Mary Frances Rudy, Nashville School of Law (NSL) alumna and founder of Rudy Title & Escrow in Nashville, has been elected as the first woman to serve on the NSL Board of Trust. A native of Nashville, Rudy spent several years teaching before pursuing and completing her law degree in 1988. Early in her career, she practiced family law at Bradley & Van Sant and then Bruce, Weathers, Corley, Dughman & Lyle. In 1999, she founded her own title company and then co-founded the law firms Rudy, Wood and Winstead and Rudy & Partners in 2006. In 2017, she was honored at the school’s outstanding alumni of the year. NSL Dean William C. Koch Jr. said Rudy has enthusiastically supported the school’s historic mission for many years. “She has been an effective recruiter, and she has mentored many of our students and graduates." Read more about Rudy in a release from the school.

The Commercial Appeal is reporting that three TACOnganas food truck employees taken into custody Monday were arrested as part of an investigation into potential labor trafficking. A statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reads as follows: “ICE HSI Memphis [arrested] three Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. as part of a work site enforcement operation. This operation was based on information received related to potential labor trafficking. Two of the three men arrested had prior criminal convictions for immigration related violations." The paper reports that the Department of Labor has been investigating the company since November 2022. TACOnganas released a statement on Monday that it "complies with federal and local immigration laws."

Electronic voting for the TBA's vice presidential election will close tomorrow. Members should have received an email on Jan. 31 with a ballot for the two candidates running for vice president. The email was sent from Intelliscan Inc. If you did not receive the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder or with your firm’s IT administrator. If you have any questions about the election process, please contact elections@tnbar.org.

An ethics complaint filed by Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, against Shelby County District Attorney (DA) Steve Mulroy has been dismissed, the DA's office has announced. In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, Mulroy said the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility dismissed the complaint, which contained four allegations. The board’s dismissal means there will be no further review of the complaint, according the paper. Taylor has filed multiple complaints against Mulroy, including a more recent one that remains under review. That complaint addresses Mulroy’s collaboration with Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon to explore allowing adult court judges access to juvenile court records for bail decisions. The dismissed complaint comes as Taylor continues efforts to remove Mulroy from office, alleging the DA has overstepped his authority and is interpreting the law based on personal beliefs, the paper reports.

Gilson Daub, a workers’ compensation defense, subrogation and civil litigation law firm, has announced its expansion into Tennessee with the opening of a Nashville office. Attorney Jeff Powell, who joins as managing partner, will lead the firm’s presence in the region. Powell brings over a decade of workers’ compensation litigation experience, having practiced in Illinois since 2010 and Tennessee since 2021, according to a press release. Powell will be responsible for establishing and expanding the firm's Tennessee operations, bringing on new attorneys and clients, and introducing the firm's culture to the region. “Many firms operate under outdated models, but Gilson Daub stands apart with its structured, strategic vision. The technology, teamwork, and culture ... are unmatched, so I’m excited to bring that same energy and commitment to Tennessee,” Powell said. The firm currently serves 20 cities across 10 different states.

A federal judge in Delaware has ruled that Ross Intelligence violated copyright law when it copied content from Thomson Reuters to build a competing artificial intelligence-based legal platform. According to Reuters, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas' decision against the now defunct legal-research firm marks the first U.S. ruling on the closely watched question of fair use in AI-related copyright litigation. The "fair use" argument has become a key defense for tech companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft and Meta Platforms, fighting lawsuits brought by authors, record labels, visual artists and others over the use of their material to train AI systems. Tech companies argue that generative AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by studying it to learn to create new content, while copyright owners say the companies use their work to generate competing content that threatens their livelihoods.

The Elizabethton City Council is set to vote Thursday on whether to declare the municipal court judge’s seat vacant due to a temporary suspension of Judge Jason Holly’s law license. According to the Elizabethton Star, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Holly’s law license in October 2024 for failing to respond to three misconduct complaints. Since his suspension, Holly has not presided over court. In December, the council unanimously appointed 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Stacy L. Street as acting municipal judge. In January, Holly filed a petition for reinstatement, asserting he had met all conditions set by the court by responding to the outstanding complaints. However, days later, the court issued a public censure against Holly for failing to formally respond to the complaints. A Jan. 17 order stated that proceedings on Holly’s petition to dissolve the suspension would begin with a hearing by the Board of Professional Responsibility.

A four-count indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Middle District of Tennessee, charging eight defendants with various offenses related to their roles in a transnational commercial sex enterprise. According to the court's press release, the defendants operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking ring out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024. The indictment alleges that after facilitating the victims’ arrival in the U.S., the defendants used online commercial sex websites to post advertisements and directed commercial sex buyers to meet the victims at the motels. Authorities identified the individuals as members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. In November 2024, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation warned that the gang was operating in major cities across the state. “This indictment demonstrates our commitment to stop human trafficking whenever and wherever we find it, and to hold those involved accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) says that nearly 100 children in state custody spent the night in DCS offices in 2024, despite the agency's two-year effort to shift kids into transitional homes. According to the Tennessean, DCS says the issue stems from a growing number of children with severe behavioral or medical needs who cannot safely be placed in temporary, transitional homes. The state's most severe DCS cases are largely concentrated in the Tennessee Valley region, which includes Hamilton, Bradley and Rhea counties, though it is not clear what is driving the influx, officials say.

Judge Jeremy Ball was appointed 4th Judicial District Circuit Court judge by Gov. Bill Lee on Jan. 17. The court covers Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. He was sworn into office on Jan. 21, with his daughter, Dana, leading the Pledge of Allegiance. By day two on the bench, Ball was presiding over the drug recovery court where he spent many years prosecuting cases as an assistant district attorney (ADA). “I was primarily based in Jefferson County, so really getting more knowledge about the other people in those districts, particularly on the civil side, because I had always been an ADA. It’s been fun to meet people that I haven’t dealt with on a day-to-day basis yet.” Read more in a profile of Ball from the Administrative Office of the Courts.