In his first column as TBA president, Ed Lanquist Jr. shares his goals for the 2024-2025 bar year, pledging to continue to advocate for members across the state, pursue opportunities to roll back the professional privilege tax and work to increase Tennessee's investment in indigent representation.

This issue's "The Legal Life" feature recaps the TBA's Annual Convention held in Memphis June 12-15. Nashville lawyer Ed Lanquist Jr. was sworn in as TBA's 144th president, taking the gavel from Memphis lawyer Jim Barry. Read more about award winners honored, your new Board of Governors and updates from the Young Lawyers Division.

Tennessee Bar Association members who have died recently are memorialized.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division met during the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention in Memphis. On Friday, the group held its Annual Meeting during which Franklin attorney Sean Aiello took office as president. Others taking office were President-elect Alex McVeagh, Hamilton County General Sessions judge; Vice President Jen Sneed of Memphis; Secretary Ross Smith of Nashville; and Treasurer Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville. The 2024-2025 YLD Board met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first board meeting. On Friday evening, both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 boards met for the YLD annual dinner and gavel pass tradition. They were joined by members of the 2024 DLI Class for their graduation and the YLD Fellows for induction of new fellows. The YLD Fellows also elected new officers: Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers, president; Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson, vice president; Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell, secretary; and Memphis lawyer Nicole Grida, treasurer. Click the links above to see photos from the events.

A collaborative, path-breaking effort between the University of Tennessee College of Law and the College of Arts & Sciences aims to serve residents in Appalachia and the Mountain South by addressing community justice issues in the region. The center will bring together university resources, faculty, students and community members to help solve urgent and historically under-addressed issues in the region. The center is co-directed by College of Law Professor Wendy A. Bach and College of Arts & Sciences Department of Sociology Professor Michelle Brown. Read more in a press release from the school.

The U.S. Supreme Court today issued three rulings and indicated that the final opinions of the term will be issues on Monday. The court held that an obstruction law used to charge hundreds of rioters who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was improperly applied, according to NPR. The statute in question bars obstruction of an official proceeding, and the court found that it only applies in cases of evidence tampering, such as destruction of records or documents. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was disappointed by the decision, but emphasized its impact will be limited as no defendants were charged only with that offense. The Tennessean has more on how the ruling may shorten prison sentences for at least two people arrested in Tennessee.

The court also handed down its biggest decision on homelessness in decades, ruling that ordinances banning people from sleeping and camping in public places do not violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, reports the New York Times. Justice Sotomayor dissented, arguing that the decision focused only on the needs of cities but not the most vulnerable, noting that sleep is a biological necessity, and this decision forces “an impossible choice — either stay awake or be arrested."

Finally, the court overturned the landmark Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984) decision, cutting back sharply on the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws. CBS reports that the decision will likely have far-reaching effects on issues such as employment, environmental protection and health care. SCOTUSblog has more on all of these cases. Four cases remain to be decided, including whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution, AP reports.

Pauline Weaver will receive the Pickering Award of Achievement on Aug. 3 at the ABA 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago. Originally from England, Weaver came to the U.S. at the age of 11. She earned her bachelor’s and law degree (1979) from the University of Memphis. After passing the state bar of California in 1980, Weaver became a public defender for Alameda County and worked there until 2011. She was one of the first women in Alameda County to try a death penalty case. She has been active with the ABA, serving on its board of governors and as secretary. She has been involved with more than 100 boards and served as literacy volunteer and mentor for recent parolees. In 2014, she successfully nominated former federal judge Bernice Donald for the Pickering Award.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 24 suspended 17 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 15 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. Ten lawyers suspended this year also have been reinstated. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2024 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

In this divorce appeal, the husband challenges the trial court’s classification of real estate as marital property and its ruling regarding dissipation of the marital estate. Following a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

A teen resident of Youth Villages, who died last year after an altercation with staff, likely died of complications of a restraint used against her with a contributing factor of bronchial asthma, an autopsy report indicates. But the review could not say with certainty what happened to 17-year old Alegend Jones due to unclear video footage of the incident. The center says the autopsy clears staff of wrongdoing, the Daily Memphian reports. The report also states that if further information is made available, the report could be updated.