Registration is now open for the next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits, set for July 19 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Prospective clients should register by July 15. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

Bradley County Juvenile Court recently hosted its 14th Junior Master Gardening graduation ceremony with 12 new graduates of the program, Chattanoogan.com reports. The program, overseen by General Sessions Judge Andrew B. Morgan, provides a positive learning experience for youth to develop leadership, responsibility and community pride through organized gardening activities. The court initiated the program in 2013 and has since graduated 159 graduates with only 16 individuals reoffending. “I’ve always believed the best way to ensure sustainability is through hard work,” Morgan says. “These kids have learned valuable skills and have been mentored by some amazing volunteers who have shared both knowledge and a caring heart over the past several weeks.”

MURPHY, Circuit Judge. For years, Shannon Blick successfully served as a well-liked principal of an elementary school in the Ann Arbor Public School District. In 2019, however, the school district placed her on paid leave to investigate her role in a custodian’s over-billing scheme. The leave lasted two years, and the school district then terminated Blick’s contract. Blick brought this suit while still on leave. She alleged that various officials violated her freedoms of speech and association under the First Amendment. She also brought race-discrimination, due-process, and conspiracy claims against these officials. The district court rejected Blick’s First Amendment claims at the summary-judgment stage, and it dismissed the other claims on the pleadings.

Blick renews all claims on appeal. Although we find some of the district court’s reasoning open to debate, Blick has not shown a reversible error. She argues that the school district violated the First Amendment by imposing a prior restraint that barred her from speaking during her leave and by taking harmful actions against her in retaliation for her speech. But her lawyers leave us in the dark about what she wanted to say (for purposes of her “prior restraint” claim) or what she did say (for purposes of her “retaliation” claim). Blick also relies on adverse actions (such as the termination of her contract) that occurred after she filed her operative complaint. But we cannot consider these later events because her lawyers did not file a supplemental pleading to bring them into the case. And Blick’s opening brief merely regurgitates much of her response to the school district’s motion to dismiss. By doing so, it ignores several grounds on which the district court relied to dismiss Blick’s claims. This “cut-and-paste” briefing strategy thus does not preserve Blick’s challenges to much of the district court’s motion-to-dismiss decision. We affirm.

Sevier County native Keith Cole will be sworn in as the county’s newest general sessions judge on July 1. He was appointed by the Sevier County Board of Commissioners on Monday to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Jeff Rader earlier this month, WATE reports. Cole will serve until a special election is held in 2026. “I am deeply honored by the trust the Sevier County Board of Commissioners has placed in me. I look forward to tackling the challenges that come with this position and promise to do my absolute best for the people of Sevier County,” Cole said. Cole is a 2013 graduate of Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. He has worked as assistant district attorney in the Fourth Judicial District Attorney General's Office since 2014.

CHAD A. READLER, Circuit Judge. Relators allege that Allstate Insurance violated the False Claims Act by skirting its obligations under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. After multiple amendments by relators, the district court deemed their second amended complaint deficient in numerous respects and dismissed the case with prejudice. Because the complaint fails to state a claim for a violation of the False Claims Act, we affirm.

Cynthia “Cyndi” Fields Davis of Pikeville died June 24 at the age of 55. Davis was an attorney in private practice in Crossville. She earned her law degree from the Nashville School of Law. A celebration of life was held in Pikeville. Burial followed at the Blankenship Cemetery. Condolences may be shared at www.pikevillefuneralhome.com.

Question: If a county board of education receives funding for capital improvements from a municipality situated within the county, will the municipal legislative body be required to comply with state maintenance-of-effort obligations in its budget for subsequent years for the county board of education?

Opinion: Likely not. Tennessee’s maintenance-of-effort obligations only apply to local education agencies (LEAs) and the specific governmental entities required to fund the LEAs. Furthermore, maintenance-of-effort obligations likely do not apply to capital improvements.

Question: Does Tenn. Code Ann. § 5-1-202(c) apply to the offices of sheriff, register, county clerk, assessor of property, and trustee in Shelby County?

Opinion: Tennessee Code Annotated § 5-1-202(c) likely does not govern Shelby County’s current offices because the Shelby County Charter explicitly replaced “constitutional county officers” with “county charter officers.”

A news item in yesterday's issue of TBA Today inadvertently omitted the docket number to be cited when filing a comment about a proposed amendment to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, section 10.1. Comments should be submitted by July 26 and should reference docket number ADM2024-00922. Comments may be emailed to Appellate Court Clerk James Hivner or mailed to 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219.

Back by popular demand, the TBA is returning to Cuba Feb. 6-10, 2025! This uniquely designed program will explore Cuba’s rich and varied cultural heritage and feature local scholars, attorneys and entrepreneurs, all while providing six hours of CLE credit. Activities include an Ernest Hemingway tour, tour of Cuba’s classic cars, visit to the Museum of Cuban Art and more! Get trip details and instructions for registering.