A man accused of carrying out a 2022 shooting spree in Memphis pleaded guilty Wednesday, concluding the case. Ezekiel Kelly pleaded guilty to all 28 charges he faced, including three counts of first-degree murder and commission of an act of terrorism. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. sentenced Kelly to three consecutive life sentences without parole for the murder charges, plus an additional 221 years for the other charges, The Daily Memphian reports. Kelly had been facing the death penalty and was set to go to trial Feb. 9, 2026. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Kelly’s plea spares the victims and their families from waiting years for closure.

Launching a new firm, whether fresh out of law school or starting a new career stage, can be exhilarating and terrifying. You can do everything the “right” way, but a lot of factors go into launching a business, and you probably haven’t thought about all of them. Let us help! Get checklists, white papers and technology advice in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

Join moderator and TBA YLD President Judge Alex McVeagh and four Tennessee judges for a one-hour conversation about their paths from first-generation lawyers to serving on the bench. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell, Davidson County General Sessions Judge Ana Escobar, Court of Appeals Judge John W. McClarty and 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge David Veile will share how they built their careers without direct ties to the legal profession, the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned along the way. Whether you are a first-generation attorney or simply interested in the journeys of those who serve in the judiciary, this program will offer practical insights, encouragement and a candid look at what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of the legal field. For more information and to register visit the TBA's website.

Davidson County lawyer Sornavidya Saba Sankar was transferred to disability inactive status on Aug. 8 for an indefinite period of time and until further order from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court also suspended all disciplinary proceedings pending against Sankar and closed all records relating to the disability proceeding.

Shelby County lawyer Gerald Denny Waggoner Jr. was reinstated to the practice of law on Aug. 8. Waggoner was suspended on Aug. 1, 2017, and again on July 11, 2023. The Tennessee Supreme Court also placed Waggoner on probation for two years. During each calendar year of probation, Waggoner must obtain an additional six hours of continuing legal education (CLE) on the proper handling of client funds and property, and engage a practice monitor. The monitor should meet with Waggoner monthly to review his office practices, client retainer agreements and trust accounts, and submit monthly reports to the Board of Professional Responsibility. Waggoner also was directed to employ a certified public accountant to review, reconcile and balance all trust accounts on a biannual basis for two years.

Retired Nashville General Sessions Judge William Higgins died Aug. 11 at the age of 86, The Tennessean reports. A graduate of Cohn High School and Vanderbilt University, Higgins went on to earn his law degree from the Nashville School of Law. After graduating, he served two years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, served on the Metro Nashville Council for three terms and practiced law for 13 years before running for the Davidson County General Sessions Court in 1980. He won that race and subsequently was elected to five terms. He was named presiding judge of the court in 2013. He retired in September 2022 to return to practicing law. At that time, the Tennessee legislature recognized his more than 40 years of service on the bench and lauded him as "one of the finest judges this State has ever produced.” Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet.

This appeal arises out of a divorce proceeding. The trial court granted appellee a divorce on the ground of inappropriate marital conduct by the appellant, divided the parties’ assets and debts, and entered a permanent parenting plan designating appellee as primary residential parent of the parties’ minor child, granting the parties equal co-parenting time, and providing appellee with sole decision-making authority with respect to the child. Appellant raises a number of issues on appeal; however, each of those issues has been waived due to appellant’s failure to comply with the relevant rules of briefing in this Court. Additionally, appellee argues that the trial court erred in awarding the parties equal co-parenting time and requests his attorney’s fees incurred on appeal pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 27-1-122. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. However, in the exercise of our discretion, we decline to find this appeal frivolous and further decline to award appellee his attorney’s fees and costs incurred on appeal.

Nashville’s longest serving criminal court judge died Aug. 11 at the age of 87, The Tennessean reports. Judge J. Randall Wyatt Jr. spent 43 years serving the judicial system, including eight years as a general sessions court judge and then as a criminal court judge. He retired in 2017. Two years later, his portrait was unveiled at the Justice A.A. Birch Building in front of family, friends and colleagues. While working as a Nashville Metro police officer, Wyatt studied at Middle Tennessee State University and then Vanderbilt University Law School. After receiving his law degree, Wyatt became an FBI special agent in Detroit. He later returned to Nashville and became an assistant district attorney, a legal advisor to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and then was elected as a general sessions judge. Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet.

This appeal concerns the trial court’s dismissal of a petition for an order of protection filed by the appellant mother against the appellee father. We affirm the trial court’s dismissal of the order of protection.

This is a health care liability case that centers around the application of the discovery rule. The trial court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss with prejudice after determining that the discovery rule did not toll the accrual of the statute of limitations to the time asserted by the plaintiff. The trial court based this determination on two independent bases. The first basis was predicated on certain information provided by the defendants, which was taken from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website. The trial court took judicial notice of this information and determined that it indicated that a reasonable person would have been able to discover the identity of the defendant. The second basis, an express alternative finding, stated that even if the information was not considered, sufficient information existed in exhibits attached to the plaintiff’s complaint to support its determination. The plaintiff appeals. We affirm.