Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a federal judge to dismiss his human smuggling case, arguing the prosecution is a retaliatory effort by the Trump administration for their client's successful challenge to removal to El Salvador. The Associated Press reports they cite public attacks from Donald Trump and top officials as evidence of “vindictive prosecution,” claiming the government is trying to punish him and reshape public opinion after deporting him in 2019 despite a judge’s order protecting him from gang violence. Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. under a Supreme Court order to face the smuggling charges. The case arose from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. The legal team is seeking at least a hearing on the government’s motives. The Hill also reports on the developments.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that internal investigations conducted by Jones Day and Squire Patton Boggs for FirstEnergy Corp. are likely shielded from disclosure under attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine. The ruling stayed a lower court order requiring disclosure in a shareholder lawsuit, citing the Supreme Court’s Upjohn decision, which protects internal legal investigations. The appeals court emphasized that privilege applies regardless of whether advice is later used for business purposes while the work-product doctrine covers materials prepared amid extensive legal and regulatory actions. The decision follows FirstEnergy’s involvement in a bribery scandal tied to the former Ohio state House speaker and a $230 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2021. The ABA Journal has the story.

In this first edition of Voices of the YLD in 2026, Jillian McGauley reflects upon her experiences as a Rural Judicial Fellow during the summer of 2025. McGauley had the opportunity to work with General Sessions Judge Lee Bussart in Lewisburg. She writes about her meaningful experiences with the Marshall County Recovery and Mental Health Court Program. McGauley and five other law students participated in the inaugural Rural Judicial Fellowship (RJF) program led by YLD Middle Tennessee Governor Alix Rogers and YLD East Tennessee Governor Judge Zack Walden. Applications for the 2026 Rural Judicial Program are now available and are due on Feb. 27 by 5 p.m. CST. Originally from Kentucky, McGauley is a 2L at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. 

There’s more to starting a new firm than just having a great legal mind or a great team. There are many business decisions to be made, including determing the type of business entity to set up, the compensation structure for lawyers and legal assistants, and choosing a system for tracking and reporting finances. Get insights on these and other decisions that will need to be made in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will host “The Rookie Series: Compassionate Lawyering” webcast on Aug. 27 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will introduce attorneys to the principles of trauma-informed legal practice and explore how lawyers can better serve clients — especially those from marginalized or vulnerable backgrounds — by incorporating empathy and awareness into their work. Mental health professionals will join the discussion to examine how legal systems can unintentionally retraumatize clients and offer strategies for compassionate advocacy across various practice areas. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

Knox County lawyer Ray Hal Jenkins was suspended from the practice of law on Aug. 18 for two years. The Tennessee Supreme Court found that Jenkins committed professional misconduct by consuming alcohol on several occasions while performing his duties as judicial magistrate for the county. His actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4.

On Aug. 15, Hamilton County lawyer Steven Michael Hodgen was suspended from the practice of law for six years, with five years to be serve on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The Tennessee Supreme Court conditioned probation on the appointment of a practice monitor. The action was taken after the court found that Hodgen indicated in court pleadings that he represented a party he had never spoken with, prejudiced the rights of a third party, and failed to reasonably communicate with the client, act in a diligent manner, expedite the client’s litigation, timely respond to dispositive motions, and discuss the case and filings with the complainant. His actions were determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4(d) and 8.4(a), (c), and (d).

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett praised collegiality in the legal profession as essential to a well-functioning judicial system during remarks Monday at the Seventh Circuit Judicial Conference in Chicago. Barrett, a former Notre Dame law professor and Seventh Circuit judge appointed to the high court by President Donald Trump in 2020, said lawyers learn to argue without letting disagreement consume relationships. She also credited that professionalism with enabling the system to work, according to Bloomberg Law.

RITZ, Circuit Judge. Kyrrah Radaker-Carter appeals the denial of his motion to suppress pretrial identification evidence. We affirm.

The Defendant, John Mark Hall, appeals his Knox County jury conviction of domestic assault, for which he received a sentence of eleven months and twenty-nine days on unsupervised probation after service of 192 hours in jail. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the State committed prosecutorial misconduct during closing arguments, that the sufficiency and weight of the evidence was lacking, and that the trial court erred by failing to rule on his renewed motion for judgment of acquittal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 29. Discerning no error, we affirm.