The TBA’s Litigation Practice Section will host “Perspectives From the Bench: A Conversation with Justice Sarah Campbell and Justice Mary Wagner” on June 5 at the offices of Miller & Martin in Chattanooga. The event, part of the section’s ongoing speaker series, will feature a moderated discussion with the Tennessee Supreme Court justices, led by attorneys Mary Taylor Gallagher and Zac Greene. Topics will include the justices’ paths to the bench, mentorship, judicial interaction and the role of the Rule of Law in society. For more information and to register, visit TBA’s website.

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff-Appellant Holly Lawson appeals the grant of summary judgment to Defendants-Appellees in this 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action asserting that Lawson’s public-school coworkers, Defendants-Appellees Kayla Creely and Lori Franke, together with Defendants-Appellees School Superintendent Mark Kopp and the Franklin County, Kentucky Board of Education (the Board),1 violated her Fourth Amendment rights. We AFFIRM.

Defendant, Willie E. Spencer, appeals as of right from his guilty-pleaded convictions for three counts of sale of 0.5 grams or more of methamphetamine, for which the trial court imposed an effective sentence of twenty years. On appeal, Defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing a maximum in-range sentence. Following our review, we affirm.

The Defendant, Jeffery Lynn Sanders, appeals from the trial court’s revocation of his probation. On appeal, he alleges that (1) various procedural errors attended his revocation hearing, (2) no substantial evidence existed to support the finding of a violation of probation, and (3) the trial court abused its discretion by revoking his probation and ordering him to serve the remainder of his sentence in confinement.1 After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Billy Norman Forte, appeals from his jury conviction for second degree murder and his resulting twenty-one-year sentence. On appeal, the Defendant challenges (1) the trial court’s Ferguson remedy due to the State’s destruction of the recording of the Defendant’s 911 call; (2) the trial court’s ruling allowing the State to introduce evidence of the Defendant’s 1996 conviction for domestic assault against his ex-wife because the Defendant had opened the door to such evidence during his direct examination testimony; and (3) the trial court’s ruling prohibiting the Defendant from introducing certain evidence of the victim’s criminal history. After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles is calling for federal investigations into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, alleging the mayor is interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Ogles, who represents Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, said he will formally request that the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees open inquiries into whether O’Connell directed city agencies to obstruct or monitor ICE activity. According to NewsChannel 5, Ogles claims O’Connell instructed local police to report any communication with federal immigration authorities and encouraged the public to file complaints against officers who cooperate with ICE. Ogles publicly accused O’Connell of using his office to shield undocumented immigrants and block lawful enforcement efforts, and said he has shared those concerns with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A formal investigation has not been launched, but Ogles said he plans to move forward with the request.

Attorney well-being and burnout remain pressing concerns across corporate legal departments and law firms, according to the latest Bloomberg Law Attorney Workload and Hours Survey conducted in the second half of 2024. The survey gathered responses from attorneys on key issues including the gap between hours worked and billed, job satisfaction, retention trends, burnout rates and workflow efficiency. The findings offer insight into the current challenges facing the legal profession. A copy of the survey results is available for download at Bloomberg Law.

A federal jury on Friday found former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada guilty on 17 of 19 charges and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, guilty on all 19 counts. Casada and Cothren each face up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, and attorneys for both men said they plan to appeal, The Tennessean reports. Casada was acquitted on two fraud charges but convicted of conspiracy to commit theft and fraud, theft, bribery and kickbacks, honest services wire fraud, use of a fictitious name, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering. The trial included key testimony from former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, an alleged co-conspirator, as well as Office of Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley, both of whom played central roles in the prosecution’s case. Read more in a press release from the U.S. attorneys office.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill into law protecting educators and school contractors from disciplinary action and lawsuits if they misgender or deadname students, staff or others within their school district, WBIR reports. In addition, the new law shields public schools and districts from liability in such cases. Those who are disciplined may sue for monetary damages after going through a complaint process. The law, which was sponsored by Rep. Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, in the House and by Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, in the Senate, also prohibits schools and teachers from requiring students, employees or contractors to share preferred pronouns and names, and educators may not ask students to refer to them by a preferred pronoun. For institutions of higher education, the bill prohibits the disciplining of students, faculty, employees or contractors who refuse to provide preferred pronouns. The law went into effect on May 9.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled in favor of the City of Memphis in a lawsuit brought by Alicia Franklin, who was raped by Cleotha Abston in 2021. The court affirmed that the city is protected from suit over Franklin’s claims that Memphis police failed to properly investigate her case. Abston later kidnapped and killed Memphis schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher in 2022. Franklin alleged in her lawsuit that the Memphis Police Department could have prevented Fletcher’s abduction had her rape been thoroughly investigated in the year prior, The Daily Memphian reports. Abston was convicted in April 2024 in Franklin’s case and pleaded guilty in October 2024 to Fletcher’s abduction and killing.