The Petitioner, Kenneth George Arnold, appeals from the Hamilton County Criminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his convictions for rape, aggravated sexual battery, and sexual battery by an authority figure, for which he is serving an effective thirteen-year sentence. On appeal, he contends that the post-conviction court erred in denying relief on his claims that he received the ineffective assistance of pretrial, trial, and appellate counsel and that relief was required due to the cumulative effect of multiple instances of deficient performance by his attorneys in the conviction proceedings. We affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Thank you for your continued support of our Labor & Employment Law Section. As a reminder, our annual forum will take place on May 1. The program will feature sessions that delve into FTC non-competes and trade secrets, wage and hour issues, an ethics session covering sexual harassment and assault, and more. You won't want to miss this informative program, especially since your section membership includes a discount on all Labor & Employment-sponsored CLE!

In the meantime, you don’t have to wait to connect with colleagues: the section directory is a great resource for meeting other in-house attorneys or for referrals. We hope we see you at the forum, and if you have thoughts or ideas for future section initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

By order of the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 9, the law license of Hamilton County lawyer Johnny D. Houston Jr. was transferred to disability inactive status. Houston may not practice law while on disability inactive status. He may petition the court for reinstatement by showing that his disability has been removed.

Employment in the U.S. legal sector continued to grow in February, reaching a record high even as the broader economy shed jobs and the unemployment rate rose, Reuters reports. The total number of jobs in the legal sector, which includes lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants, was 1,237,600 in February, up 2,600 from January and 8.2% higher than five years earlier. This stands in contrast to the broader economy, with Friday's employment report showing the sixth decline in nonfarm ​payrolls by the Labor Department since January 2025.

Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez Florez was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week and is being held in a jail in Alabama, prompting support from national media organizations including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Nashville Post reports. Rodríguez, a Colombian immigrant who applied for political asylum in 2021, and has reported extensively on ICE operations in Middle Tennessee, was arrested outside a South Nashville gym. Her legal team claims the arrest lacked a warrant and has filed an emergency petition seeking her release, according to WKRN. In response, government attorneys said there was a warrant. They also state that her B2 tourist visa had expired, and claims of a work permit or asylum application do not negate the fact that "she is an undocumented alien." A hearing on the matter is expected on March 21.

A former Memphis Grizzlies security leader has sued the team, alleging his firing was illegal and based on his age and race, the Commercial Appeal reports. In 2023, according to the federal lawsuit, Godfrey Howard, who began working security for the team in 2001 and also serves as a Memphis police officer, claims he was passed over for two security leadership positions in favor of younger white men despite serving as interim director of team security in 2023. Howard, who is Black, was terminated in April 2024 without being given a reason, the lawsuit also states. After filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which dismissed the charge and issued a right-to-sue notice without making a determination on the merits, Howard filed suit alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and other equal rights laws. The Memphis Grizzlies declined to comment, citing a policy against discussing pending litigation.

The Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office announced it will begin implementing automatic expungements for certain cases starting March 23. Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn has advocated for legislation over the past two years aimed at allowing automatic expungements in the courtroom for cases that have been dismissed or identified as nolle prosequi with no costs. The effort is intended to simplify the process and ensure individuals do not leave the courtroom believing their case has been removed from their record when they otherwise would still need to file for an expungement. The clerk’s office said the new in-court procedure will apply only when a case is dismissed as nolle prosequi with no costs and will not apply to other court systems in the county.

Evalina Casey Cheadle died March 3 at the age of 69. Cheadle was born April 10, 1956, in Virginia and was raised in Nashville. She graduated from Harpeth Hall School and Vanderbilt University. After spending eight years as a special education teacher with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, she attended the Nashville School of Law. She earned her law degree and started her own law firm in 1988. In addition to maintaining a legal career until her death, Cheadle served for many years as a proctor for the Tennessee Bar Examination and was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Association. Visitation will be Friday from 1-2 p.m. CDT at Mount Olivet Funeral Home, 1101 Lebanon Pike, Nashville 37210. Burial will follow at 2 p.m CDT at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the John Cheadle Mitchell Scholarship Fund at the Nashville School of Law. The fund honors Cheadle's son, who preceded her in death.

Save the date for the TBA's 2026 Business Law Forum! The full-day program will take place on May 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the new TBA office in Nashville. Watch for more information coming soon. For updates and registration information, visit the TBA website.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee swore in Brian C. Lea on March 2 as a U.S. district judge, WBBJ reports. Lea fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. Lea earned his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2009 and, following law school, served as a law clerk to Judge Edward Earl Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. In between and following his clerkships, Lea worked in private practice. Most recently, he served as deputy associate attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination last month.