Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has announced three judicial appointments, including the selection of Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle Hixson for the Tennessee Supreme Court. Hixson will replace Justice Holly Kirby, who will retire at the end of June. Lee also named 26th Judicial District Chancellor Steve Maroney to the Western Section of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. He fills a vacancy that will be created when Judge Kenny Armstrong retires in February. Finally, Lee appointed Knoxville lawyer Rachel Hurt to the Eastern Section of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. A partner at Arnett, Baker, Draper, and Hagood and current president of the Knoxville Bar Association, Hurt will fill a vacancy created by the Jan. 12 retirement of Chief Judge D. Michael Swiney. In announcing the three, Lee said, “I am proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals and value the significant experience they will bring to their respective roles. I appreciate their leadership and am confident they will serve Tennesseans with integrity.” Read more about the appointees from the governor's office or the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts.

In this appeal, the employer asserts that the trial court erred in denying its motion for summary judgment based on its assertion that the employee failed to file a petition seeking workers’ compensation benefits in a timely manner. Following a hearing, the court found that the employer had negated an essential element of the employee’s claim but also concluded the employee had presented sufficient evidence regarding the insurer’s handling of his claims to establish disputed issues of material fact that preclude summary judgment. The court found that, if it credited the employee’s recitation of events, it could find that the employer’s or its insurer’s delays estopped them from relying on its statute of limitations defense. The employer has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we reverse the trial court’s decision and remand the case for the court to enter an order consistent with this opinion.

The Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hear in-person oral arguments in four cases on Feb. 12 in Knoxville at 9 a.m. EST. Cases to be considered include Gandy v. Marten Transport Ltd., Russell v. Benchmark Contractors LLC, Forrest v. Concrete Structures Inc. and Hernandez v. Wal-Mart Associates. Read more about the cases in the court’s blog.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. CST. During the session, participants will learn about consolidated net worth election for the franchise and excise tax. The webinar is part of a series the department offers to the public each quarter. Each webinar covers topics such as tax registration, sales and use tax, business tax, franchise and excise taxes, and how to get help from the Department of Revenue and other state agencies. Registration is available on the department’s website.

Shelby County lawyer Aaron Michael Connolly Nutting was reinstated to the practice of law on Jan. 16. He had been placed on inactive status more than five years ago, on Oct. 8, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported to the Tennessee Supreme Court that the petition for reinstatement was satisfactory.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has extended the deadline for commenting on its Sept. 16 order from March 16 to April 30. The order sought feedback from the legal community about potential changes to regulation of the profession “to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal service.” On Jan. 13, the Tennessee Bar Association filed a motion requesting that the court extend the deadline for comments to June 1. Comments now should be submitted by April 30 via email or by mail to James Hivner, Clerk, Re: Regulatory Reform, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219. Comments should reference docket No. ADM2025-01403. The TBA also is seeking feedback. Comments to its Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force should be submitted via email to townhall@tnbar.org. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page to learn more about the areas the court is reviewing.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has rejected proposed amendments to Rule 21 of the Rules of the Supreme Court that would have required Tennessee licensed attorneys to complete one hour of CLE credit every three years to address mental health and substance abuse disorders. The amendments were requested by the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. The court said it received comments on the proposal from the law firm of Baker Donelson, the Board of Professional Responsibility, the Commission on Continuing Legal Education, the Knoxville Bar Association, Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, the North Carolina Lawyers Assistance Program, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and many individual attorneys. Read the court's order.

The Lawyers' Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2026 grant program. Grants may be awarded in amounts up to $3,500 annually per applicant. Applications should be for programs that further the foundation’s mission. Applications are due by May 5 and should be submitted via email to lawmgcfoundation@gmail.com. Grant recipients will be acknowledged at the 2026 Annual LAW New Admittees’ Breakfast. Please note there are separate application forms for individual and organizational applicants. Learn more about the foundation’s mission and access the application forms online.

The American Bar Association (ABA) must face a conservative group’s lawsuit challenging the legality of its diversity scholarships for law students, Reuters reports. U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall denied the ABA's bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed in April by the American Alliance for Equal Rights. The alliance alleges that the 26-year-old Legal Opportunity Scholarship program discriminates against white applicants. The ABA argued that the group had no grounds to sue. The judge disagreed, finding that the group’s member — a white male who had applied to law school in 2025 and researched applying for the scholarship — had standing. Gottschall did not rule on the ABA’s claim that the program is protected by the First Amendment or that changes made to the program in October made it any more acceptable.

READLER, Circuit Judge. Facing mounting debt, Columbus-based Alliance Data Systems (ADS) spun off its LoyaltyOne division as a standalone company. As the spinoff was taking form, ADS executives pitched Loyalty to investors as a healthy business with long-term potential. But Loyalty was not without its challenges. In the months leading up to the spinoff, Loyalty’s crown jewel—its Canadian AIR MILES rewards program—began hemorrhaging clientele, culminating in the loss of its second largest customer a few months after the spinoff. And in the days ahead, those headwinds only grew stronger for Loyalty. Approximately a year and a half after the spinoff, Loyalty slid into bankruptcy, leaving investors in the red. Two funds within the investment firm Newtyn Management brought a class action on behalf of investors who, like Newtyn, purchased Loyalty’s stock, alleging securities fraud by ADS and three corporate executives. The district court, however, dismissed Newtyn’s complaint. To the district court’s mind, Newtyn both failed to explain in its complaint how defendants misled investors and failed to allege sufficiently defendants’ intent to do so. We agree and affirm.