Last week, the TBA communications team attended the National Association of Bar Executives’ annual Communications Section Workshop in Boise, Idaho. TBA staff members Stacey Shrader Joslin and Julia Wilburn served on a panel titled “Serving the Whole of Your Membership,” where Wilburn discussed efforts to support rural lawyers and Joslin highlighted TBA programming for members at all stages of their legal careers. Later that afternoon, staff member Azya Thornton moderated a social media roundtable discussion. See photos from the workshop.

Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal on Friday denied a motion for a restraining order in a lawsuit challenging Gov. Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis. Instead, she set a hearing on a temporary injunction for Nov. 3, according to the Commercial Appeal. Several local and state lawmakers filed the suit Friday against Lee and the state attorney general, seeking to immediately halt further National Guard activity. The lawsuit argues that Lee’s deployment violates the Tennessee Constitution and state law, citing a provision that states the militia “shall not be called into service except in case of rebellion or invasion, and then only when the General Assembly shall declare, by law, that the public safety requires it.” Gov. Lee's office defended the deployment saying, “The Tennessee National Guard is the state’s army under Tennessee law. As the commander-in-chief, Gov. Lee has the authority to authorize the Title 32 strategic mission to Memphis. We are confident the court will uphold the Governor’s constitutional authority.” WREG has more on that response.

Wilson County lawyer Kyle Bates Heckman received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 20. The court took the action after determining that Heckmen violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4(d). Heckman was hired to probate a client’s late husband’s estate. He filed a petition to probate the estate and then took no further action for five years despite statements to the client that he would do so. In another client matter, Heckman failed to take steps to probate a client’s father’s estate for five months, and failed to respond to 17 emails and multiple voicemails from the client.

Shelby County lawyer Julie Byrd Ashworth was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 20. The court took the action after determining that Ashworth violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6 and 3.5(b) when making comments during mediation and before a judge. Ashworth represented a wife in a divorce in which it was alleged that the wife had engaged in extramarital affairs. At an informal mediation and without the client’s permission, Ashworth told opposing counsel that she was aware that her client had been seen with another man. At a subsequent hearing, without opposing counsel being present, Ashworth responded to questions from the judge about her client’s alleged romantic relationship.

The 2025 Southeast Complex Litigation Conference will be held Oct. 29 at the Tennessee Bankers Association in Nashville, offering updates on mass torts, class actions and whistleblower cases. National litigators will discuss emerging litigation involving medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs and consumer products, as well as best practices for identifying, prosecuting and defending complex cases. Session topics include class actions and multidistrict litigation basics, whistleblower claims under the False Claims Act and key trends in aggregate litigation. Speakers include Mark Chalos of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein and Tricia Herzfeld of Herzfeld, Suetholz, Gastel, Leniski & Wall, with additional speakers and content to be announced in the coming weeks. For more details, to register and to stay updated, visit the TBA website.

MATHIS, Circuit Judge. Daniel Matthews and Markel Livingston participated in a drug-trafficking enterprise that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine. Matthews pleaded guilty to drug and firearm offenses. Livingston pleaded guilty to a drug offense. The district court sentenced Matthews to 228 months in prison and Livingston to 74 months in prison.

For the reasons above, we AFFIRM the district court’s judgments.

READLER, Circuit Judge. As they surveilled Devin Long, officers observed him engage in several suspected drug transactions. Based on these discoveries, a magistrate judge issued a warrant to search Long’s house for evidence related to drug trafficking. The search turned up a host of illegal firearms and drugs. Long later moved to suppress the fruits of the search. After the district court rebuffed that effort, Long pleaded guilty to two federal drug charges and two federal firearms charges.

We affirm the district court’s denial of the motion to suppress.

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. A thirty-five-minute standoff on a Nashville highway ended when nine police officers fired roughly thirty-three shots at Landon Eastep. Twelve shots struck and killed him. Mr. Eastep’s wife, Chelesy Eastep, sued the City of Nashville, the City of Mt. Juliet, and nine officers in these consolidated cases on behalf of her husband’s estate. She seeks relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of her husband’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force. The officer Defendants moved to dismiss, claiming qualified immunity. The district court denied their motion, and Defendants appeal. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM in part and REVERSE in part.

READLER, Circuit Judge. Charles Bozzo was fired from his job as a correctional officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections after a coworker accused him of making harassing comments. Years later, he sued two MDOC employees under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the pair violated Bozzo’s constitutional rights in terminating him. The district court dismissed the action on statute of limitations grounds and for failure to state a claim. We affirm.

A Knox County jury convicted the defendant, James Robert Howell, of four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and one count of assault by offensive or provocative touching, for which he received an effective sentence of four years and six months in confinement. On appeal, the defendant contends the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his convictions. The defendant also contends that the trial court erred in admitting hearsay evidence, in admitting evidence of prior abuse, and in imposing an excessive sentence. Additionally, the defendant claims improper argument by the State affected the verdict. After reviewing the record and considering the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.