress to trial on his claims against the City of Smyrna and its police chief as well as Rutherford County and its sheriff. However, the district court granted summary judgment to the County and sheriff and certified the decision for interlocutory appeal.

We granted interlocutory appeal to clarify the scope of our civil conspiracy doctrine. Because the plaintiff presented evidence to support a claim of § 1983 civil conspiracy, we reverse the district court’s judgment and remand for further proceedings.