Sean Williams, a prison escapee indicted in connection with multiple counts of state and federal child sex charges as well as rape charges, has been captured in Florida after a month-long manhunt, KnoxNews reports. Williams had escaped from a transport van while being moved from Kentucky to the U.S. District Court in Greeneville. His alleged crimes and arrest have become the subject of several lawsuits in Johnson City, where he lived and worked.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Tennessee Supreme Court vacancy that will be created by the retirement of Justice Roger A. Page effective Aug. 31, 2024. Interested applicants must be licensed attorneys who are at least 35 years of age, have been a resident of the state for five years and are currently a resident of Tennessee’s Eastern or Western Grand Division. Applicants must complete the designated application and submit it to the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon CST on Dec. 11. Get full application instructions on the court's website. The council will meet on Jan. 4-5 to hold a public hearing and interviews for the vacancy. Additional details about that meeting will be released soon. Questions about the process should be directed to Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson.

Need last minute CLE? The TBA will have everything you need to meet your yearly requirement! Sign up now to stay in the loop as TBA launches its Year End CLE event on Friday. This annual tradition will offer hour-based packages (ranging from six to 15 hours of credit), topical packages, live interactive webcasts and more than 200 programs on demand. Want to get started before Friday? Check out the courses available now at cle.tba.org. Don’t forget to use the prepaid credits that come with your TBA Complete Membership and save on your CLE costs. Not a member? Join now to start saving.

Daryl Hall, one half of the iconic music duo Hall & Oates, has sued and obtained a restraining order against John Oates. Though much of the suit and the order remain under seal, the AP reports that Hall is trying to stop Oates from selling his share in the joint venture Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to a management company. Hall argues the sale would violate a business agreement the two had forged. The suit was filed in Nashville on Nov. 15. Chancellor Russell Perkins issued a temporary restraining order the next day. The case is set for a court hearing on Thursday.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has unveiled a proposal that would require lawyers to certify that they either did not rely on artificial intelligence (AI) programs to draft briefs or that humans reviewed the accuracy of any text generated by AI in their filings. The court’s proposed rule appears to be the first by any of the nation's 13 federal appeals courts aimed at regulating the use of generative AI tools by lawyers appearing before it, Reuters reports.

A special three-judge panel of state court judges has found Tennessee state Senate district boundaries are unconstitutional, the Tennessean reports, giving the General Assembly until Jan. 31 to redraw the lines. Three voters, backed by the state Democratic party, sued Tennessee in 2022 over allegations that legislative Republicans unconstitutionally drew House and Senate maps to further entrench the GOP supermajority in the legislature.  The judicial panel sided with the state on the House map, with two of the three judges ruling it met constitutional requirements. Read the decision.

Newly appointed Circuit Court Judge Erin Nations talks about her family’s commitment to public service in an interview with the Williamson County Herald. Gov. Bill Lee recently appointed her to the 21st District Division III Circuit Court to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Judge Michael Binkley, who retired in September. Nations will face election for the remainder of Binkley’s term in next August’s county general election. See more photos.

Tennessee's first judicial district celebrated National Adoption Day last week with ceremonies that included the adoption of 12 children, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. “National Adoption Day holds a special place in my heart,” Chancellor John C. Rambo said. “There are few things that take place in the courtroom more rewarding than placing a child in a loving home. It’s a wonderful start to the Thanksgiving holiday week and something I look forward to every year.” This was the 10th annual celebration organized by Rambo since he took the bench in 2013. First Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Suzanne Cook also took part in the celebration.

The parents of a man killed inside the Shelby County Jail are suing the county over allegations that staffing shortages post a security risk, the Commercial Appeal reports. The suit also says the jail keeps defendants eligible for release in custody too long. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Memphis, was brought on behalf of Marcus Donald, who was strangled by another inmate last November. Earlier that day in November, Donald had entered a guilty plea and was eligible to be released, but instead of going home right away, he was held for multiple hours at the jail and placed in a new cell.

More than 300 new school resource officers (SROs) have been placed in schools across Tennessee since lawmakers approved $230 million for every public school to have SROs following the deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, the Tennessean reports. The legislation also provided money for Homeland Security agents to be placed in each county to coordinate school security measures and to fund new security equipment at public and non-public schools.