The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) is continuing its program to address the critical shortage of attorneys in rural Tennessee counties, while providing law students an opportunity for meaningful and enriching clerkship experiences. The Rural Judicial Fellowship (RJF) will give six rising 2L, 3L or 4L law students attending Tennessee law schools the opportunity to spend six weeks of the summer as a judicial law clerk in a legal community in rural Tennessee. The program will provide a $1,000 stipend and the opportunity to work directly with judges, gaining practical legal experience and fostering connections in underserved areas. Fellows also will be invited to attend the TBA's Annual Convention in June. View a flyer and access the application for more information. The deadline to apply is Feb. 27.

RITZ, Circuit Judge. A jury convicted Erik Maund, Adam Carey, and Bryon Brockway of various offenses related to a murder-for-hire. During jury deliberations, however, the district court inadvertently gave the jury several unadmitted exhibits and failed to provide some of the admitted exhibits. The district court only realized its error months after the verdict. Upon receiving notice of the error, defendants each moved for a new trial. After a hearing to determine the jury’s exposure to the unadmitted exhibits, the district court found its error to be structural and granted a new trial. The government appealed, arguing that the error was not structural, the harmless-error standard applies instead, and the error was harmless. We agree and reverse.

GRIFFIN, Circuit Judge. A tornado passed through Tennessee, damaging two properties owned by plaintiff Generation Changers Church (GCC). GCC filed a claim with its insurer, defendant Church Mutual Insurance Company (Church Mutual) to cover the damage. Although Church Mutual made a payment on the claim, GCC alleges that Church Mutual improperly calculated the amount. So GCC filed a putative class action on behalf of class members from ten states. The district court certified a class with respect to class members from four states but not the remaining six. It concluded that the unsettled nature of the law in these six states would make a ten-state class prohibitively unwieldy. GCC argues that the district court erred in this respect because it failed to conduct an adequate Erie1 analysis when addressing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3)’s predominance prong. Church Mutual counters that GCC lacks standing to assert claims on behalf of class members whose injuries arose under state laws other than Tennessee’s. We disagree that GCC lacks standing, and we agree that the district court abused its discretion by not conducting any Erie analysis with respect to five of the states—Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, and Texas. Accordingly, we vacate in part the order denying, in part, and granting, in part, class certification.

Defendant, Robert D. Rollings, pled guilty to second degree murder in 2012 in exchange for an effective thirty-year sentence. The trial court accepted the plea agreement and entered a judgment form reflecting the agreement. Nearly thirteen years later, in 2025, Defendant filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea, asserting that he was falsely imprisoned based on a judgment form that was not file-stamped by the trial court clerk. The trial court denied the motion. On appeal, Defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion, insisting that the lack of a file-stamp on his judgment form rendered his conviction not final and illegal. Because we find that Defendant has failed to file a timely notice of appeal and that the interest of justice does not support waiver, the appeal is dismissed.

The Defendant, Chris Green, was convicted by a Hawkins County Criminal Court jury of robbery and facilitation to commit aggravated assault, for which he received an effective sentence of twenty-five years’ incarceration as a Range III, persistent offender. The trial court also ordered the Defendant to pay $7,500 in fines as part of his sentence. On appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court erred by classifying him as a Range III, persistent offender because the State failed to prove he had received five qualifying prior felony convictions and because the trial court conducted an unconstitutional factual inquiry into the nature of the underlying offenses. The Defendant also argues the trial court failed to make sufficient findings to support its imposition of fines. Following our review, we reverse the Defendant’s sentences and remand for resentencing consistent with this opinion. Because we conclude that the State failed to meet its burden of proof regarding the Defendant’s sentencing range, we do not address the Defendant’s constitutional claim.

The mother of two minor children appeals the termination of her parental rights. The trial court found that multiple grounds for termination had been proven and that termination of her parental rights was in the children’s best interest. Finding no error, we affirm.

Appellant, Adrian Delk, has appealed an order of the Shelby County Circuit Court that was entered on March 13, 2025. We determine that the trial court’s order does not constitute a final appealable judgment. As a result, this Court lacks jurisdiction to consider this appeal. The appeal is, therefore, dismissed.

The following attorneys were suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 20, 2026, for failing to pay the state professional privilege tax pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 67-4-1702. Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 26, attorneys who are deemed noncompliant for 90 days or more are summarily suspended. Those who since have complied with the rule are noted as reinstated.

February 16, 2026 - February 20, 2026.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 20 suspended 71 attorneys who did not pay the annual professional privilege tax as required. The attorneys include those living in Tennessee as well as 11 other states. View the order or see the list with reinstatements noted. Access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.