Acting U.S. Attorney for Tennessee’s Middle District Tom Jaworski has joined the Nashville office of Epstein Becker Green as a member of the firm. He will handle health care matters with a focus on investigations and enforcement. Jaworski served as acting U.S. attorney starting in October 2024 following the departure of Henry Leventis, who joined the Nashville office of Holland & Knight. Jaworski previously served as first assistant U.S. attorney. Prior to joining the Nashville-based prosecutor’s office, Jaworski served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division in Washington, D.C., where he focused on health care fraud, kickback crimes and money laundering. Read more in a release from the firm.

The U.S. Judicial Conference will not refer U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas or Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for probes into whether they violated ethics rules for alleged disclosure failures. Notification of the decision came in letters to two federal lawmakers and a conservative think tank that had sought the referrals. According to the ABA Journal, the lawmakers were concerned about reports that Thomas failed to disclose financial dealings with two wealthy individuals, while the Center for Renewing America sought Jackson’s referral based on allegations she failed to disclosure some of her husband’s consulting income as well as private contributions to her investiture celebration. The conference noted that both justices had amended their disclosure statements to address these issues, but also expressed skepticism that it even has the authority to refer justices to the DOJ.

The University of Memphis Cecil C Humphreys School of Law is hosting the American Moot Court Association (AMCA) National Tournament this weekend and is seeking volunteers to serve as judges on Saturday. Volunteer judges will ask questions, evaluate arguments and provide feedback to college student participants. Two-hour time slots available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST and from 1-3 p.m. CST. Sign up to volunteer here. Questions? Contact Derrick Shawver at dwshwyer@memphis.edu.

President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Justice Juan Merchan today sentenced Trump to an "unconditional discharge," in the case, making Trump the first U.S. president to take office with a felony criminal conviction, Reuters reports. Merchan said he was imposing the sentence sparing Trump jail, a fine or probation because the U.S. Constitution shields presidents from criminal prosecution. But he said the protections afforded to the office "do not reduce the seriousness of a crime or justify its commission in any way." The sentencing took place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, SCOTUSblog reports. Trump has pledged to appeal the conviction.

State Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, has revealed nine allegations that he says are grounds for the removal of Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. According to the Daily Memphian, Taylor laid out his case at the Memphis Police Association headquarters this week. Among his allegations, Taylor says that Mulroy unethically colludes with judges and circumvents the authority of the Tennessee legislature, and that his office no longer opposes parole for first-degree murder convictions, no longer opposes waivers for court costs and fines, and engages in race-based prosecution. Mulroy has mounted a public defense campaign, recently posting videos that push back on calls for his removal and demonstrating his compliance with Taylor’s record requests.

Defendant, Luke Jackson, appeals the denial of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, for which he is serving a fifteen-year sentence as a Range III offender. On appeal, Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea because (1) he did not fully understand the details of his plea agreement and (2) he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. He asserts that he was unaware that he would be sentenced outside of his range and that he entered the plea out of fear and lack of medical treatment while incarcerated. Following our review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Keion Hayes, pleaded guilty in the Sumner County Criminal Court to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-211 (2018) (subsequently amended) (voluntary manslaughter); 39-13-402 (2018) (aggravated robbery). The Defendant received an agreed-upon, eighteen-year sentence. The Defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas, which the trial court denied. On appeal, the Defendant argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Following their divorce, a mother informed her children’s father of her desire to move to Germany with the children. The father filed a petition opposing the move. The court found that the relocation was in the children’s best interest and modified the permanent parenting plan accordingly. On appeal, Father contends the evidence preponderates against some of the factual findings and that the court erred in weighing the statutory best-interest factors. Because the evidence does not preponderate against the court’s finding that relocation was in the children’s best interest, we affirm.