Thank you for your continued support of our International Law Section! As one of TBA's smallest sections, we appreciate each and every one of you and encourage you to stay connected with other international law practitioners in the state. To that end, the section's executive council currently has open positions. The executive council produces section-sponsored CLEs, develops and implements section initiatives, and provides feedback to TBA leadership on international law issues. If you are interested in joining, please email section coordinator Jamie Rhode with your bio for consideration.

In the meantime, we have some great CLEs coming up this spring. Next week, section chair Terry Olsen sits down with three Ottawa attorneys to discuss U.S.-Canada cross border hot topics in a one-hour webcast. Then on May 29 those same attorneys will provide an update during the International Law Forum 2026, which will be held in-person at the new TBA office in Nashville. More information about each CLE is below. Keep in mind that section members receive a discount on all section-sponsored CLE, so we hope to see you at both programs!

Immigration-related proposals continue to advance in both the state House and Senate according to multiple news sources. On Monday, the House passed three bills. The first would require school districts to track and report students by documentation status. That was a change from the original legislation, which would have allowed school districts to deny education to undocumented children. Now the bill must be reconciled with the Senate version, which allows districts to require tuition of undocumented children. The Nashville Banner and WPLN report on HB793/SB836.

The House also passed HB1704 making it a criminal offense to stay in Tennessee for more than 90 days after a final deportation order, and HB1705 giving attorneys general the power to investigate and withhold funding from state and local governments that fail to verify the citizenship of employees. In the Senate this week, members heard a second reading of SJR624 on Monday and then passed the resolution yesterday. It would amend Tennessee’s Constitution to codify that only U.S. citizens may vote in state elections. The Daily Memphian reports on these three measures.

Finally, the House passed HB2185 yesterday. It would authorize the state coordinator of elections to create an electronic portal to access U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data to verify immigration or citizenship status. This bill is scheduled to be considered by the Senate State and Local Government Committee on March 24.

YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will offer a special Women’s History Month event next Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. The program, “From Vision to Action: Women's Leadership in Community Change,” is designed to bring together women leaders who are working across different sectors to strengthen communities and expand opportunity. Speakers include Antricia Gordon with The Equity Alliance, Alexza Barajas Clark with EdTrust-Tennessee and Katina R. Beard with the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center. This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided for the first 50 in-person registrants. Register for the in-person program. A virtual option also will be available. ​​​​​​​Register for the virtual option.

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. Angry with his ex-girlfriend for breaking up with him and making him move out of her home, Marvin Johnson kidnapped and killed her thirteen-year-old son and then raped and robbed her. An Ohio jury convicted him for his actions and recommended the death penalty. He thereafter was sentenced to death. After exhausting his appeals in state court, Johnson filed a federal habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Johnson appeals the district court’s denial of that petition. While the case was pending before us, in 2024, the state court found Johnson seriously mentally ill, vacated his death sentence, and resentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The parties disagree about whether the new judgment renders Johnson’s petition moot and strips us of jurisdiction. It does not, save for those claims that concern the penalty phase of Johnson’s prosecution. So we move on to consider what remains of the two claims the district court certified: whether Johnson’s trial counsel was ineffective in allowing the jury to hear about Johnson’s criminal history and whether his appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to raise a Confrontation Clause claim in relation to statements made to police by a jailhouse informant. With any penalty-phase challenges now moot because of Johnson’s resentencing to life without parole, we review the claims before us as guilt-phase attacks. We AFFIRM.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. Andrew Golobic worked as an agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of his responsibilities was to monitor illegal immigrants and, if need be, to recommend detention or deportation. He used that authority, regrettably, to coerce immigrants to have sex with him. Golobic impeded investigations into his behavior by exchanging lenient supervision measures for other supervisees’ silence and by destroying evidence. A jury found him guilty of a wide range of federal crimes. The district court sentenced him to 144 months. We affirm.

The Defendant, Stephen David Sterling, appeals from the trial court’s reinstatement of his original sentence in confinement following the revocation of his probation, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his request to enter an intensive residential drug and alcohol treatment program. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Justin Darnay Graves, appeals his convictions for the sale and delivery of heroin and the sale and delivery of methamphetamine in an amount of one-half gram or greater. On appeal, the Defendant argues that the State failed to establish that Madison County was the proper venue in which to prosecute him for these drug charges, contending the proof established that the transaction occurred entirely in Gibson County. After review, we affirm the Defendant’s convictions for the delivery counts. We reverse the Defendant’s convictions for the sale of heroin and methamphetamine and remand the case for further proceedings.

Legislation that would give 197 judges and chancellors across the state a pay raise is advancing in the state legislature, the Nashville Post reports. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB2329 on Feb. 24. The House Civil Justice Subcommittee approved its version of the bill HB2494 on March 11. The full Judiciary Committee was set to take up the bill today but deferred it to next week. The legislation would increase the salaries for supreme court, appellate and trial court judges. It also would restructure the current population-based system that determines compensation for general sessions judges. The change expands that system to include juvenile court judges, while creating a sliding salary scale. Any pay increases would not take effect until 2030 because judges are not allowed to receive pay raises during their term.

Attorneys from across the state gathered in Nashville on Wednesday for TBA's fourth annual "Day on the Hill." The day kicked off with remarks from House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland; Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga; and Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon. The TBA presented the three legislators with President's Awards from Immediate Past President Ed Lanquist Jr. for their work in improving the state's indigent representation system. Participants then met with more than 45 legislators to discuss issues impacting the legal profession and the practice of law. Members of the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2026 also joined the legislative visits for the first time. The day concluded with the TBA's annual Big Shrimp legislative reception, giving TBA leaders and members a chance to meet with legislators in a casual setting to continue conversations on topics important to the profession. See photos from the day.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) has announced the formation of a Pro Bono Advisory Board, a new initiative bringing together volunteer attorneys to help expand access to legal services for low-income individuals and families in the region. "Access to justice is a cornerstone of a fair and equitable society," said Andy Cole, WTLS pro bono managing attorney. "The formation of this board represents a meaningful step forward in our mission to serve those who need it most." Board members are Chair Rajanae Jones, Burch Porter & Johnson; Vice Chair Ameshia Forrest, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Secretary Nolen Mooney, Attorney at Law; Misty O’Neal, Law Office of Darrell J. O’Neal; Londyn Norman, Arnold Willis & Conway; Christina McConnell, Tennessee Department of Transportation; Nakota Wood, Fisher & Phillips; Kenneth Groce, Butler Snow; and Devarius Minor, Office of the Shelby County Public Defender. The board will work alongside WTLS staff to identify gaps in legal services, recruit and support volunteer attorneys and develop strategies to increase pro bono participation throughout the region. Read more in a press release.