Federal trial courts across the United States are issuing new orders restricting access to sealed documents following a directive from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOC) in response to recent cyberattacks on the judiciary’s case system. More than 20 courts have posted standing orders stating that while sealed documents may be filed through the Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, they cannot be viewed electronically. The move comes after the judiciary reported “sophisticated and persistent” cyberattacks that targeted sealed filings in espionage and other sensitive cases, with Bloomberg News reporting that Russian government hackers had infiltrated the system for years. The AOC said it is implementing a sealed document security system to address vulnerabilities and strengthen protections. The changes follow earlier restrictions this summer, including a July order from the Eastern District of Virginia requiring sealed documents be filed only in hard copy. A Senate classified briefing on Sept. 9 addressed the breach, which lawmakers said raised concerns about national security and the judiciary’s ability to safeguard sensitive records.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said significantly fewer individuals being held on state charges are being housed in the downtown Memphis jail, a move officials said could help free up taxpayer dollars. Local Memphis reports that it costs the county roughly $100 per day to hold one person at the jail and the state reimburses just $39 of that amount, leaving the county to cover the rest. According to the sheriff’s office, 113 incarcerated individuals have already been transferred to the Tennessee Department of Corrections and another 92 are scheduled to be moved this week. Officials said the process has been in the works for more than a month.

Crime reduction efforts under the Memphis Safe Task Force will begin this week and provide a “generational opportunity” to improve safety in the city, Gov. Bill Lee told reporters during a press conference in Memphis on Friday. The effort includes the deployment of the National Guard and an infusion of state money, the Daily Memphian reports. The federally led crime reduction effort coordinates 13 federal agencies with a range of state and local law enforcement. Lee said that all 13 agencies will have personnel on the ground in Memphis and the task force will expand in the city in phases over the next weeks and months. The Tennessee National Guard personnel, who will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service, will not make arrests or be armed unless requested by local officials. Tennessee has committed an additional $100 million in state funds explicitly for the task force, which will be coupled with federally funded resources. President Trump announced the Memphis Safe Task Force initiative during a Sept. 15 press conference in the Oval Office.

A Tennessee woman whose parents were killed in floodwaters after Hurricane Helene is suing the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday. Maureen Obrist alleges her parents would still be alive if the federal utility had given more warning to residents downstream of Nolichucky Dam near Greeneville, which it owns and operates, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Obrist is suing TVA on three counts of negligence, one count of negligent infliction of emotional distress and one count of negligent undertaking related to the utility’s responsibility to coordinate warnings with local and state agencies during emergencies. The lawsuit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

In this edition of Voices of the YLD, Constance Brown shares her views on the importance of pro bono service. In Finding Purpose Through Service: Why Helping Others Also Helps Us, she encourages readers to consider pro bono work as not just a responsibility of the profession but as an opportunity to help others but as a way to transform yourself. Brown is an anti-blight prosecutor for the city of Memphis. She received her master of business administration from Bellhaven University and her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Brown serves on the TBA YLD Board's Long Range Planning Committee and on the Public Service Committee as the representative of the west working on recovery court efforts. If you are interested in submitting a piece for Voices of the YLD, contact Brian Mounce, YLD's Publication Committee chair.

TBA's Young Lawyers Division District Representative Jack Wagster held an Essential Documents for Essential Workers (EDEW) clinic in Dickson County last week. Three attorneys and two paralegals from Eden Firm PLLC and Ramsey Thornton Barrett Osborn PLC provided wills, living wills and powers of attorney to multiple members of the Dickson Fire Department and their families. See a photo from the event. 

Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) visited Vanderbilt University Law School, Belmont University College of Law, University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law and Nashville School of Law in September to connect with law students across the state. The visits are part of the group's annual fall outreach to all six Tennessee law schools. Throughout the visits, YLD leaders speak with students about their entry into the profession and share information about the TBA member benefits available for students. Membership, which is free to law students, provides access to continuing legal education and can increase students' professional knowledge, opportunities to network and savings on school supplies and insurance. Students from the DLI Class of 2025 and the inaugural Rural Judicial Fellowship program were on hand to share their experiences and to encourage their peers to apply. Thanks to YLD Board Members Samantha Ellis, Morgan Hanna, Lorne Hiller, Mari Jasa, Patrick Morrison, John Murphy, Jennifer Safstrom, Darius Walker Jr. and Kristen Walker, and law students Harry Crane, Savannah Grant, M. Clark Hill, Samantha McCrory, Jillian McGauley, Charlie Pritchett and Mary Martha Willson for their contributions to these events.

READLER, Circuit Judge. Two months after being released from prison, Shaun Kidd was accused of committing four violations of the conditions of his supervised release. Kidd largely admitted to three violations but contested the fourth. The district court found against Kidd on all four, revoked his release, and sentenced him to 14 months of imprisonment. On appeal, Kidd argues that the district court clearly erred in finding he committed the fourth violation. Because the other three violations render any error here harmless, we affirm.

The guardian ad litem filed a petition to terminate a mother’s parental rights to her child. After the mother failed to respond, the guardian ad litem moved for entry of a default judgment against her. The mother appeared pro se at the default judgment hearing and requested a continuance to allow for court appointed counsel. The court found the mother was entitled to appointed counsel but denied the continuance. After hearing the petitioner’s proof, the court found clear and convincing evidence of multiple grounds for termination and that termination of the mother’s parental rights was in the child’s best interest. Under the circumstances, we conclude that the court erred in denying the mother a continuance to consult with counsel. So we vacate the termination of the mother’s parental rights and remand for further proceedings.

September 15, 2025 - September 19, 2025.