Eads attorney Charlotte Knight Griffin took office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin. She will advance to the presidency in June 2026. Knight Griffin began her career in private practice in Memphis after earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). She joined Memphis Light, Gas and Water as a staff attorney in 1978 and retired in April 2023 after 45 years of service. Knight Griffin has been active in the TBA for many years, most recently serving as vice president, speaker of the House of Delegates and a member of the Board of Governors. She is a past chair of the Local Government Practice and Litigation sections, a charter fellow of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD), a past executive officer of the YLD and president of the TBA YLD Fellows. Read more about her career in this press release.

Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin last week. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater administered the oath of office at the annual Lawyers Luncheon. Barcus has been active in the TBA for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She also has been active in the Knoxville Bar Association and American Bar Association. She handles health care, litigation, product liability and professional liability matters as a shareholder with Lewis Thomason. Read more about her career in this press release.

The federal sentencing hearings for five former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols have been canceled after a judge recused himself last week. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were expected to be sentenced in federal court this week for their roles in Nichols’ death. According to the Daily Memphian, U.S. District Judge Mark Norris recused himself June 13, and the hearings were officially canceled with a notice filed today. A status conference is scheduled for June 20. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman is now overseeing the case.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government and more than two dozen federal departments and agencies asking a federal court to declare unconstitutional what it called the Trump administration’s "ongoing unlawful policy of intimidation against lawyers and law firms." The group argues these attacks have had a chilling effect across the legal profession “causing harm to the justice system at large and limiting access to representation for individuals and organizations whose positions the administration disfavors.” Read more about the suit in a press release. According to Bloomberg Law, the group is being represented by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms that sued the administration over an executive order that targeted its work.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, supporting military veterans and their families in receiving full GI Bill education benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The case, Yoon v. Collins, centers on Lt. Col. Paul Yoon, a decorated Virginia Army veteran who served 24 years, including deployments. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rudisill v. McDonough, the VA continues to deny Yoon full GI Bill education benefits and has blocked him from transferring those benefits to his daughter. “Tennessee is the proud home to so many who have served, and it’s my honor to join Virginia’s Jason Miyares and 50 other AGs to support the men and women who put their lives on the line protecting our freedoms,” Skrmetti said in a press release.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee today announced the appointment of Jeff Holmes as interim commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services. Holmes succeeds Matt Van Epps, who stepped down June 10 to pursue a new venture after serving in multiple roles in the Lee administration. Holmes currently serves as director of planning and programming at the Tennessee Board of Regents and previously held the position of Tennessee’s 76th adjutant general, overseeing the state’s Military Department. “Jeff Holmes has a significant track record of serving Tennesseans for more than 40 years in the Tennessee National Guard, and in my administration as adjutant general,” Lee said in a press release. “I’m proud to welcome him back to serve as a member of my Cabinet and appreciate his willingness to lead the Department of General Services.”

At the 2025 Lawyers Luncheon, outgoing TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. presented a number of awards. Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for her article "It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule." Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz received the Claudia Jack Award for his work mentoring other lawyers. The Fourth Estate Award was presented to the Nashville Banner for a series of stories last year designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. The William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows went to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Lanquist also presented his President’s Awards. Representatives from the executive and judicial branch, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, were recognized for their work securing funding for a new indigent representation system. TBA's legislative team also received awards for their efforts. In her remarks, Kirby thanked the TBA for its strong support on the issue and presented it the "Chief Justice Partnership for Justice Award." Finally, Lanquist honored the members of the TBA Building Committee, which worked to secure a new permanent home for the association. See photos from the event.

Plans are underway for a new 32- to 40-bed regional juvenile detention facility to serve West Tennessee, as rising violent youth crime strains Madison County’s outdated and overcrowded center, Juvenile Court Services Director T.J. King said during a June 4 speech to the Jackson Rotary Club. According to the Jackson Sun, six of the county’s eight juvenile beds are currently occupied by youth charged with murder or attempted murder. Nearly 30 threats of mass violence were made by students during the 2024–25 school year. When the facility is full, deputies often transport juveniles to East Tennessee. King emphasized the importance of community support, responsible gun ownership and after-school initiatives such as the Evening Reporting Center, as well as a truancy court partnership that has achieved a 97% success rate in reducing school absences and behavior issues.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition in urging Congress to pass the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act of 2025, legislation aimed at protecting consumers from the invasive practice of mortgage credit robocalls known as “trigger leads.” Skrmetti, along with attorneys general from South Carolina, South Dakota, North Carolina and Nevada, is leading the effort on behalf of consumers overwhelmed by unsolicited calls and texts after applying for a mortgage, according to a release. Under current federal law, credit reporting agencies can legally sell trigger leads — real-time notifications that include personal consumer information — when someone applies for a mortgage. The proposed legislation would restrict the use of trigger leads to businesses that have an existing relationship with the consumer or have obtained their explicit consent.

Knoxville lawyer Heidi Barcus was recently sworn in as the 145th president of the Tennessee Bar Association. A shareholder in the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason, Barcus has dedicated her legal career to advocating for professionals and institutions in the complex arena of health care liability. She has been active in the TBA and other legal and community organizations for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and its Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She is a past chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division and currently serves on the ABA’s TECHSHOW Board. The oath of office was administered by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater during the TBA’s Annual Lawyers Lunch. During remarks following the swearing in, Barcus announced several initiatives, including a focus on helping first generation lawyers, those who fail the bar the first time they take it and lawyers in the twilight of their careers. She also announced a CLE Abroad trip to Morocco in February 2026 and a technology focus for the 2026 TBA Convention in Knoxville. Watch her remarks, as well as the full footage of the Lawyers Lunch, on the TBA's YouTube page. See photos from the lunch or read the TBA's full press release.