Former State Rep. Brandon Ogles announced his campaign for Williamson County mayor, pledging to stand up for local residents against unchecked growth, overdevelopment and state funding, the Williamson Herald reports. Ogles, a Franklin native and former state lawmaker, highlighted his work on school safety legislation during his time in the General Assembly, including efforts to fund school resource officers and threat-assessment teams statewide. A former reserve deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Ogles said he hopes to bring his experience in public safety and fiscal policy to county government.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division and Belmont Law are looking for attorney volunteers for their wills clinic at the Belmont Ministry Center on Nov. 8 from 10 a.m 12:30 pm. CDT. Attorneys will assist with the drafting of simple wills, durable POA and healthcare POA using the Gavel platform. Please email ginny.blake@belmont.edu if you are interested or would like more information.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, joined by attorneys general from 24 other states, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on today urging the court to clarify that the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause does not guarantee automatic citizenship to everyone born in the United States. The states argue that lower courts have misinterpreted the clause to require automatic citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ residency or immigration status. “The idea that citizenship is guaranteed to everyone born in the United States doesn’t square with the plain language of the 14th Amendment or the way many government officials and legal analysts understood the law when it was adopted after the Civil War,” Skrmetti said in a press release.

Former state Rep. Robin Smith on Friday morning was sentenced to serve eight months in federal prison and a $7,500 fine for her leading part in what was termed "a lengthy conspiracy to cheat the state," The Chattanoogan reports. Smith, a former Republican lawmaker from Hixson, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud in connection with a kickback scheme involving former House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide, Cade Cothren. Prosecutors said the group used a fake company, Phoenix Solutions, to profit from state-funded mailer contracts. Smith, who testified against her co-defendants, will be on probation for a year after the sentence is served and is scheduled to report to prison Jan. 5.

The TBA will host its 2025 Environmental Law Forum on Dec. 5 in Nashville. The annual program, a staple for Tennessee lawyers and environmental professionals, will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST and include lunch. Attendees can expect timely updates on issues affecting the practice area, with discounted registration available for section members. Stay tuned for more information on the TBA website.

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Defendant-Appellant Davon Tooley appeals his sentence for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, arguing that the district court incorrectly counted his prior Kentucky conviction for second-degree manslaughter as a crime of violence under the Sentencing Guidelines. We agree, VACATE Tooley’s sentence, and REMAND for resentencing.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Alexandria Parrotta sued her employer, the Island Resort and Casino, for allegedly forcing her to resign rather than accommodating her needs as a new mother. But it turns out that the Casino is owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, a federally recognized Indian tribe. So the district court dismissed Parrotta’s claims, holding them to be barred by the tribe’s sovereign immunity from suit. We agree, so we affirm.

The Defendant, Leon Noel, pled guilty to several offenses over a period of years, and the trial court suspended each of his sentences to probation. In 2024, the State alleged that he violated a special condition requiring inpatient drug treatment. Following a revocation hearing, the trial court found a violation on that basis and ordered him to serve the balance of each of his sentences in confinement. On appeal, the Defendant contends that his conduct amounted only to a technical violation and that the trial court erred in revoking all of his suspended sentence. Upon our review, we conclude that the record does not establish whether the treatment condition applied to the suspended sentences in four of the cases, and we remand those cases for additional findings. As to the remaining case, which includes suspended felony and misdemeanor sentences, we hold that the violation constituted a first instance of a technical violation. The trial court, therefore, lacked authority to revoke the suspended felony sentence, but the revocation of the suspended misdemeanor sentence was within its discretion. We accordingly affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

Davidson County lawyer James Broderick Johnson was reinstated to the practice of law on Oct. 22. He had been suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Sept. 19 for three months with 30 days to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The court conditioned reinstatement on completion of an additional six hours of continuing legal education on subjects related to client relations, the management of a law practice and/or Rules of Professional Conduct regarding the board’s disciplinary actions. Johnson filed a petition for reinstatement on Oct. 9. The Board of Professional Responsibility found it to be satisfactory.

Jarvis T. Emerson, Defendant, appeals from his convictions for attempted first degree murder, especially aggravated burglary, three counts of assault, two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He received an effective sentence of fifty-five years. Defendant argues that: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions because the State failed to establish his identity; (2) the evidence was insufficient to support the assault charges because the proof did not show the victims reasonably feared imminent bodily injury; (3) the evidence was insufficient to show Defendant was previously convicted of a felony; (4) the conviction for especially aggravated burglary should be reduced to aggravated burglary because the State relied on serious bodily injury to prosecute both the attempted first degree murder and especially aggravated burglary convictions; (5) the trial court erred in ordering partial consecutive sentencing by failing to find the required State v. Wilkerson, 905 S.W.2d 933, 939 (Tenn. 1995), factors; (6) the State failed to prove Defendant was a Range II, multiple offender; and (7) Apprendi mandates that the jury find beyond a reasonable doubt the serious bodily injury enhancement for attempted first degree murder and that this requirement makes the enhancement for attempted first degree murder the “functional equivalent of an element of a greater offense.” After a thorough review, we determine that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions and that serious bodily injury is not an element of attempted first degree murder, such that a prosecution for both attempted first degree murder and especially aggravated burglary are prohibited by statute. We also determine Defendant has waived any challenge under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), and any challenge to his offender classification. However, we remand for a new sentencing hearing because the trial court failed to make the requisite findings before ordering partial consecutive sentencing. Accordingly, Defendant’s convictions are affirmed, and the matter is remanded to the trial court for a hearing on the manner of service of the sentences.