One of Chattanooga's longest-serving broadcasters, Earl Freudenberg, was this year's recipient of the Liberty Bell Award from the Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA). The award, which recognizes community service that strengthens America’s system of freedom under the law, was presented at the CBA's Law Day event earlier this month. Freudenberg, known to his listeners as “Hey Earl,” began his career in the 1960s as a news director and talk show host. He also is known for his service to the Forgotten Child Fund, Red Bank Jubilee, Armed Forces Day program and countless other community activities. Former TBA presidents Paul Campbell, Marcy Eason, Sam Elliott and Bill Haltom attended the event, where Haltom gave the keynote address. He spoke about his book "The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker." See a photo of the group. Read more about the event on Local News 3.

Two protesters arrested in 2024 on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus have filed a federal lawsuit claiming their First Amendment rights were violated. Siblings Hasan Husain and Layla Soliz filed the joint lawsuit on May 15, one year after the arrests. The suit names the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee trustees and UT System President Randy Boyd as defendants. The two were part of a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested and charged with criminal trespass after attending a pro-Palestine vigil. All were released without having to pay bail, according to Knox News. The lawsuit centers on what Husain and Soliz describe as violations against “nonviolent community members who were not violating any laws,” and alleges that the arrests were intended to intimidate demonstrators. In March, Soliz was awarded $71,500 by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office after the department published her mug shot online without her hijab.

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 13 during the group's Annual Convention in Franklin. The award, which will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon, was established more than 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Kidwell is being honored for her article It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule, which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Prior to joining UT last fall, she served at the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General (AG) and Reporter in the Solicitor General’s Office. 

In announcing the selection of Kidwell, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said, “Laura's winning article is exactly what the Joe Henry Award sets out to honor: straightforward and concise writing that explains the legal process of the final judgment rule in civil actions, as well as its exceptions.” The award is named for Joseph W. Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who was known for his forthright and clear writing. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday extended its ban on the removal of Venezuelan men currently in immigration custody in Texas, under the Alien Enemies Act, SCOTUSblog reports. In an unsigned opinion, the justices found that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals erred when it dismissed the detainees’ appeal of their removal based on a belief that it lacked authority to review it. The justices sent the case back to the appeals court for a determination of the procedures detainees are entitled to in order to challenge their removal. The opinion also stressed that it was not addressing the underlying question of whether detainees can be removed under the Alien Enemies Act. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a dissent saying the court had “no authority to issue any relief.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a short concurring opinion arguing that the Supreme Court should have resolved the issue itself, rather than sending it back to the lower court. In March, the administration initiated efforts to remove noncitizens designated as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act. Lower courts, including those in Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C., have issued various rulings on the effort.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 39 states and territories in opposing a proposed federal amendment that would bar states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) products. In a letter led by the attorneys general of Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire and Vermont, the group urged Congress to reject the AI-related provision in the budget reconciliation bill, warning that it would strip away critical consumer protections without establishing a sufficient federal framework. Skrmetti said in a release that eliminating state oversight would leave Americans vulnerable to privacy violations, consumer exploitation and antitrust abuses. The letter emphasizes that states have been at the forefront of regulating emerging technologies and are best positioned to respond to the evolving risks posed by AI.

A federal jury on Friday found former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada guilty on 17 of 19 charges and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, guilty on all 19 counts. Casada and Cothren each face up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, and attorneys for both men said they plan to appeal, The Tennessean reports. Casada was acquitted on two fraud charges but convicted of conspiracy to commit theft and fraud, theft, bribery and kickbacks, honest services wire fraud, use of a fictitious name, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering. The trial included key testimony from former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, an alleged co-conspirator, as well as Office of Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley, both of whom played central roles in the prosecution’s case. Read more in a press release from the U.S. attorneys office.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill into law protecting educators and school contractors from disciplinary action and lawsuits if they misgender or deadname students, staff or others within their school district, WBIR reports. In addition, the new law shields public schools and districts from liability in such cases. Those who are disciplined may sue for monetary damages after going through a complaint process. The law, which was sponsored by Rep. Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, in the House and by Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, in the Senate, also prohibits schools and teachers from requiring students, employees or contractors to share preferred pronouns and names, and educators may not ask students to refer to them by a preferred pronoun. For institutions of higher education, the bill prohibits the disciplining of students, faculty, employees or contractors who refuse to provide preferred pronouns. The law went into effect on May 9.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled in favor of the City of Memphis in a lawsuit brought by Alicia Franklin, who was raped by Cleotha Abston in 2021. The court affirmed that the city is protected from suit over Franklin’s claims that Memphis police failed to properly investigate her case. Abston later kidnapped and killed Memphis schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher in 2022. Franklin alleged in her lawsuit that the Memphis Police Department could have prevented Fletcher’s abduction had her rape been thoroughly investigated in the year prior, The Daily Memphian reports. Abston was convicted in April 2024 in Franklin’s case and pleaded guilty in October 2024 to Fletcher’s abduction and killing.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate declined for the second consecutive month, according to new data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5% in April, down one-tenth of a percentage point from March. Tennessee’s rate remained well below the national unemployment rate, which held steady at 3.9% in April 2024. Total nonfarm employment in Tennessee increased by 8,600 jobs between March and April, with the largest gains in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, followed by professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.

The winners of the Seventh Annual Federal Court Civics Essay Contest were honored at a celebration this week at the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Knoxville. The first place winner was Gabriella D’Agostino, a freshman at Chuckey Doak High School in Afton. Marteze Simpson, a junior at Knox County’s Fulton High School, won second place. Third place went to Jefferson County High School junior Alexa Longmire. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight, U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Wyrick and U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer were on hand to congratulate the students. The essay contest is sponsored by the court’s Civics and Outreach Committee and the Federal Bar Association chapters in Knoxville and Greeneville. This year’s contest asked students to consider the meaning of the term “reasonableness” as applied to the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable force by law enforcement. Read more from Chattanoogan.com.