As part of the TBA’s effort to help educate members about the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order — which solicited comments on seven areas of possible regulatory changes to the legal profession — the TBA Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force will hold a virtual town hall on Jan. 22 beginning at noon CST. This town hall, the first of several to be planned, will be geared toward attorneys who practice in rural areas. The event will start with a 20-minute presentation by University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Professors Ben Barton and Alex Long. Then McMinnville lawyer Mike Galligan will moderate a discussion about the seven issues presented in the order, including concerns and possible solutions. Attendees are encouraged to review the TBA’s Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page before attending. Register for the town hall here.

Candidates for Tennessee governor have begun collecting signatures for nominating petitions, formally launching the race ahead of the Aug. 6 primaries and the November election to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Lee. At least a dozen candidates have declared, including Republicans Marsha Blackburn, John Rose and Monty Fritts; Democrats Carnita Atwater and Jerri Green; and independent Lauren Pinkston. Petitions are due March 10. The Tennessean reports on the candidates.

In state legislative races, the Daily Memphian reports that six of the 13 House incumbents from Shelby County picked up qualifying petitions on Friday. They are: Democrats Larry Miller, Gabby Salinas and Torrey Harris, along with Republicans Mark White, John Gillespie and Kevin Vaughan. Two incumbent state senators from Shelby County — Democrat London Lamar and Republican Brent Taylor — also picked up qualifying petitions. In East Tennessee, according to Local 3 News, Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, has announced he will seek reelection in District 28 and Sevierville Republicans Reps. Fred Atchley and Andrew Farmer also will run for reelection. In Cocke County, Republicans Kenny Cody, Jeff Fanger and Michelle Lane, Democrat Sheila McMahan and Independent Larry Brown have announced their intentions to run for a seat being vacated by Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby. In District 20, Democrat Karen Gertz is running against incumbent Rep. Tom Stinnett, R-Friendsville. In Knoxville, Democratic Reps. Sam McKenzie and Gloria Johnson picked up petitions to run for reelection, as did Republican incumbents Reps. Dave Wright, Justin Lafferty and Jason Zachary. In District 18, Elliot Schuchardt picked up a petition to challenge incumbent Rep. Elaine Davis in the Republican primary. And for the Knox County Senate seat, Kent Morrell picked up a petition to challenge incumbent Rep. Richard Briggs in the Republican primary. WBIR has more on the races.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. Several students sued the University of Kentucky under Title IX, arguing that it failed to provide Division I sports teams for women in three sports: equestrian, field hockey, and lacrosse. After a bench trial, the district court found that the plaintiffs had not shown that enough female students at the University wanted to and had the ability to compete in these sports at the Division I level, as opposed to the existing club team level. Because the district court did not clearly err in making these findings and because the plaintiffs accept the validity of the interpretive guidance on which those findings are premised, we affirm.

JULIA SMITH GIBBONS, Circuit Judge. In this consolidated criminal appeal, Julianna Hawkins and Jimmy Crafton, Jr., challenge the sentences imposed upon them by the district court. Hawkins and Crafton both pled guilty to charges regarding their involvement in a conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Tennessee. The defendants now ask us to find that their sentences are unreasonable under our circuit’s precedent.

For the reasons discussed below, we affirm Crafton’s sentence as reasonable but reverse the district court’s order sentencing Hawkins and remand her case for resentencing.

The TBA Pro Bono Portal provides a centralized source for lawyers and law students to find pro bono opportunities across Tennessee, like the following case through West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS). A client is seeking conservatorship over their disabled mother. The client has been able to obtain a filled-out physician's affidavit, but it has expired. They are working to obtain a new one. Get more information about the requirements associated with this opportunity or browse other pro bono needs.

This appeal involves the termination of a mother’s parental rights to her special needs child. The trial court found by clear and convincing evidence that several grounds for termination were proven and that termination is in the best interest of the child. We reverse one ground for termination but otherwise affirm and remand for further proceedings.

Week of January 12, 2026 - January 16, 2026

Members of the 2026 TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) class gathered last weekend at Montgomery Bell State Park for an opening retreat. Programming included a TBALL Experiences panel with program alumni Cameron Hoffmeyer, Chris Ingram, Courtney Leyes and Martin Trimiew; a presentation on the history of TBALL and the Wilks Award with John Wilks and John Tarpley; and presentations by TBA President Heidi Barcus, Donna Yurdin with Credo Management Consulting, Nashville School of Law Dean Bill Koch, Deb Varallo with Varallo Public Relations, Brandon Gibson with Gov. Bill Lee's Office, Deputy Mayor & Director of HR for Madison County Terica Smith, and Nashville lawyer Randy Kinnard. The class also completed a leadership activity with Adventure Works and attended a session with PR expert Beth Wilson, which focused on building and maintaining an executive presence through confidence, communication, credibility, connection and composure. TBALL strives to equip participants with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders. See photos from the event.

Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles on Friday granted a temporary injunction in a lawsuit seeking greater access and transparency to executions in Tennessee. The Nashville Banner, which is one of the plaintiffs in the suit, reports that Myles ordered the following two changes in the state's lethal injection protocol. First, one hour prior to the entry of witnesses, all members of the execution team will put on PPE suits covering their identification badges and hair. They will also be offered a mask to further conceal their identities if they want. Second, official witnesses shall be moved to the witness room no later than 9:45 a.m., and the curtains to the execution chamber will be opened no later than 10 a.m. and remain open until the pronouncement of death. Myles ordered similar changes to the electrocution protocol. The decision comes after the state executed Byron Black on Aug. 5, 2025, and his lawyers said he had been "tortured." Attorneys for Christa Pike, scheduled to be executed on Sept. 30, also have challenged the protocol. A hearing on the state’s motion to dismiss that suit is set for Feb. 13.

Shelby County District Attorney (DA) Steve Mulroy last week said that Andrew Hayes, who was found guilty of murder in 2010, was wrongfully convicted. The Daily Memphian reports that Hayes was convicted partly because he confessed to the killing, but Mulroy's office now believes that confession to be false. "If the wrong person is behind bars, then the right person is out there somewhere, and we need to hold them accountable," Mulroy said. "This case I believe is a good example of that third reason for having a unit like the Justice Review Unit. Thanks to their work, we are both assisting and righting a wrong against Mr. Hayes but also bringing the right person to justice." The review unit has closed 533 cases, five of which have led to overturned convictions. It has 110 open cases, two of which are awaiting judicial decisions.