The TBA Young Lawyers Division has announced the opening of the 2025-2026 leadership appointment and election filing process. For positions subject to election, nominating positions should be filed with YLD Secretary Ross Smith no later than Feb. 15. Available positions include district representatives in odd-numbered districts (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13). Check the YLD Election Guidelines webpage for additional openings and to download a nominating petition. Elections for any contested races will take place between March 1 and April 1 by electronic voting. Those interested in an appointed position on the division's board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28.  Learn more about the YLD and its mission and its various programs.

The Nashville Hispanic Bar Association (NHBA) recently announced its 2025 board of directors. They are: President Ginette Garza Brown, Tennessee State University; Vice President Lody Powers, Davidson County District Attorney's Office; Secretary Lindsay Oakes, TennCare; and Treasurer L. Maverick Flowers, Polsinelli Law Firm. The NHBA began in 2019 as a networking association for Hispanic attorneys, legal professionals and allies. Read more in a press release from the organization. For more information about the group contact hispanicattorneystn@gmail.com and follow its activities on Instagram @HispanicAttorneys.

A recent scam targeting Davidson County residents involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officers, including those from the sheriff’s office, to falsely claim that individuals missed court dates or jury duty, the Nashville Banner reports. The scammers use phone numbers and the names of actual staff to threaten arrest or jail time unless the victim pays fines through untraceable methods, such as Bitcoin. Officials have emphasized that they never request payment for federal cases, and no government agency accepts Bitcoin as payment. They also warn that legitimate government agencies will never call from blocked numbers or demand money in this manner. Local authorities, including Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, have urged the public to remain vigilant and report such incidents.

A federal judge has rescheduled until next year the civil trial for former police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. According to the Commercial Appeal, Judge Mark S. Norris explained the delay was necessary given the state criminal trial scheduled for April and the filing of a new complaint, which has led to several contentious legal filings between attorneys representing the city of Memphis and those representing Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells. A new mediator also will need to be selected, as retired federal Judge Bernice Donald, initially chosen to mediate settlement discussions in 2023, notified attorneys she will no longer be available for the case. The civil trial is now set to begin July 13, 2026, with attorneys estimating it could last nearly six weeks due to the extensive amount of evidence to be presented.

A planned Hamilton County Commission vote on a proposal to move private practice attorney Janie Varnell into the role of county attorney has been rescheduled. The commission now will not address the issue until Jan. 15, according to the Chattanoogan. County Mayor Weston Wamp is backing the proposal, which would allow Varnell to join county government and take over as county attorney starting in July, while current county attorney Rheubin Taylor would stay on until the first of next year. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the commission previously had set Jan. 8 for the vote. Taylor told commission members last month that the proposal, which would place Varnell in a transitional role within the county attorney’s office, breaches his contract, which gives him authority over personnel.

A new law that took effect Jan. 1 will make it easier for TennCare recipients to access contraceptives. According to Fox 17 news, SB1919 allows patients to receive a 12-month prescription for birth control and pick up the medication directly from a doctor's office instead of a pharmacy. Tennessee joins 24 other states that have adopted similar legislation designed to streamline access to contraceptives.

Beginning this Friday, new or returning Tennessee residents with a driver license from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Vermont or West Virginia must present a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) from their previous state when applying for a drivers license. According to The Tennessee Tribune, all other states, including Tennessee, participate in the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service, which allows participating states to electronically access the complete Driver History Record of anyone applying for a driver license. Individuals moving from one of those 41 states do not need to obtain an MVR to qualify for a Tennessee driver's license. For more information on the required documents, visit the state's Department of Safety & Homeland Security website.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division's Mock Trial Committee is seeking sitting judges and attorneys to serve as volunteers at the 2025 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition, which will take place March 21-22 in Nashville. The 2025 case material was released in December and district mock trial competitions will take place in February. Teams will argue the civil case of Lee Jasper v. Reece Witherfork, which takes place at a rodeo. Teams prevailing at the district level will advance to the state competition. The problem, rules and other competition information can be found on the TBA website. Those interested in helping at the state competition should indicate availability on this form. This year also marks the inaugural Artist in the Courtroom Competition, which invites student artists to interpret mock trial courtroom scenes during the district competition. The first, second and third place entries will be announced at the state competition award ceremony. The top student artist will join the state championship team in representing Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8-10.

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming its voice-activated Siri assistant violated users' privacy, Reuters reports. A preliminary settlement was filed Tuesday in a California federal court and requires approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. Mobile device owners alleged that Apple routinely recorded their private conversations after unintentionally activating Siri, and then disclosed the conversations to third parties, including advertisers. The class period runs from 2014 to 2024, starting when Siri incorporated the "Hey, Siri" feature, which allegedly led to the unauthorized recordings. Class members, estimated to number in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, such as iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) hosted a virtual panel of city officials and local leaders to discuss findings from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) report on the Memphis Police Department, Action 5 News reports. The panel included former police director Toney Armstrong, judicial commissioner Zayid Saleem, and veteran attorneys Damon Griffin and Deborah Godwin. The discussion addressed the DOJ’s 72-page report, which found that Memphis police used unconstitutional practices. Last month, the city of Memphis declined to enter into a consent decree with the DOJ.