Tennessee schools’ curricula soon will cover social media and internet safety. The Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act bans students from accessing social media over school internet except for educational purposes. According to WPLN, new state guidelines on social media safety direct schools to cover how information is distributed on social media, how social media manipulates behavior, the permanence of sharing materials online, spotting online predators, cyber bullying and recognizing potential misinformation when using AI, among other lessons. The new law comes on the heels of Tennessee banning the use of cellphones during classroom instruction.

A free legal clinic is set to open in Grundy County, offering residents access to legal advice regardless of income, according to the Grundy County Herald. The clinic will be operated by attorney Charlie Trost, a Beersheba Springs resident who retired two years ago after a 60-year legal career. Trost says he views community service as a responsibility of holding a law license. The clinic office will be located inside the Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic, where Trost will be available on Fridays to provide assistance on civil legal matters. The clinic will not handle criminal cases, divorces or child custody disputes. Trost cited rising costs and a shortage of lawyers in rural Tennessee as key reasons for the clinic, noting that many residents cannot afford legal services despite steady employment.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 7 directed Loudon County attorney William Anthony Paxton to inform the court within 30 days why the imposition of a one-year in suspension in Ohio should not also be imposed in Tennessee. The court states that if Paxton does not respond, it will impose the identical discipline imposed by the Supreme Court of Ohio on Nov. 25, 2025.

Georgia lawyer Heather Renee Hicks was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Jan. 6. She had been placed on inactive status more than five years ago, on May 11, 2017. The Board of Professional Responsibility reviewed the petition for reinstatement and determined it to be satisfactory.

Members of the Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's (TBA YLD) Diversity Committee held a networking mixer this month in Nashville, sponsored by Spencer Fane LLP. TABL and YLD members in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis should be on the lookout for networking mixers coming near them soon! See photos from the event. 

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) recently held its annual pro bono celebration in Chattanooga. This year’s event recognized Hall of Fame inductees Nadia Oliver with the Orange Grove Center and Charles Sereebutra with CBL Properties, both of Chattanooga, for their dedication to serving neighbors in need. The Charles W. “Buz” Dooley Pro Bono Attorneys Hall of Fame Celebration also featured Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater as the 2025 distinguished guest. The event also was attended by local attorneys, judges, firm partners, paralegals and donors. See photos from the celebration.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) held its Annual Meeting last month. During the event, leaders presented a number of awards. Shea Wellford, a shareholder with Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston, received the MBA’s highest award, the Judge Jerome Turner Lawyer’s Lawyer Award. The award recognizes a Memphis attorney who has practiced law for more than 15 years and embodies professionalism, civility and courtesy. In addition, Natalie Bursi, a shareholder with Lewis Thomason, received the Sam A. Myar Jr. Memorial Award, which honors an attorney under 40 years old who has shown dedication and commitment to the legal profession and local community. Finally, outgoing president Lauran Stimac presented President’s Awards to Lucie Brackin and Terrence Reed for their service as co-chairs of the MBA’s Leadership Forum and for revitalizing the mentorship program. See photos from the event or read more in a press release from the group.

ALICE M. BATCHELDER, Circuit Judge. In this case, a jury convicted a former county prosecutor on charges of Honest Services Wire Fraud, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 &1346, violations of the Travel Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1952(a)(3), and Federal Program Bribery, 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B). On appeal, the former prosecutor challenges both his conviction and sentence. We affirm.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. A jury convicted Jason Florence of one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(5)(B) and 2252A(b)(2). Prior to trial, the parties stipulated that Florence was previously convicted of possession and attempted possession of child pornography in 2015 and that Florence was on supervised release at the time of the conduct giving rise to the instant offense. At sentencing, the district court judge determined that Florence’s prior conviction rendered him subject to a statutory mandatory-minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b)(2). The court subsequently sentenced Florence to that minimum followed by a life term of supervised release. On appeal, Florence argues that his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights under Alleyne v. United States and Erlinger v. United States were violated by the failure to charge his prior conviction in the indictment and submit the fact of his prior conviction to the jury. He further argues that the district court erred by allowing his probation officer to testify about whether the officer believed that Florence was truthful when Florence told him about the provenance of the cell phone on which the child pornography was found. Finally, Florence challenges the district court’s imposition of a life term of supervised release as both procedurally and substantively unreasonable. For the reasons below, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

HERMANDORFER, Circuit Judge. This appeal stems from a gang war that unleashed mayhem and murder in the Memphis suburbs. For years, a group known as the Junk Yard Dogs—itself an offshoot of a gang called the Almighty Vice Lord Nation—sought to preserve its reputation and power by warring with rival gangs. Junk Yard Dogs members filled defined ranks, paid dues, and executed top-down orders to target rival gang members with violence. Their rivals would respond in kind, and the cycle would repeat. Those back-and-forth tensions boiled over in the summer of 2020. Over three months, the Junk Yard Dogs alone carried out five separate shootings that injured eleven victims and caused one death. In 2023, federal prosecutors obtained a grand-jury indictment against 15 of the Junk Yard Dogs. All but one were convicted of crimes ranging from racketeering conspiracy to murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering to firearm offenses—most by guilty plea. These appeals feature three Junk Yard Dogs members who instead went to trial: Tomarcus Baskerville, Thomas Smith, and Courtland Springfield. After lengthy proceedings, a jury convicted each of various racketeering, murder, and firearms crimes. Their appeals now raise six issues involving sufficiency-of-the-evidence challenges and alleged constitutional and sentencing errors. We affirm all of the defendants’ convictions. But consistent with the Government’s confession of sentencing error, we vacate Smith’s sentence and remand for resentencing.