The city of Selmer has elected its first Black woman alderman, WBBJ reports. LaShell Moore, a teacher in McNairy County Schools and a community leader, was sworn in Thursday. According to Moore, one of her goals is to unify the board so the town can thrive and grow. “Being the first African-American woman means a lot not only for me but also for women that will come after me. I am hoping that this will open the door for other women, not only women of color, but for women in general that want to serve in this capacity,” she said.

Gov. Bill Lee was elected in early December to serve as the chair of the Republican Governors Association. He will assume the position immediately and serve for a one year. In addition, Lee has been elected by fellow Appalachian governors to serve as co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) Federal-State Partnership. According to the Tennessee Journal, in this role, Lee will represent the 13 states in ARC's region and work with co-chair Gayle Manchin (wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia) who will represent federal interests for the group. The partnership focuses on investments for economic and community growth across the member states' 423 counties. ARC provides grants, publishes research and sponsors learning experiences.

Tax law and sports law will intersect at this TBA CLE covering the tax implications of the NCAA's new policy on name, image and likeness (NIL) activities. If college athletes can earn income on NIL deals, what does that mean for the tax obligations of all involved? Join E. Michael Brezina, a Knoxville attorney and law professor who also co-founded Next Level Athletics and Varsity Sports Group, for this fascinating discussion. The program will be held live in person on Feb. 1 in Knoxville at Tennessee Tax Law and livestreamed to Nashville at Lewis Thomason and Chattanooga at Olsen Law Firm.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Mock Trial Committee has released the case material for the 2024 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition. This year's criminal case, State of Tennessee v. Jules Capps, involves bickering neighbors — one a gambler behind in his debts and one distraught and blaming the other for his dog being sprayed by a skunk — and an evening of pranks and alleged revenge. In the aftermath, one neighbor is charged with vandalism (over $1,000), aggravated burglary, and first-degree murder (felony murder). But do the police have the right defendant? High school students across the state will make their best arguments at district mock trial competitions in February. Teams prevailing at district will advance to the state competition, taking place March 22-23 in Nashville. The problem, rules and other competition information can be found online. Sitting judges and attorneys are needed as volunteers. Those interested in helping can indicate their availability in this online form.

The New Lawyers Section of the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) is for attorneys within their first three years of practice and any member licensed since 2022. The group will hold a 2024 Welcome Reception on Jan. 30 from 5:30-7 p.m. EST at Barrelhouse by Gypsy Circus, 621 Lamar St. in Knoxville. Get more information or register for the event.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young said today in his first press conference since taking office that he plans to enforce a slate of ordinances passed by the Memphis City Council in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death, the Commercial Appeal reports. A few days before stepping down from office, former mayor Jim Strickland said he did not enforce the ordinances because he believed them to be “illegal,” MLK50 reports. The ordinances included prohibitions on police making traffic stops for low-level violations or in an unmarked vehicles. After the press conference, Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis said the department had been enforcing the ordinances as internal policies.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met recently to consider six applicants for an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court. After holding a public hearing and interviews, the council voted to advance Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J. Ross Dyer, presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Camille R. McMullen and Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Mary L. Wagner. The council has forwarded the names to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The vacancy will be created by the upcoming retirement of Justice Roger A. Page, effective Aug. 31. Read the council's press release.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Plaintiffs-Appellees Liberty Wellness, LLC and Jonathan Moses sued the City of Perry, Michigan, because the City refused to implement a voter-approved marijuana facility licensing scheme. Appellant Local Roots Cannabis Company moved to intervene because it had applied for and received a license under the City’s alternative licensing regime. But Liberty Wellness and the City settled their dispute and filed a stipulated dismissal before the court ruled on the intervention motion. The parties dismissed the action with prejudice but provided that the district court retained jurisdiction to enforce their settlement agreement. The district court effectively denied Local Roots’s motion to intervene as moot given the settlement and dismissal. We agree that the motion was moot and AFFIRM.

Defendant, Percy D. Thompson, was indicted by a Davidson County Grand Jury for the attempted first degree murder (count one) and aggravated assault (count two) of his wife. Following a bench trial, Defendant was convicted of the lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder in count one, and aggravated assault as charged in count two. The trial court sentenced Defendant to twelve years for count one and ten years for count two and merged the aggravated assault conviction into the attempted second degree murder conviction. Defendant appeals his convictions arguing the trial court failed to find him guilty of aggravated assault at the conclusion of the proof and therefore erred in sentencing him for count two and that the evidence was insufficient to support either of his convictions. Following our review of the record, including the briefs of the parties and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

This appeal arises from confirmation of an arbitration award. The appellants objected to confirmation, arguing that they lacked notice of the arbitration. One of the appellants also claimed that it never agreed to arbitrate. The winning party submitted that the objections were untimely and did not state a cognizable ground for vacatur under the Federal Arbitration Act. We vacate and remand.