This appeal arises from a breach of contract claim. The trial court granted Appellee’s motion for summary judgment after Appellant’s counsel failed to respond or otherwise appear to oppose the motion. Discerning no error, we affirm.

The Nashville Bar Association (NBA) recently released the results of a member poll for candidates running this year for judicial seats in Davidson County. Members evaluated three candidates for Criminal Court Division III, three candidates for Circuit Court Division III and two candidates for General Sessions Court Division VI. The group reports that 309 responses were received by the deadline of April 5. Results are reported as raw ballot results with no attempt to extrapolate results. The NBA says it conducts these polls from time-to-time to provide “valuable insight” so voters can make informed choices with the resulting goal of creating a “Nashville judiciary that is highly qualified and dedicated to a fair and equitable legal system.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently approved a $125 million settlement resolving claims that the federal judiciary overcharged users of its PACER electronic court records system for downloading documents. The appeals court determined that the settlement, approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March 2024, was fair and adequate. Under the agreement, each PACER user will be reimbursed up to $350. The U.S. government agreed to settle the case in October 2023. Read the latest from Law.com or learn more about the settlement terms on the class action website.

Morristown attorney Aaron Chapman is suspending his campaign for 3rd Judicial District Circuit Court judge and withdrawing from the appointment process to fill the seat in the interim, the Citizen Tribune reports. Chapman qualified to run in the Aug. 6 Republican primary to replace Judge William Erwin Phillips II of Rogersville, who was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. He also applied to be appointed to the seat by the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission. In a statement announcing the decision, Chapman said, “Upon much reconsideration I have found that I simply cannot be in a position to accept a potential appointment to the vacancy, pause my active practice, take further immediate efforts to wind down my practice, and effectively campaign for the August 6 election.” Two other candidates — Mark Stapleton of Rogersville and Crystal Jessee of Greeneville — also qualified to run for election. Because the vacancy commission was not able to forward three qualified applicants to the governor, Gov. Bill Lee may appoint any qualified individual to fill the vacancy until the election.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court's order allowing media to view more parts of state-run executions, the Associated Press reports. In January, a Nashville chancellor issued an injunction favoring a coalition of news organizations suing for greater access to execution proceedings. The high court’s ruling restores the previous process, which will remain in place during the appeals process. The state, which is opposed to the expansion, argues there is no constitutional right to observe executions and that additional access would risk exposing the identities of execution team members. Media organizations argue they have a constitutional and statutory right to observe executions in their entirety.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a blow to efforts by state lawmakers and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to force companies to open their employee pharmacy benefit manager plans (PMB) to other providers, the Tennessee Journal reports. On April 7, a three-judge panel held in McKee Foods Corp. v. BFP Inc. that the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts the “any willing provider” and anti-steering provisions in state law. The decision upheld a ruling from the district court and blocks the state from mandating network structures for self-funded worker health plans.

Vanderbilt University Law School has moved up two spots from 14 to 12 in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings released April 7. The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law also rose from 146 in 2025 to 140. Two Tennessee schools slipped slightly. The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law ranked 57 this year (down from 55 last year) while Belmont University College of Law ranked 85 (down from 84 last year). Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, which ranked 169 last year, slipped to the 175-194 category for schools in the bottom 10%, but came in 68 out of 78 for part-time schools. Nashville School of Law was not reviewed by the publication. Outside of Tennessee, Stanford Law School bumped Yale Law School from the top spot for the first time since the magazine began its rankings in 1990. Yale is now in second place, tied with the University of Chicago, according to Bloomberg Law. View the full rankings or rankings based on practice area.

Spencer Fane, which has offices in Hendersonville and Nashville, will merge with the Southwest firm Conner & Winters, according to a news release from the firm. The deal will expand the firm by 75 lawyers and add offices in Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas. The firm says the move reflects industry trends in which clients are looking for larger firms that can handle a higher volume of complex work across multiple locations. Law.com has more on the merger.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released a formal opinion on April 8 clarifying the ethical obligations of lawyers who possess information that could lead to a judge’s disqualification. Opinion 522 establishes that a lawyer’s role as an officer of the court requires the disclosure of such information to protect the integrity of the judicial process, provided disclosure does not violate client confidentiality. The rule “reinforces the principle that the legal profession bears a collective responsibility for the appearance of impartiality,” according to the committee. Read more in a press release.

On April 7, Hawkins County lawyer Emily Cross Morley received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Morley was hired to represent a client after a petition to recover personal property was filed against the client. The court found that Morley failed to notify the client of the trial date, which led to the court entering a judgement in favor of the opposing side in September 2024. The Supreme Court also found that Morley failed to communicate with the client about the outcome of the trial and judgment entered for 13 months. These actions were deemed to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 3.2 and 8.4.