This appeal arises from the termination of a tenured schoolteacher. The trial court determined that the termination constituted an impermissible second punishment for conduct for which the schoolteacher had previously been suspended and ordered his reinstatement. Finding that the termination letter charged the schoolteacher with conduct which was not contemplated in the suspension letter, and with conduct which had not occurred at the time of the suspension, we reverse.

Mother appeals the trial court’s ruling approving her request to relocate with the parties’ older daughter but denying her request with regard to the parties’ younger son. We affirm.

Appellee filed a petition to modify parenting time and child support, and Appellant filed a countermotion and a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B motion for recusal of the trial judge. The trial court did not enter an order on Appellant’s motion for recusal, and there was no order transferring the case to another judge by interchange. The new judge made substantive rulings, and Appellant filed a motion to alter or amend asserting that the judge lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over the case because the requirements of Tennessee Supreme Court Rules 11 and 10B were not met. We agree. Vacated and remanded.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday unanimously passed the Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act, which would convert temporary district court judgeships in 10 states into permanent positions, Reuters reports. The measure now heads to President Biden for his signature. The legislation was introduced in 2023 after the U.S. Judicial Conference recommended that Congress extend or make permanent nine of the 10 temporary judgeships, and create two new appeals court positions and 66 new permanent district court seats. The conference cited rising caseloads for the expansion. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill in August to create the 66 trial court judgeships, which would be spaced out in six waves over a decade, starting in 2025. The House passed that measure last week though Biden has threatened to veto it.

Sessions from TBA's first-ever Conference on Artificial Intelligence & the Law (TCAIL) are now available on demand as individual programs or as a 1-click package. The conference explored the transformative impact of Generative AI on law practice, courtroom dynamics and practice management. Sessions now available include the impact of AI on the practice of law and legal operations; access to justice and AI; the ethical use of AI; and the use of AI as evidence. In addition, a judicial panel featuring Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell, Judge Tom Greenholtz, Judge Jimmy Turner and former judge Penny White explores the role AI plays in the courtroom. The TBA is committed to supporting legal professionals in the evolving AI landscape and is at the forefront of AI education. Check out all available AI-focused CLE programs. 

In its final meeting of the year Tuesday, the Nashville Metro Council approved Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $527 million capital spending plan, which includes allocations for a new juvenile justice center, infrastructure improvements, schools and maintenance work around the county, according to the Nashville Banner. The council also approved a sign permit for country singer Morgan Wallen’s downtown bar, reversing a decision made in May when the request was rejected 30-3.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its Annual Meeting recently. At the event, outgoing president Carlos Yunsan of the University of Tennessee College of Law passed the gavel to Jonathan Cooper, a criminal defense attorney at Knox Defense, Knox TN Today reports. During the meeting, members also elected officers for 2025, with Rachel Hurt of Arnett Baker Draper & Hagood being named president-elect, Ursula Bailey as treasurer, and Cathy Shuck of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital as secretary. Members also elected Kim Burnette of Arnett Baker Draper & Hagood, Meagan Collver of Lewis Thomason, Samuel Lee of the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office, and Scott Taylor of Bernstein Stair & McAdams LLP to the KBA Board of Governors. Three awards were presented. Wayne Kramer received the Governor's Award, the KBA’s highest award; Cathy Shuck received the Courage in the Face of Adversity Award; and Regina Koho was honored with an award for outstanding legal writing.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided today to hear a bid by TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to block a law that would force the sale of the app by Jan. 19, 2025, or be banned in the U.S. According to Reuters, the justices did not immediately act on an emergency request by TikTok and some of its users to block the potential ban, opting instead to hear arguments on the matter on Jan. 10, 2025. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban.

A DeKalb County grand jury indicted 31st Judicial District Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford on one count of reckless endangerment Monday, The Tennessean reports. Stanford is accused of firing his weapon while attempting to apprehend a man accused of a triple homicide in Warren County, according to authorities. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Stanford was pursuing a wanted fugitive when he fired his weapon, but there was "no immediate threat" to Stanford or others. Stanford has served as district attorney since 2022. The district serves Van Buren and Warren counties. Stanford's first court hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. CST on Jan. 7, 2025.

The share of first-year law school enrollment by racial and ethnic minority students remained steady overall in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that effectively ended race-conscious college admissions. The data released Monday by the American Bar Association covers 196 law schools and shows a total of 40,650 entering law students in 2024, a 4.5% increase from 2023. With regard to race and ethnicity, the data shows the following: white students made up 56.8% of first-year students, a slight 1.1% decrease from last year; Hispanic students held steady at 14.2%; Asian students saw the largest increase, rising from 7.8% to 9.8%; Black students dropped slightly from 7.8% to 7.7%; and students who did not report their race or ethnicity grew to 6.2%. According to Forbes, the 2024 class was being closely watched as the first to be admitted after the high court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.