The Shelby County Veterans Court will have a new leader following the recent retirement of Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson. Current General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Christian Johnson will take over the court, effective March 1, the day Anderson officially retires, the Daily Memphian reports. The Veterans Court serves as a diversion program for criminal defendants who have served in the military, offering mental health and substance abuse counseling, as well as assistance in finding resources such as housing and employment. Johnson, a former Marine Corps Reserve and Army National Guard member, focused on his military background during his 2022 campaign. “I’m going to come in and continue things as they are and make sure everyone’s comfortable,” Johnson said. “If there are changes, they would be down the road, but I can’t foresee any.”

Pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.5 and Rule 43, Section 14, the following attorneys have been suspended in 2025 for failure to timely pay their annual registration fees and/or submit certification that all eligible funds are held in an IOLTA account. The annual registration fee is due and payable to the Board of Professional Responsibility on or before the first day of the attorney’s birth month of each year. Attorneys who have since complied with the requirements, and for whom notices have been received from the court, will be noted as reinstated.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 23 suspended 13 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; six of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. Recent reinstatements include eight lawyers in 2024, one in 2022 and one in 2021. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2025 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is mobilizing to assist victims of the wildfires in Southern California. Since erupting in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, the wildfires have reportedly burned more than 60 square miles of land and claimed at least 25 lives, making them some of the most destructive wildfires in the region's history, the ABA Journal reports. The ABA Young Lawyers Division's Disaster Legal Services program has supported survivors in the aftermath of presidentially declared disasters since 2007. Disaster Legal Services has responded to more than 300 declared disasters in 45 states and five U.S. territories. The program is now coordinating the delivery of free legal services in California. Former President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the state on Jan. 8 and directed federal aid to assist areas affected by the wildfires and straight-line winds. Volunteers can sign up using the Disaster Legal Services volunteer interest form or email director@abaylddls.org. Members can also donate to support free civil legal aid for victims of the Southern California wildfires.

Federal lawmakers from Tennessee announced Thursday they introduced a bill aimed at increasing music-related tourism across the U.S. The "American Music Tourism Act of 2025" was introduced by Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-TN, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, with Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán, D-CA, co-leading the effort, WBIR reports. The bill directs the assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism to facilitate incentives and conferences to boost music tourism. It also emphasizes promoting "rural and other destinations" rich in cultural heritage or ecological tourism for international meetings, conferences or exhibitions. The secretary would also be tasked with identifying key locations and events tied to music tourism and promoting them, with leaders required to report on progress.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) announced that workers' compensation insurance premiums will decline for most Tennessee businesses in 2025, marking the 12th consecutive year of decreases. On Dec. 27, 2024, TDCI Commissioner Carter Lawrence signed an order approving a 3.6% overall loss cost decrease for the voluntary market, effective March 1, on new and renewal policies. This rate decrease allows carriers to blend the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) loss cost filings with company experience and expenses to set premiums for the coming year. According to a TDCI press release, Tennessee employers have seen substantial savings since the state's workers' compensation system reforms began in 2014. "Lower premiums allow business owners to have the flexibility they need to reinvest in their companies. I thank the Department of Commerce and Insurance for its work to serve Tennesseans," said Gov. Bill Lee.

The Tennessee Innocence Project (TIP), in partnership with the Innocence Project, successfully vacated the wrongful conviction of Scott Minton, who spent 31 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. The district attorney's office for Tennessee's 10th Judicial District on Jan. 23 dismissed all charges against Minton related to the 1994 aggravated rape, kidnapping and robbery of a woman. According to TIP, Minton's wrongful conviction resulted from tunnel vision, eyewitness misidentification — the leading contributor to wrongful convictions — and a false confession. Despite time-stamped receipts and 18 alibi witnesses proving he was in a different county at the time of the crime, Minton was convicted and spent over three decades in prison. "Exonerations like Scott's are why we do this work," says Jason Gichner, executive director of TIP. "They are a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the urgency of addressing wrongful convictions."

Memphis attorney Rebekka Freeman Terrell has been named as a recipient of the Class of 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 Award from the University of Tennessee (UT). The awards program selects "exceptionally accomplished alumni professionals" from a variety of fields who have demonstrated service and leadership. Freeman Terrell is the chief administrative officer of the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk's Office and is on the board of directors for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center and the Association for Women Attorneys - Memphis chapter. She is also a UT Promise scholarship mentor, volunteers with Shelby County Youth Court, and is an active member of the Memphis Junior League and National Black Prosecutors' Association. She also is a fellow of the Memphis Bar Foundation and a member of the TBA's Leadership Law (TBALL) 2025 class.

TBA's 20th Annual Bankruptcy Law Forum will take place in Chattanooga, May 16-18. Friday's programming will include a discussion on recent developments impacting mortgages in bankruptcies, a case law update and a "View from the Bench" session. On Saturday, attendees will participate in small group discussions with bankruptcy judges from across the state serving as group leaders. Programming on Sunday will cover ethical issues that arise in bankruptcy cases. Learn more or register. Bankruptcy Law Section members enjoy discounted registration. Join here.

Two teens are dead and two were injured after a shooting Wednesday at Antioch High School in Nashville. The Associated Press reports that Solomon Henderson, a Black 17-year-old student at the school, shot and killed Josselin Corea Escalante, who was 16 and Hispanic, in the school’s cafeteria, before turning the gun on himself. Henderson's online writings reportedly included dozens of pages of racist ideologies and calls for violence. The Tennessean reports that although the school has an AI-powered weapon detection software installed on cameras, the system did not detect the gun. The district has invested more than $1 million in the software since February 2023.