Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw on Tuesday announced that Court Administrator Sam Mairs has retired. Mairs began his career at the court as a probation officer in November 1992 and worked in increasingly responsible positions for over 30 years. Former Juvenile Court Judge Suzanne Bailey had appointed him administrator in March 2011. Philyaw said that during Mairs' tenure, he was “instrumental in several initiatives that directly affect children and families, including Youth Court, Recovery Court, family law mediation and Safe Baby Court ... Under his leadership, we have improved facilities, invested in staff and implemented system changes to meet the needs of Hamilton County’s citizens." Read more from Chattanoogan.com.

After five decades operating as Larry R. Williams PLLC, the Nashville firm announced they have rebranded as The Williams Firm. Jonathan Williams, son of the firm's founder, now serves as owner and lead trial attorney, alongside a legal team including attorney Gregory Hazelwood. "This rebrand isn’t a departure from who we are — it’s a recommitment to our mission," Williams said. "The Williams Firm continues the legacy my father built by providing aggressive, compassionate representation to real people facing real challenges. We remain family-owned, deeply rooted in Nashville and focused on helping clients navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives." The firm's offices are at 315 Deaderick St., Ste. 1510, Nashville 37238 and can be reached at 615-256-8880 or www.lrwlawfirm.com. Read more in a press release from the firm.

The Tennessee Supreme Court permanently disbarred Hamilton County lawyer Alan Christopher Norton from the practice of law on June 4. The court reports that Norton consented to disbarment because he could not successfully defend himself against the disciplinary charges. The court found that Norton forged a chancellor’s signature on three court orders, forged the name of a Tennessee attorney on a fake motion, and forged a deposition transcript he provided to his client. These actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4, 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). The court had suspended him temporarily on Dec. 16, 2024, finding that he posed a threat of substantial harm to the public.

This appeal arises from a dispute between two municipalities and the district attorney general responsible for prosecuting cases in the jurisdiction in which the municipalities lie. The district attorney general threatened to cease the prosecution of cases in the courts of the municipalities and stated that he would only continue to do so if the municipalities provided an additional assistant attorney general position for his office or funding for such a position. The district attorney general justifies his threat by citing Tennessee Code Annotated section 8-7-103(1), which he asserts requires municipalities to fund additional prosecutorial personnel in order for his duty to prosecute cases in municipal court to be triggered. The municipalities filed a complaint for writ of mandamus and later amended their claims to include a request for declaratory judgment. The trial court ordered that the municipalities were entitled to a declaratory judgment “that they ha[d] provided ‘sufficient personnel’” to the district attorney general and that he could not avoid the responsibility of prosecuting cases “by invoking Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-7-103(6).” The trial court also determined that the district attorney general had a “clear statutory mandate” and issued a “peremptory writ of mandamus” compelling the district attorney general to comply with the statute. The district attorney general appeals. Finding that Tennessee Code Annotated section 8-7-103(1)’s “personnel requirement” does not refer to prosecutorial personnel, we affirm in part and reverse in part.

The defendant, Rex A. Martin, was convicted by a Rutherford County Circuit Court jury of two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, assault, preventing another from making an emergency call, possession of a firearm while under a court order, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, for which he was sentenced to an effective term of fifteen years in the Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence as to seven of his eight convictions - aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, assault, preventing another from making an emergency call, and possessing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Following a thorough review of the record, the briefs, and oral arguments of the parties, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

This appeal involves statutory construction. Robert Bates and Laurel Diane Bates (“Mr. Bates” and “Ms. Bates,” “Plaintiffs” collectively) sued the City of Chattanooga, Individually and d/b/a the Brainerd Golf Course (“Defendant”) in the Circuit Court for Hamilton County (“the Trial Court”), alleging personal injuries, loss of services, and loss of consortium stemming from Mr. Bates’ fall on Defendant’s golf course. Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment relying on the Tennessee Recreational Use Statute (“the TRUS”), Tenn. Code Ann. § 70-7-101, et seq., which provides immunity to landowners who open their property to recreational use. The Trial Court held that Defendant, the landowner, was immune under the TRUS because Mr. Bates was on Defendant’s property to play golf, and golf is comparable to the non-exclusive list of recreational activities found at Tenn. Code Ann. § 70-7-102. No exception to the TRUS was found to apply. Plaintiffs appeal, arguing that golf is not an activity like those listed at Section 102 of the TRUS. Plaintiffs argue further that the fact Mr. Bates paid to play on Defendant’s golf course means Defendant is not entitled to immunity. We hold, inter alia, that golf is sufficiently comparable to Section 102 enumerated activities, particularly hiking, sightseeing, and target shooting, such that Defendant is entitled to immunity under the TRUS. In addition, the fact that Mr. Bates paid to play on Defendant’s golf course is not dispositive because the TRUS has no applicable consideration exception. We affirm.

Judge Steve Sword was honored at an investiture ceremony on June 2 following his appointment to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals by Gov. Bill Lee. The ceremony, held in the historic Supreme Court Building in Knoxville, celebrated Sword’s transition to the appellate bench after 14 years of service with the Knox County Criminal Court, WBIR reports. Surrounded by fellow judges, lawmakers and family, Sword reflected on the honor of continuing his judicial service and paid tribute to his wife, children and late predecessor, Judge James Curwood Witt Jr. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby called Sword “one of our state’s finest.” He was appointed by Lee on Feb. 28 and confirmed by the General Assembly in March.

Federal sentencing dates have been set for the five former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols, the Daily Memphian reports. Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith will be sentenced on June 16. Both were convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for witness tampering during the 2024 federal trial and face up to 20 years in federal prison. Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills Jr. will be sentenced on June 17. Haley was convicted of four charges, including violating Nichols’ civil rights resulting in bodily injury, and faces up to 60 years in prison. Mills pleaded guilty before the trial and prosecutors are recommending 15 years for both his federal and state charges to be served concurrently. Emmitt Martin III, who also pleaded guilty, will be sentenced on June 18. Prosecutors have recommended a 40-year sentence on his federal charges, while Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy says he will wait until after federal sentencing to consider state charges. The sentencing dates come less than a month after Bean, Haley and Smith were acquitted of all state charges.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up two challenges to gun control laws in Maryland and Rhode Island, according to SCOTUSblog. In each case, three justices indicated they would have granted the petition for review, leaving the challengers one vote short of the four needed for the court to hear arguments. In Snope v. Brown, the court declined to decide whether Maryland’s ban on semiautomatic rifles, such as the AR-15 and AK-47, violates the Second Amendment. In Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island, the justices rejected a challenge to Rhode Island’s ban on large-capacity magazines, which state law defines as devices capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition for a semiautomatic weapon.

Gov. Bill Lee appointed Judge Jennifer Peck to the 11th Judicial District Circuit Court on May 9. She recently was sworn in by former Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Brandon Gibson, now chief operating officer in the governor’s office. Peck, a Chattanooga native, earned her law degree from Regent University in 2007 with the goal of becoming a judge. “I actually wanted to be a judge when I applied for law school,” she said. “It felt like a calling, a tug in my spirit, and that’s ultimately why I went to law school. It’s always been the goal.” Peck began presiding over cases in Hamilton County on May 12. Read more in Chattanoogan.com.