The TBA YLD has announced the opening of the 2026-2027 leadership appointment and election filing process. Those interested in an appointed position on the division's board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 15. For positions subject to election, petitions should be filed with YLD Secretary Zack Walden no later than Feb. 15. Candidates for vice president, secretary, treasurer, East Tennessee governor, Middle Tennessee governor and West Tennessee governor must submit a written petition with 25 or more signatures from TBA members in good standing. During this election cycle, the vice president must reside in the Eastern Grand Division of Tennessee. Candidates for district representatives in even-numbered districts (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14) require a self-nominating petition (additional signatures are not required). For more information or to download the appropriate petition visit the YLD Election Guidelines webpage. Elections for contested races will take place between Feb. 23 and March 8 by electronic voting. 

Are you interested in serving with the TBA in 2026? Several positions will be voted on this spring. Available opportunities include a new vice president from the Eastern Grand Division, three district governors and six grand division governors (two from each division) on the TBA Board of Governors, and four positions representing Tennessee in the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates. Learn more about these positions in the 2026 Election Notice published in the November/December 2025 issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal or download a nominating petition. Nominating petitions should be submitted no later than Jan. 15 to barED@tnbar.org. Questions? Visit the TBA’s election webpage for more information.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Nationwide Recovery had a towing permit with the City of Detroit. Under that permit, Nationwide could charge for recovering stolen vehicles. So it was to the company’s economic advantage to know where car thieves would stash vehicles after stripping them for parts. But the City suspected that at least one of Nationwide’s tow operators was bribing car-theft gangs for tips. Based on these suspicions, the City suspended the company’s tow permit without a hearing. In response, Nationwide sued the City, alleging a procedural due process violation. The district court held that the company had been deprived of its property interest without the required hearing, and it allowed additional discovery and briefing on damages. After almost five more years of litigation, the district court concluded that Nationwide was only entitled to nominal damages. Because the termination of Nationwide’s permit was justified, we affirm.

MURPHY, Circuit Judge. After Kevin Daniels committed an armed robbery, a jury convicted him of robbery and firearm offenses. The district court sentenced him to 181 months’ imprisonment. Daniels now raises eight issues on appeal. He claims that his convictions rest on constitutional, evidentiary, and instructional errors. And he claims that his sentence rests on mistaken guidelines calculations. Neither set of claims has merit. We thus affirm.

The Tennessee Bar Association is now offering membership at half dues rates. Join at the rate of $157.50 and get membership through June 30. Enjoy this discounted rate and still receive three free hours of CLE, TBA Today daily news, unlimited access to legal research in all 50 states and more. Lower dues rates also are available based on law-related income. Learn more about the benefits of membership and start the joining process here.

Defendant, Frank E. Fankam, was indicted by a Davidson County Grand Jury for one count of rape. A petit jury convicted Defendant as charged, and the trial court sentenced Defendant to ten years with one year to be served in confinement and nine years to be served on supervised probation. On appeal, Defendant asserts that: 1) it was plain error for the trial court to allow into evidence text messages between Defendant and the victim; 2) the State impermissibly delayed in bringing an indictment against him in order to gain a tactical advantage at trial; 3) the State committed prosecutorial misconduct in its cross- examination of Defendant and during closing argument; 4) the evidence was insufficient to sustain Defendant’s conviction; and 5) cumulative error requires reversal. Having reviewed the record and the arguments of the parties, we find no error and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

This is an appeal from an order dismissing an inmate’s Petition for Declaratory Judgment. Because the inmate did not file his notice of appeal with the Clerk of the Appellate Court within thirty days after entry of the order as required by Rule 4(a) of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, we dismiss the appeal.

The appellants filed an accelerated interlocutory appeal from the trial court’s denial of a recusal motion pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B. Due to numerous deficiencies in the motion, we affirm the trial court’s denial of the motion.

A Tennessee Senate panel has recommended a pilot program requiring detention officers at the privately run Trousdale Turner Correctional Center to wear body cameras following a 2025 riot at the facility, despite opposition from the state’s corrections commissioner, Tennessee Lookout reports. Lawmakers said body cameras could help protect officers and inmates and provide clearer evidence for criminal prosecutions, while Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada raised concerns about cost, privacy and the burden of reviewing video, instead promoting a central intelligence center using artificial intelligence and other technology. CoreCivic officials said the company would work with the state on policy but have not agreed to fund the equipment, as legislators continue to weigh oversight measures amid ongoing scrutiny of safety, staffing and violence at the prison.

Former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, will avoid jail time for her role in the Phoenix Solutions affair, the Nashville Banner newsletter reports. After co-conspirators — ex-Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren — received presidential pardons, Smith filed a motion in federal court on Nov. 19 seeking reconsideration of her original sentence: eight months in prison and a $7,500 fine. Since turning government witness, Smith originally received a lighter sentence than Cothren (30 months, $25,000) and Casada (three years, $30,000). Prosecutors said in response to Smith’s motion that a year of probation with no conditions or fine was appropriate, and a federal court filing on Monday amended Smith’s sentence as such. She was originally scheduled to report to federal prison in West Virginia on Monday but will now remain free.