News
August 7, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed part of a Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision suppressing evidence in a case involving individuals on supervised release and has affirmed the suppression of evidence against a third party who resided with them. Janet Stanfield, who was…
August 6, 2018
A majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court has denied death row inmate, Billy Ray Irick, a stay of execution pending the resolution of his appeal of an unsuccessful challenge to the State’s lethal injection protocol. Mr. Irick is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, August 9, 2018.Mr. Irick was…
July 24, 2018
The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program is welcoming a familiar face as its new executive director.Ted Rice was recently appointed to the top post at TLAP by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Rice first came to TLAP in 2006 as deputy director. For the past several months he has been serving as interim…
July 20, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed a trial court’s decision to exclude certain evidence obtained from a blood sample drawn from the defendant, Angela Faye Daniel. In this case, Daniel was arrested for driving under the influence, and she was transported to a medical facility for a blood…
July 20, 2018
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the convictions of Lindsey Lowe for first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, stemming from the deaths of her newborn twins caused by her smothering the infants shortly after birth. Prior to trial, Lowe moved to suppress…
July 19, 2018
In an appeal from Shelby County Criminal Court, the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of a prisoner’s request for a new trial more than 20 years after his original conviction for aggravated rape.In 1998, a Shelby County jury convicted Tommy Nunley of the aggravated rape…
July 9, 2018
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider six applicants when it meets on August 7, 2018 in Franklin to select nominees for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 21st Judicial District – Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties. This new judicial position was created by Chapter 974 of the…
July 9, 2018
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider eight applicants when it meets on Tuesday, August 28 in Clarksville to select nominees for the circuit court judge vacancy in the 19th judicial district, which covers Montgomery and Robertson Counties. The position becomes effective September 1, 2018…
July 6, 2018
Former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Edward Riley Anderson has passed away at the age of 85. In his remarkable judicial career, Justice Anderson served three years on the Court of Appeals, 16 years on the Tennessee Supreme Court, and five terms as chief justice. During his tenure on the…
July 2, 2018
For the first time in over 20 years, the Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered an increase in the amount paid to lawyers representing indigent parties in criminal and child welfare cases. This rate increase, a 25 percent hike in the hourly rate paid to lawyers for out-of-court work, was funded by a $…
June 26, 2018
The Supreme Court has overturned the decision of a chancery court, which held that an attorney’s license to practice law should be reinstated.Drayton Beecher Smith, II, a former attorney, agreed to disbarment in conjunction with his 2007 guilty plea to federal charges of receipt and possession of…
June 22, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court concluded the state’s waiver of sovereign immunity for claims brought against it under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), a federal law intended to provide job security for veterans, does not apply to cases that arose …
June 15, 2018
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that when a party to a divorce case violates a statutory injunction and then dies while the case is pending, a trial court may, after considering the equities of the parties, remedy the violation of the injunction.
Under Tennessee Code…
June 8, 2018
Nashville, Tenn. – In a case involving dissenting shareholders forced out of a closely held Nashville corporation, the Tennessee Supreme Court has overruled its prior case law and adopted a standard that allows trial courts to use modern methods to determine the “fair value” of the dissenting…
June 8, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the suspension of Knoxville attorney Charles Edward Daniel from the practice of law, but modified the probated three-year suspension to include one year of active suspension.
Mr. Daniel made unauthorized deposits of funds from his law partnership…
June 6, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously held that after the expiration of the one-year statute of limitations, a plaintiff cannot amend her health care liability suit to substitute a health care provider to which the plaintiff had not given pre-suit notice as required by state law.
The…
May 30, 2018
Lipscomb University will host the Tennessee Supreme Court this week as part of the American Legion Auxiliary’s Volunteer Girls State program, which provides Tennessee’s high school female leaders the opportunity to experience and learn about civic engagement. On Thursday morning, the…
May 29, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an Order soliciting comments on proposed amendments to Rule 13, which governs appointment, qualifications, and compensation of counsel for indigent defendants. The proposed rule changes are a result of a $9.7 million increase in indigent defense spending passed by…
May 21, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court is scheduled to hold oral arguments before an accomplished group of Tennessee’s high school students at American Legion Boys State. 2018 marks the eighteenth year of this memorable tradition, both for the students and the justices.The Court session is just one…
May 18, 2018
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark has been named the 2018 recipient of the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award. The Justice Drowota Award is the TBA’s highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given…