February 10, 2025 - February 14, 2025.

Obion County Mayor Steve Carr on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the town of Rives, after the Obion River breached levees and flooded the 250-person town. Obion County Emergency Management Agency Director Danny Jowers said that while the damage is devastating to the small community, it’s likely not enough to qualify for federal assistance for disaster recovery, reports the Tennessee Lookout. Gov. Bill Lee toured damage in Obion County and shared information about overnight shelters and warming shelters. The Rives flooding comes weeks after the Tennessee General Assembly approved a disaster relief package for communities recovering from Hurricane Helene on the opposite end of the state.

The Tennessee Supreme Court held official proceedings inside the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the Tennessee State Capitol for the first time in more than 10 years on Feb. 12. “This is an historic occasion, a homecoming of sorts for our court,” said Chief Justice Holly Kirby. “The Tennessee Supreme Court held its court proceedings in this very room for about three quarters of a century, until 1936 when the Supreme Court moved to the fancy new building down the street.” The historic event brought together all three branches of state government — executive, judicial and legislative — under the Capitol dome. Gov. Bill Lee said of the occasion, "The legislature is in session. The governor’s office is alive and well down there, I can say. We will be signing a bill into law today. There is work being done by all branches of government in this building. It’s historic, it’s important and it’s government at work on behalf of the people.” Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Chattanooga law firm Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel recently announced that Steve Barham has been elected to serve as the firm's president and managing shareholder, succeeding Mark Cunningham. Barham previously served as chair of the Litigation & Risk Management Section and as the firm’s general counsel. “I am honored to take on this leadership role at Chambliss,” said Barham. “Throughout my time with the firm, we’ve seen incredible growth and success ... I am committed to supporting [our clients] in achieving their goals moving forward.” The firm also announced that John Jackson will succeed Barham as section chair while shareholder Andrew “Andy” Leffler will chair the Real Estate Practice Section. Barham said the pair "bring strong leadership and a commitment to fostering collaboration, and we look forward to seeing how they will continue to move our firm forward."

Linda Ruth Sloan Fizer died Feb. 7 after a brief illness. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Austin Peay State University and her law degree from Nashville School of Law. In 1980, Fizer opened her own law practice and became the first woman to open a private practice law firm in Cheatham County. In 1998, she moved her law office from Ashland City to Springfield. She initiated and served on the first governing board of Leadership Cheatham County and initiated and served on the first board of the Cheatham County Education Foundation. A visitation with the family was held Feb. 12. Memorial contributions may be sent to either Hospice Promise Foundation or Walden’s Puddle. Donations also may be sent in care of the Robertson County Funeral Home, 2201 Memorial Blvd., Springfield, TN 37172 for distribution.

TBA’s Entertainment & Sports Law Section will host its annual forum on May 7 at Belmont College of Law in Nashville. The event will feature discussions on the latest legal issues in the entertainment and sports industries. Registration opens at 11:15 a.m. with programming running from noon to 4:45 p.m. A networking reception will follow from 4:45-6:30 p.m. CDT. Speakers will include Nashville lawyers Steven Gaches, Jordan Keller with Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem, Bill Ramsey with Neal & Harwell, Tim Warnock with Loeb & Loeb, and Daniel Werly with the Tennessee Titans. Register online.

The 2025 Estate Planning and Probate Forum will take place Feb. 28 at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. The daylong event will feature expert speakers covering topics such as community property trusts, AI developments, a probate panel, ethics, legislative updates and much more. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, offering opportunities for networking with colleagues from across the state. Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. The program offers seven hours of CLE including two hours of dual credit. Section members receive discounted pricing. Not a member of the Estate Planning & Probate Section yet? Join here. For more information on the forum, to view the speaker line up and to register, visit TBA’s website.

Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge and TBA YLD President-elect Alex McVeagh announced the elected members of the 2025-2026 YLD Board this week. Those members serving on the executive committee are:

• Alex McVeagh — President
• Jennifer L. Sneed — President-elect
• Darius Walker Jr. — Vice President
• Zack Walden — Secretary
• Ashley Tipton — Treasurer
• Samantha Ellis — East Tennessee Governor
• Alix Rogers — Middle Tennessee Governor
• Faith Watson — West Tennessee Governor
• Sean Aiello — Immediate Past President
• Quinton Thompson — Past President
• Billy Leslie — Past President

Other elected positions are:

• District Representatives: Sydney Gilbert (1), Amanda Howard (2), Mari Jasa (3), Alexandra Jones (4), Claire Tuley (5), Amber Vargas (6), Alyssa Fox (7), Grace Burnett (8), Ginny Blake (9), Jack Wagster (10), Colton McGrew (11), Nicole Flowers (12), Shelby Combs (13) and Rod Watson (14)
• TBA House of Delegates: Mary Frances DeVoe, Lorne Hiller and Dale Hutcherson
• ABA YLD Tennessee/Kentucky Representative: Sean Aiello

Beyond services to its members, the YLD provides multiple programs a year across the state including expungement and name change clinics, essential documents for essential workers, debt relief, immigration and pro bono service clinics. The YLD also sponsors the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition — the largest public service project for the TBA. Other special initiatives for this term include sponsoring the Rural Judicial Fellowship program for law students, holding pro bono civil legal clinics for Tennessee's Recovery Court participants, and helping introduce diverse high school students and law students to the practice of law in the TBA YLD's Leadership and the Law Academy as well as its Diversity Leadership Institute. McVeagh appointed the following TBA members to lead various committees to undertake the significant public and membership initiatives of the YLD:

• Public Service Committee: Savannah Oliver
• Recovery Court Volunteer Program: Molly Green
• Diversity Committee: Jennifer Safstrom, Chicoya Gallman
• Diversity Leadership Institute: John Murphy, Raven Austin
• Leadership and the Law Academy: Ariel Anthony
• Membership Committee: Patrick Morrison
• Publications Committee: Brian Mounce
• Mock Trial Committee: John Jolley, Bridget Pyman, Ashley Tipton
• Long Range Planning Committee: Darius Walker Jr.
• Rural Judicial Fellowship Program: Zack Walden

A group of state attorneys general (AGs) have sued to stop efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to review federal government spending and recommend cuts, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that DOGE head Elon Musk was illegally appointed and given “unchecked legal authority” by the president without congressional approval. After a hearing today, a federal judge appeared inclined to deny a request to block access to sensitive records, but said she would rule on the issue within 24 hours. ABC has that development. In another suit, the Association of Administrative Law Judges has joined two federal employee unions in seeking to block DOGE from accessing workers’ personal and employment records. That suit alleges that the disclosure of such information violates the Privacy Act and poses a security risk to federal workers. Read the filing.

Nashville attorney Darius Walker Jr. will serve as the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) president in 2027-2028. His election to the post was uncontested. After taking office as vice president at this summer's TBA Convention, Walker will become president-elect in June 2026 and president in June 2027. He has served as YLD treasurer for the last three years and is a member of the TBALL class of 2025. Walker earned his law degree from The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and is an associate at Ogletree Deakins in their Sports and Entertainment Industry Group. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Civil Rights Law and Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star.