News
March 31, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court will add a voluntary funding mechanism for attorneys to contribute to access to justice programs, but will not require attorneys to report pro bono hours under changes adopted today.In an order filed today, the Court “continues to encourage strongly voluntary reporting…
March 27, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated charges of driving under the influence and violating the open container law against Williamson County resident Mechelle Montgomery in an opinion that restores evidence gained during a search.In February of 2012, two officers with the Williamson County…
March 27, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the dismissal of a whistleblower claim by Charles Haynes, a former employee of Formac Stables, Inc., in Obion County.Haynes worked as a groom at Formac Stables. In April of 2010, hesuffered an injury to the head when kicked by a Tennessee Walking Horse named…
March 26, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has granted a new trial in a Memphis case in which a man was convicted of rape of a child.In 2012, Frederick Herron was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the rape of his ex-wife’s younger sister. The victim, who said she was between the ages of 8 and 12 when the rapes…
March 20, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a man who was convicted of first degree felony murder in 1991 for his role in the killing of an elderly couple during a string of burglaries near the Land Between the Lakes region.In June 1988, William Eugene Hall escaped from a Kentucky…
March 20, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Circuit Court Judge vacancy in the 1st Judicial District – Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, & Washington counties. The impending vacancy has been created by the announcement by Judge Thomas J. Seeley, Jr. that he is…
March 16, 2015
A new pilot project in Davidson County court will open the door to increased efficiencies in complex business litigation in Tennessee.Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle will preside over the pilot project, which is expected to start taking cases May 1. A chancellor since 1995, Lyle has…
March 13, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court, recognizing that technological advances have changed the way journalists provide coverage of courtrooms, is seeking comments from the public regarding proposed changes to Supreme Court Rule 30.The rule, which the Court adopted in 1995, provides instructions to the media…
March 13, 2015
Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a new trial to a Nashville man for two counts of the sale of an illegal drug within a school zone, despite his assertions that his attorney did not properly represent him at trial.In March and April of 2008, Calvin Eugene Bryant, Jr. sold the substance…
April 10, 2015
The Access to Justice Commission and The Faith & Justice Alliance are hosting a volunteer attorney training on Monday, April 27, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Lipscomb University’s Shamblin Theater in Nashville. This training event is designed for pro bono volunteer attorneys to…
March 8, 2016
The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts is accepting applications for two grants. The deadline for both grants is April 8, 2016. More information is available here:Application for Grant Funding by State…
March 10, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed a trial court ruling ordering the State to disclose the names of those involved in the execution process in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol as unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment.The case – a lawsuit filed by death row…
March 9, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that, in actions under Tennessee’s civil forfeiture statutes, the State must present evidence that it complied with both the procedural and the substantive requirements in the law.Under Tennessee’s civil forfeiture statutes, the State may obtain forfeiture of…
February 27, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear two health care liability disputes among four cases scheduled for oral arguments March 4 in Jackson.The first case concerns the procedures required when filing a health care liability lawsuit. At the time the suit was filed, state law required a plaintiff to…
February 27, 2015
Seven attorneys have applied for the Hamilton County Criminal Court judge position that will become vacant June 1 upon the retirement of The Honorable Rebecca Stern.The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will meet in Chattanooga on April 9 to consider these applicants:…
February 26, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider nine applicants when it meets April 10 in Columbia to select nominees for the impending circuit court vacancy in the 22nd Judicial District, which serves Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne counties.The vacancy has been created by the…
February 19, 2015
A Supreme Court order filed February 19 adds to comments for Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, RPC 3.5(c) to clarify that attorneys are permitted to communicate with jurors or prospective jurors after the jury has been discharged "unless the communication isprohibited by law or a court order entered in the case…
February 23, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for an upcoming Criminal Court Judge vacancy in Hamilton County as well as a Circuit Court Judge vacancy in the 22nd Judicial District – Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne counties. Judge Rebecca J. Stern of the 11th…
February 13, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court today has agreed to decide whether a death row inmate can properly challenge the constitutionality of the possibility of electrocution as a method of execution.The lawsuit by 34 death row inmates challenges several aspects of Tennessee’s death penalty protocol. In an…
February 13, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of an East Tennessee woman for child neglect based upon her failure to obtain medical treatment for her daughter.In 2002, Jacqueline Crank’s adolescent daughter developed a tumor on her shoulder and began to experience extreme pain. Crank took…