Dr. Carnita Atwater picked up a petition Friday to run for Tennessee governor, Local Memphis reports. Atwater, a New Chicago resident and community advocate in Memphis, announced her candidacy on Facebook and met with supporters. She is running as a Democrat, joining a growing field of candidates according to Ballotpedia.

Attorney General Skrmetti announced in a press release that a settlement with Metropolis Technologies Inc. will end an investigation by his office into the private parking company. Metropolis will pay $8.75 million to cover consumer refunds, litigation costs and a free parking program, and will also be required to implement numerous changes to its business practices to promote transparency and protect consumers. Skrmetti’s office began investigating Metropolis in 2024 following consumer complaints alleging unclear pricing, inadequate signage, misleading notices and surprise fees caused by technology glitches. More than 300 complaints have been filed to date. Under the settlement, Metropolis must implement changes to its business practices, including clearer signage, pricing transparency, automatic refunds for wrongful charges and the creation of the Tennessee Parking Program, which will offer $2.25 million in free parking credits to eligible Tennessee consumers in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.

Judge Kevin Wilson, who presided over Collegedale Municipal Court for more than three decades, died Jan. 9, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Wilson, a 1981 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, was first elected in 1990, defeating incumbent Ray Dodson. It was the inaugural year the position was decided by popular vote after the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled the prior appointment system was unconstitutional according to the paper. Wilson was serving his fifth eight-year term at the time of his death. He had been reelected in 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2022. Wilson was an active member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference and the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conferences. Prior to joining the bench, he practiced for one year in Knoxville before opening the practice of Wilson & Wilson in 1982 in Chattanooga with his wife, Scarlett T. Wilson. In 2002, the firm name was changed to Kevin B. Wilson Law Offices. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Attorney volunteers are needed to help with several upcoming high school mock trial district competitions. On Feb. 7, lawyers are needed to help score the District 7 competition, which will take place at the Rutherford County Courthouse, S. Public Square, Murfreesboro 37130. Contact Alyssa Fox for more information and to volunteer. Volunteers also are needed Feb. 17-25 in Chattanooga to help score the state's largest district competition in District 5. Contact Mary Frances DeVoe to volunteer for that one. From Feb. 19-22, Shelby County needs lawyers and 2L and 3L law students for its District 14 competition at the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams Avenue, Memphis 38103. Contact Ameshia Forrest or Shante Oliver to volunteer.  Finally, Davidson County is seeking volunteers on the evening of Feb. 20-21 for the District 9 competition at the Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Nashville 37201. Contact Pooja Bery to volunteer.  For any of these opportunities, no mock trial experience is necessary. Those interested in volunteering at another district competition may find a list of all events on the TBA website. Teams advancing from district competitions will meet in Nashville on March 20-21 for the state competition hosted by the TBA Young Lawyers Division. Learn more about this year's competition.

Nashville will honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, celebrating King's impact on civil rights, justice and equality. Organized in part by the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, activities running Jan. 11-19 include worship services, panel discussions, youth programming, a march along historic Jefferson Street, the annual MLK Convocation at Tennessee State University, and the black-tie MLK Gala. Vanderbilt University also will host special programming, including a lecture by author and civil engineer Cheryl McKissack Daniel and a roundtable discussion on King’s writings and legacy. A schedule of events and additional details are available online.

The TBA YLD will present “The Rookie Series: Family Law Trends and Challenges,” a one-hour webcast scheduled for March 5 from noon to 1 p.m. CST, offering an overview of family law fundamentals, including marriage, divorce, child custody, support and property division. The program will explore the legal principles governing family relationships, the role of courts in resolving disputes, and current trends and challenges in family law practice, with practical examples for participants. Speakers include Julie Chapman of The Bowders Law Firm in Memphis, Elizabeth Connor of Germantown, Elizabeth "Libba" W. Fyke of Butler Sevier Hinsley & Reid in Memphis, and William Ross of Butler Sevier Hinsley & Reid in Memphis. More information is available on the TBA website.

There are more people than ever working in the U.S. legal sector according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Labor Department and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reuters reports that legal sector employment totaled a record-breaking 1,208,100 jobs last month. The count includes a range of legal workers at companies, law firms, government agencies and nonprofits, including paralegals and assistants. Overall U.S. employment growth slowed more than expected in December amid job losses in the construction, retail and manufacturing sectors, but the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4%.

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. A jury convicted Kelly Richards of trafficking minors, sexually exploiting children, and possessing a firearm as a felon. Richards now appeals his conviction and sentence. Finding no errors, we affirm.

MURPHY, Circuit Judge. Over 30 years ago, Donald Herb Johnson pleaded guilty to a brutal murder. He now claims that a Kentucky trial court failed to ensure he entered a knowing plea because it did not ask him if he knew that he was waiving his privilege against self- incrimination and right to a jury. He also claims that the trial court refused to consider all his mitigating evidence when sentencing him to death. But the Kentucky Supreme Court rejected both claims on the merits. To obtain habeas relief in federal court, then, Johnson must meet the demanding standards in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). He has not done so. The Kentucky Supreme Court reasonably found that the record showed Johnson knew his rights. And the Kentucky trial court considered all of Johnson’s mitigating evidence; it just did not find that evidence persuasive. So the district court rightly denied Johnson’s habeas petition. We affirm.

Billy Jack Reprogal, Defendant, admitted to violating the terms of his community-based alternative to incarceration (“community corrections”) sentence. Following a hearing, the court ordered Defendant to serve the balance of his sentence in confinement. Defendant claims the trial court erred because it failed to properly consider the ends of justice and the best interest of the public and Defendant when it sentenced him. Discerning no error, we affirm.