The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has released a formal opinion that provides guidance on the ethical obligations of judges under the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct when they are exercising administrative, employment and supervisory authority. Formal Opinion 521 states that the canons and rules governing impartiality, integrity and independence require judges to administer chambers and court staff with the same fairness and neutrality that guide adjudication. The opinion explains that ethical duties extend beyond the courtroom to include merit-based appointments, prevention of bias and harassment, and avoidance of favoritism and the appearance of impropriety in all administrative decisions. Read more in a release from the ABA.

At its winter meeting last month, the TBA Board of Governors announced a vacancy in two board positions: West Tennessee Grand Division Governor (a one-year term) and 7th District Governor (a three-year term). The 7th District includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Tipton and Weakley. To be considered for either of these positions, email a statement of interest and resume to TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright at barED@tnbar.org by March 3. The board will consider nominees at its March meeting. Read more about the 2026-2027 election on the TBA website.

Knoxville lawyer Mary Beth Maddox, a partner with Frantz McConnell & Seymour LLP, has been elected vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA). She will assume the role in June at the TBA’s Annual Convention and is scheduled to serve as president for the 2028–2029 bar year. A Tennessee native, Maddox has practiced law for more than 30 years, focusing on civil litigation, including labor and employment, workers’ compensation and tort matters. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1991 and her law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law in 1994.

Maddox has long been active in the TBA, previously serving on its Board of Governors as associate general counsel and as an East Tennessee governor. She is currently in her third year as the association’s treasurer and has also served two terms as co-chair of the TBA’s Leadership Law (TBALL) program, where she served several years as a Steering Committee member. She received the President’s Award in 2015 for her testimony on workers’ compensation legislation on behalf of the TBA before the General Assembly. Upon completing her year as vice president, Maddox will become president-elect in June 2027 and will assume the presidency the following year.

Former Chattanooga accountant Jonathan D. Frost has pleaded guilty to three federal felonies, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the scheme misused investor funds meant for a hydrogen gas facility but instead were converted to the personal use of Frost and his co-conspirators. Frost waived his right to a grand jury indictment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher H. Steger and agreed to a monetary judgment against him of at least $70 million. His sentence will be determined later by Chief U.S. District Judge Travis R. McDonough at a hearing set for Aug. 7. Frost faces up to a combined 45 years in federal prison. Victims of Frost's hydrogen plant scheme are encouraged to email the FBI and access case updates through this website.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia now that a 90-day detention period has expired because the government has no viable plan for deporting him, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland wrote in her order that the government “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success. From this, the Court easily concludes that there is no ‘good reason to believe’ removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future.” Xinis also noted the government has “purposely — and for no reason — ignored the one country [Costa Rico] that has consistently offered to accept Abrego Garcia as a refugee, and to which he agrees to go.” Abrego Garcia’s attorney has argued the government cannot hold him indefinitely with no viable deportation plan.

As part of its ongoing effort to gather feedback from Tennessee attorneys on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order seeking public comment on seven areas of potential regulatory changes to the legal profession, the TBA’s Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force is hosting a series of virtual town halls. Thursday's event will start at noon CDT and focus on the role of paraprofessionals. There is no cost to attend but registration is required to receive the meeting link. Attorneys also are encouraged to review the TBA’s Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page before attending.

U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell decided not to grant a preliminary injunction to a lawsuit challenging a Tennessee law that allows police to arrest people who approach within 25 feet after a direct order to stop. According to the Nashville Banner newsletter, Campbell ruled that the plaintiffs — a coalition of media organizations that includes the Banner — did not demonstrate immediate and irreparable harm. Campbell said the plaintiffs could not point to a specific case of the law hindering Tennessee media in covering the news since it went into effect in July 2025. The state said the law applies in three scenarios: a traffic stop, an active investigation and an “ongoing and immediate” public safety concern. The plaintiffs have expressed concern about the “unbridled discretion” the statute could offer police. Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has instructed officers not to enforce the law while the litigation is pending. The lawsuit will continue, and Campbell said he would welcome a further motion or conversations between the parties if MNPD’s policy changes.

The Shelby County District Attorney's (DA) Office reported quicker case resolutions and a 16% countywide crime reduction in its 2025 annual report. The Commercial Appeal reports that DA Steve Mulroy highlighted that general sessions court cases concluded in an average of 92 days, while felony cases required much longer at roughly 704 days. The office handled more than 123,000 cases in 2025, most of them misdemeanors, with 67% ending in convictions or guilty pleas and 7% in diversion. Mulroy credited the improvements to prioritizing violent crime, expediting case processing and reducing repeat offenses.

A new audit by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance found that Caremark, a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) and subsidiary of national drug store operator CVS Health, committed multiple violations, including preferential reimbursement to its own pharmacies, spread pricing, improper dispensing-fee payments, and failures in required appeals procedures. The report echoes concerns raised by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association in a statement saying the findings highlight discriminatory actions that hurt independent pharmacies. CVS told the Nashville Post that the company is working with regulators while opposing the newly proposed FAIR Rx Act (SB2040/HB1959), filed by Sen. Bobby Harshbarger, R-Kingsport, which seeks to eliminate PBM conflicts of interest. Bill supporters argue the audit proves the need for greater transparency, while PBM trade group Pharmaceutical Care Management Association disputes the findings.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced Hawkins County Circuit Judge William E. Phillips II as his replacement nominee for the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Eastern Section, following the withdrawal of Knoxville attorney Rachael Park Hurt, the Tennessee Journal reports. If approved, Phillips would replace longtime Judge D. Michael Swiney, who is retiring. Phillips, whom Lee appointed to an open circuit judgeship in 2021, previously served 19 years as city attorney for Church Hill and Rogersville. Lee praised Phillips in a statement Friday, calling him a “faithful public servant” who will bring “significant experience” to the appeals court. Phillips was one of three nominees recommended to the governor by the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments in January.