The Petitioner, Jamie Cunningham, appeals the Grundy County Circuit Court’s summary dismissal of his untimely second amended petition for writ of error coram nobis. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court.

This is an appeal from a will contest wherein the decedent executed the will at the hospital where he was a patient. Two hospital employees signed the will as attesting witnesses, and their signatures were then notarized by another staff member. After the decedent died, his son contested the validity of the will, and the matter was set for a hearing. The proponent of the will attempted to serve subpoenas on the two attesting witnesses at the hospital where they signed the will, one by process server and the other by certified mail. Neither attempt at service was successful, and consequently, neither of the attesting witnesses appeared at the will contest hearing. The notary did appear and testified as to the identity and presence of the attesting witnesses at the will’s execution. The proponent of the will sought to have both witnesses declared unavailable. The trial court declared unavailable the witness who was served using a process server but declined to do the same regarding the witness who was served by certified mail. Consequently, the court determined that the will was invalid. The proponent of the will appealed, asserting that the trial court abused its discretion when it made a distinction between serving a subpoena using a process server and serving a subpoena by certified mail. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

March 9, 2026 - March 13, 2026.

A bill that sought to charge women who seek abortions with homicide, and potentially the death penalty, died in a Tennessee House subcommittee on March 10, The Tennessean reports. HB570, sponsored by Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, would have removed legal protections currently in state law for pregnant women and classified harm done to an unborn child as equal to assaults on a person “born alive.” No member of the House Population Subcommittee made a motion to hear the bill, which effectively killed the legislation. Barrett said the bill was intended to align with the state’s Human Life Protection Act, a trigger law that took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The Nashville Banner has more on Barrett's comments.

Marion Scudder Griffin, the first woman licensed to practice law in Tennessee, is now honored with a historical marker in Memphis recognizing her legal career. According to Local Memphis, Griffin made history in 1907 after the Tennessee legislature passed a law clarifying that women could obtain law licenses. She previously had passed an oral law examination but was denied a license by the Tennessee Supreme Court because state law did not explicitly permit women to practice. Griffin later enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School, completed her studies and reapplied as supporters lobbied lawmakers to change the law. She went on to practice law for more than 40 years and later became the first woman to serve in the Tennessee General Assembly before retiring in 1949. Historians say her achievements helped pave the way for future generations of women in the legal profession.

Estefany Rodríguez, a Nashville journalist detained earlier this month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, was scheduled to appear in a Louisiana immigration court for a bond hearing today. Separately, a federal judge in Nashville has set a hearing for Tuesday to consider constitutional challenges to her detention from her attorneys, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Rodríguez, a reporter for the Spanish-language outlet Nashville Noticias, was arrested by ICE agents March 4. Government attorneys say she is subject to deportation after allegedly overstaying her visa.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has been accused in a new lawsuit of practicing law without a U.S. license and helping a former disability claimant breach a settlement and flood a federal court docket with meritless filings. Reuters reports that Nippon Life Insurance Company of America alleges that OpenAI wrongfully provided legal assistance to a woman who sought to reopen a lawsuit that had already been settled and dismissed. Nippon claims OpenAI encouraged the woman, an employee of a logistics company insured by Nippon, to continue pursuing the already-settled disability case and that it spent significant time and resources responding to filings generated with the help of ChatGPT. The lawsuit is believed to be among the first to accuse a major AI developer of engaging in the unauthorized practice of law through a consumer-facing chatbot.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Feb. 25 that trial judges may prohibit a defendant and their attorney from discussing the defendant’s ongoing testimony during an overnight recess, while still allowing discussions on other matters such as trial strategy or plea negotiations, Bloomberg Law reports. The case arose from the Texas murder trial of David Villarreal, whose testimony as the defense’s only witness was paused for a 24-hour recess during which the judge instructed attorneys not to “manage his testimony,” though other discussions were permitted. Writing for the court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the restriction strikes a balance between a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to the assistance and advice of counsel and and a defendant’s responsibility when they become a witness to offer sworn testimony that is free of any improper influence. The court affirmed the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision upholding the order, concluding that judges may impose limited restrictions on discussions about testimony itself while a defendant remains on the stand.

The Mid-South Commercial Law Institute recently named new officers and directors to its 25-member board. Officers are: President Wendy Geurin Smith with Evans Petree; Vice President/President-Elect Justin Campbell with Thompson Burton; Secretary Maggie Reidyn, a staff attorney with the Chapter 13 Trustee; Treasurer R. Bradley Banks with Richard Banks & Associates; and Immediate Past President Cara Alday with Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway. New directors elected to five year terms are: Michael G. Abelow with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison; Shanna Fuller Veach, a law clerk to Bankruptcy Chief Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight; Erin Wallin, a law clerk to Judge Nicholas W. Whittenburg; Elisabeth Donnovin with Johnson & Mulroony; and R. Campbell Hillyer with Butler Snow. Joining the board to fulfill the remaining term of a departing director is Locke Houston Waldrop with Baker Donelson. See the list of the full 2026 board.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation has opened the 2026–2027 grant application process for the Tennessee Legal Initiatives Fund (TLIF). Launched in 2018, the grant program focuses on projects that broaden the capacity of organizations across the state that help break the cycle of poverty and overcome barriers to justice through civil legal services and education. The 2026-2027 application features three distinct funding categories designed to meet the diverse needs of service providers. Prospective grantees may apply in the Rapid Innovation, Capacity Building & Readiness, or Implementation & Scaling categories. Interested organizations may review eligibility requirements and information on the foundation’s website. The deadline to submit grant applications is May 8 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. Read more in a news release from the foundation and email info@tnbarfoundation.org with any questions.