A mother appeals the juvenile court’s order terminating her parental rights to her five children. The juvenile court found three grounds for termination and determined that termination was in the children’s best interests based on clear and convincing evidence. We affirm.

This appeal arises from a petition for judicial review of a decision of the Shelby County Civil Service Merit Board. The appellant worked as a cashier for the Shelby County Trustee’s Office and was terminated after she experienced a cash shortage and attempted to force balance. The Civil Service Merit Board conducted a review hearing and upheld the termination. The appellant sought judicial review in the chancery court, which likewise upheld the termination. The appellant filed this appeal claiming that her procedural due process rights were violated, her termination was not in accordance with the policies and procedures of Shelby County, and that the Civil Service Merit Board’s decision was arbitrary and capricious. Discerning no error, we affirm.

Montgomery County lawyer Edward Kendall White was resintated to the practice of law on Nov. 20. The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended White on Nov. 12 for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a complaint of misconduct. On Nov. 18, White filed a petition for dissolution of the suspension, arguing he had responded to the complaint and had complied with all conditions imposed. The board confirmed that it received a response that it deemed sufficient.

Former state Rep. Robin Smith is asking a Nashville federal judge to grant her probation and remove a $7,500 fine previously imposed on her in light of pardons for her two co-defendants. A motion filed with federal Judge Eli Richardson argues that Smith “should be resentenced to a term of probation and have the fine reduced to $0 in order to mitigate the manifest injustice that will result from Ms. Smith being the only one of the three conspirators to face criminal sanctions.” The other two individuals involved in the case, former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren, received presidential pardons earlier this month. Smith is due to report to federal prison on Jan. 5, 2026, to begin serving an eight-month sentence. Chattanoogan.com has the story.

Knox County Commissioner Rhonda Lee is seeking to replace retiring General Sessions Court Judge Andrew Jackson VI, Knox News reports. Jackson announced his retirement in October, effective at the end of the year. The county commission will name a replacement for Jackson to serve through the end of his term. Lee says that if she is not selected for the temporary appointment, she will run in August 2026 for the seat. The commission is seeking applications and resumes from candidates interested in finishing out Jackson’s term. It will interview candidates on Dec. 8.

The state has requested permission to appeal a Nashville chancellor's ruling that temporarily blocked the National Guard's deployment in Memphis. According to The Tennessean, the state filed paperwork with the Davidson County Chancery Court seeking to raise three issues: whether the state is able to benefit from the sovereign immunity waiver law, whether the plaintiffs have standing to sue, and whether Gov. Bill Lee violated state law in deploying the Guard. The state also asked the court to clarify if the request to appeal will trigger a stay of the temporary injunction. In related news, the plaintiffs in the case this week indicated they would seek legal action against the broader Memphis Safe Task Force given the "win" in the National Guard case. The Daily Memphian has more on that story. And while some have suggested the legislature should hold a special session to address issues raised in the suit, Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said he prefers the matter be resolved by the judicial system, according to the Tennessee Journal.

Nashville Metro Council members have appointed Jodie Bell to the Davidson County General Sessions Court, the Nashville Banner reports. Bell will fill a vacancy left by Judge Jim Todd, who was appointed to the Davidson County Criminal Court. Bell is a Nashville defense attorney who has advocated for increased indigent defense funding. Council member Clay Capp told colleagues that Bell is “widely known and universally respected” in the local legal community. She is married to former Nashville Mayor and current Davidson County Circuit Court Judge David Briley.

A Madison County jury convicted the Defendant, Aleriq Lorenzo Smith, of first degree premeditated murder, first degree felony murder, attempted first degree murder, and aggravated assault, among other offenses. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of life imprisonment. On appeal, the Defendant raises two principal issues. First, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his convictions. Second, he contends that the trial court erred in denying his motions to suppress his confession, asserting that he was not competent to knowingly and intelligently waive his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Upon our review, we conclude that the evidence is legally insufficient to sustain the Defendant’s conviction for aggravated assault, and we therefore vacate that conviction and dismiss the charge. We also remand the case for entry of corrected judgments reflecting the merger of his two first degree murder convictions. In all other respects, we respectfully affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The Defendant, Terrence Sanders, appeals the revocation of his probation and reinstatement of his original sentence in confinement, arguing that there was insufficient proof that his new arrest for domestic assault constituted a non-technical violation of his probation and that the trial court erred by failing to make appropriate findings in support of its decisions. We agree that the trial court failed to make adequate findings in support of its decisions to revoke the Defendant’s probation and order execution of the original judgment. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand for the trial court to make additional findings, in accordance with State v. Dagnan, 641 S.W.3d 751, 753 (Tenn. 2022), regarding whether the State proved a non-technical violation of probation by a preponderance of the evidence and, if so, the appropriate consequence to be imposed.

Petitioner, Ricky A. Davis, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, arguing that the post-conviction court erred in denying his claims that trial counsel was ineffective by permitting the jury to hear that he had a prior conviction for causing bodily injury while using or displaying a deadly weapon, failing to challenge the admissibility of testimony that Petitioner had possessed a gun the day before the shooting, and failing to object to the introduction of the key witness’s prior statement to police. Upon review of the entire record, the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.