After more than two weeks in detention in Alabama and Louisiana, Nashville Noticias journalist Estefany Rodríguez was freed on bond late Thursday afternoon. “Today we celebrate that Estefany has been released from the ICE detention center in Louisiana and is on her way home to be with her family,” Mike Holley, an attorney with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said in a statement. The group is representing Rodríguez in her habeas case against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An immigration judge approved Rodríguez's release on a $10,000 bond but federal officials initially reserved the right to appeal. They ultimately did not. The Nashville Banner has more on the developments

Williamson County leaders broke ground last week on a new juvenile justice center. WKRN reports that the new center will include six courtrooms, space to meet staff and filing demands, a secure juvenile detention center and an alternative learning center that will provide resources and programs for all county schools. According to Williamson County Juvenile Court, in 2019, juvenile services had an annual caseload of around 5,100 cases. They are projected to see 28,000 cases by 2044. The county anticipates opening the new center in 2028.

New Orleans-based law firm McGlinchey Stafford has filed for bankruptcy after announcing in January that it would close its Nashville office. According to the Nashville Post, the firm's statement of financial affairs reported $83.4 million in gross revenue in 2025, up slightly from $82.3 million in 2024. Relatedly, the firm had $15.5 million in assets and $13 million in total liabilities, which includes multiple individual wage claims. The 52-year-old firm also is involved in several ongoing legal cases nationwide, including two in which it is a named defendant.

Join members of the TBA Attorney Well Being Committee next week for a live interactive roundtable on how best to manage work-life balance as a legal professional. This 45 minute Zoom event on March 25 at 12:30 p.m. CDT will feature attorneys discussing their day-to-day practice and will provide effective tools for personal well-being. While geared toward law students and young lawyers, this free event is open to all TBA members, but registration is required. Questions and feedback are encouraged. Submit questions in advance to jword@tnbar.org.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and its Mock Trial Committee will hold the 2026 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition this weekend in Nashville. Today and Saturday, 16 teams will meet in a bid to be this year's state champion. Participating schools are: Agathos Classical School in Columbia, Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Clarksville High School, Cookeville High School, Chattanooga Southeast Home Education Association, Farragut High School in Knoxville, Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Maryville High School, Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, two teams from St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Signal Mountain High School, Unicoi County High School in Erwin and University School of Nashville. Students will present their best arguments in State of Tennessee v. Alex Callahan, a criminal case brought following the murder of a known mafia associate. This year's competition also will feature the second Artist in the Courtroom Contest. Tennessee's team winner and first place artist then will have the opportunity to represent the state at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 7-9. The Mock Trial Committee is led by Chair John Jolley, Vice Chair Bridget Pyman and Long Range Planning Coordinator Ashley Tipton. The state competition caps off the district competition process.

Thank you for your continued support of our International Law Section! As one of TBA's smallest sections, we appreciate each and every one of you and encourage you to stay connected with other international law practitioners in the state. To that end, the section's executive council currently has open positions. The executive council produces section-sponsored CLEs, develops and implements section initiatives, and provides feedback to TBA leadership on international law issues. If you are interested in joining, please email section coordinator Jamie Rhode with your bio for consideration.

In the meantime, we have some great CLEs coming up this spring. Next week, section chair Terry Olsen sits down with three Ottawa attorneys to discuss U.S.-Canada cross border hot topics in a one-hour webcast. Then on May 29 those same attorneys will provide an update during the International Law Forum 2026, which will be held in-person at the new TBA office in Nashville. More information about each CLE is below. Keep in mind that section members receive a discount on all section-sponsored CLE, so we hope to see you at both programs!

Immigration-related proposals continue to advance in both the state House and Senate according to multiple news sources. On Monday, the House passed three bills. The first would require school districts to track and report students by documentation status. That was a change from the original legislation, which would have allowed school districts to deny education to undocumented children. Now the bill must be reconciled with the Senate version, which allows districts to require tuition of undocumented children. The Nashville Banner and WPLN report on HB793/SB836.

The House also passed HB1704 making it a criminal offense to stay in Tennessee for more than 90 days after a final deportation order, and HB1705 giving attorneys general the power to investigate and withhold funding from state and local governments that fail to verify the citizenship of employees. In the Senate this week, members heard a second reading of SJR624 on Monday and then passed the resolution yesterday. It would amend Tennessee’s Constitution to codify that only U.S. citizens may vote in state elections. The Daily Memphian reports on these three measures.

Finally, the House passed HB2185 yesterday. It would authorize the state coordinator of elections to create an electronic portal to access U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data to verify immigration or citizenship status. This bill is scheduled to be considered by the Senate State and Local Government Committee on March 24.

YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will offer a special Women’s History Month event next Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. The program, “From Vision to Action: Women's Leadership in Community Change,” is designed to bring together women leaders who are working across different sectors to strengthen communities and expand opportunity. Speakers include Antricia Gordon with The Equity Alliance, Alexza Barajas Clark with EdTrust-Tennessee and Katina R. Beard with the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center. This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided for the first 50 in-person registrants. Register for the in-person program. A virtual option also will be available. ​​​​​​​Register for the virtual option.

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. Angry with his ex-girlfriend for breaking up with him and making him move out of her home, Marvin Johnson kidnapped and killed her thirteen-year-old son and then raped and robbed her. An Ohio jury convicted him for his actions and recommended the death penalty. He thereafter was sentenced to death. After exhausting his appeals in state court, Johnson filed a federal habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Johnson appeals the district court’s denial of that petition. While the case was pending before us, in 2024, the state court found Johnson seriously mentally ill, vacated his death sentence, and resentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The parties disagree about whether the new judgment renders Johnson’s petition moot and strips us of jurisdiction. It does not, save for those claims that concern the penalty phase of Johnson’s prosecution. So we move on to consider what remains of the two claims the district court certified: whether Johnson’s trial counsel was ineffective in allowing the jury to hear about Johnson’s criminal history and whether his appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to raise a Confrontation Clause claim in relation to statements made to police by a jailhouse informant. With any penalty-phase challenges now moot because of Johnson’s resentencing to life without parole, we review the claims before us as guilt-phase attacks. We AFFIRM.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. Andrew Golobic worked as an agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of his responsibilities was to monitor illegal immigrants and, if need be, to recommend detention or deportation. He used that authority, regrettably, to coerce immigrants to have sex with him. Golobic impeded investigations into his behavior by exchanging lenient supervision measures for other supervisees’ silence and by destroying evidence. A jury found him guilty of a wide range of federal crimes. The district court sentenced him to 144 months. We affirm.