A Decatur County jury convicted the Petitioner, Brendan Nathan Morgan, of aggravated sexual battery, and the trial court sentenced him to a term of ten years imprisonment. Thereafter, he filed a petition for post-conviction relief, asserting that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel at his trial. In relevant part, the Petitioner alleged that his trial counsel failed to conduct an adequate investigation, failed to adequately communicate with him, and failed to review the pretrial discovery with him before trial. After holding a hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief, and the Petitioner appealed. Upon our review, we respectfully affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

In its annual report, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is touting new initiatives that have led to a drop in crime. In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, DA Steve Mulroy described new crime-fighting initiatives, including the V11 program, which aims to expedite the prosecution of violent crimes, a 60% increase in trials, and a focus on shuttering or remediating nuisance properties. According to statistics from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, crime in Memphis was significantly lower than 2023's near-record highs. "The decreases are pretty significant," Mulroy said. "It's coming down from an unacceptably high level, and it's still too high, and we all have to acknowledge that, but five consecutive quarters of downward trends is a positive sign." Looking ahead, Mulroy says his office needs more paralegals as well as prosecutors in the Domestic Violence Unit, the Special Victims Unit and the Crime Strategies and Narcotics Prosecution Unit.

Florida lawyer Darian Boos Taylor was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on Feb. 7. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Taylor was placed on inactive status more than five years ago, on March 5, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Taylor’s petition for reinstatement was satisfactory. The court issued the reinstatement order on Feb. 11.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Law Review’s 2025 symposium, "The Ripple Effect: Examining the Supreme Court's Impact on the Public's Confidence in the Judicial Branch," will take place next week. The event will explore public trust in state and federal courts with discussions focused on judicial transparency, stare decisis and religious liberty jurisprudence. This year’s keynote presentation includes a panel of federal and state judges and justices to provide a unique "view from the bench." The event will be Feb. 21 at the law school. Register here.

The University of Tennessee College of Law’s Journal of Race, Gender & Social Justice will hold its 2025 symposium on Feb. 20. This year’s program will focus on the topic "Ballots & Barriers: New & Historic Challenges to Voting in Tennessee and Beyond.” The event will feature three panels on topics such as redistricting, disenfranchisement and voter restoration. A keynote address will be given by Case Western Reserve University law professor Atiba Ellis. Attorneys interested in attending can register here. Questions should be directed to Jeremiah McCauley or Emily Seguin. View a schedule for the day.

Mary Frances Rudy, Nashville School of Law (NSL) alumna and founder of Rudy Title & Escrow in Nashville, has been elected as the first woman to serve on the NSL Board of Trust. A native of Nashville, Rudy spent several years teaching before pursuing and completing her law degree in 1988. Early in her career, she practiced family law at Bradley & Van Sant and then Bruce, Weathers, Corley, Dughman & Lyle. In 1999, she founded her own title company and then co-founded the law firms Rudy, Wood and Winstead and Rudy & Partners in 2006. In 2017, she was honored at the school’s outstanding alumni of the year. NSL Dean William C. Koch Jr. said Rudy has enthusiastically supported the school’s historic mission for many years. “She has been an effective recruiter, and she has mentored many of our students and graduates." Read more about Rudy in a release from the school.

The Commercial Appeal is reporting that three TACOnganas food truck employees taken into custody Monday were arrested as part of an investigation into potential labor trafficking. A statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reads as follows: “ICE HSI Memphis [arrested] three Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. as part of a work site enforcement operation. This operation was based on information received related to potential labor trafficking. Two of the three men arrested had prior criminal convictions for immigration related violations." The paper reports that the Department of Labor has been investigating the company since November 2022. TACOnganas released a statement on Monday that it "complies with federal and local immigration laws."

Knoxville lawyer Herbert S. Sanger Jr. died Feb. 9 at the age of 88. A graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law, Sanger spent the bulk of his career working for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where he started as a staff attorney and rose through the ranks to become deputy general counsel, associate general counsel and finally general counsel in 1975. He served as board chair of the TVA Retirement System from 1975 to 1986. In 1986, Sanger transitioned to private practice, joining the law firm of Wagner, Myers & Sanger. He also served as an assistant professor of administrative law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Sanger retired after 57 years of practicing law. Services were held today in Fountain City. Memorial donations may be made to the Beckly Area Foundation’s Oak Hill High School Alumni Association under the Shelton and Rita Sanger Fund, 1210 S Kanawha St., Beckley, WV 25801.

Electronic voting for the TBA's vice presidential election will close tomorrow. Members should have received an email on Jan. 31 with a ballot for the two candidates running for vice president. The email was sent from Intelliscan Inc. If you did not receive the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder or with your firm’s IT administrator. If you have any questions about the election process, please contact elections@tnbar.org.

Join the TBA and President Ed Lanquist Jr. in traveling north to Louisville, Kentucky, for a unique CLE experience! Urban Bourbon includes four hours of dynamic CLE programming with special guest speakers Brian Haara (author of "Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America"), Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge W. Neal McBrayer, a welcome dinner at PROOF on Main and a tour and tastings at some of the most popular bourbon distilleries in the city. Urban Bourbon will take place April 4-5 in downtown Louisville. Programming will be held at the offices of the Louisville Bar Association, which is within walking distance of the host hotel. Get more information and register here.