The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) will hold its 2026 Equal Justice University (EJU) conference Aug. 26-28 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. The annual event,  co-sponsored by the TBA, features educational sessions, keynote addresses and presentation of the TALS Access to Justice Awards. Learn more online or contact TALS at 615-775-9684 with questions.

Comments on proposed bylaws changes are due next week before the TBA Board of Governors meets for its spring meeting on March 19. Comments should be submitted via email to barED@tnbar.org. The board approved the publication of two proposed bylaws amendments to the membership at its winter meeting in January. The first would acknowledge that judicial districts in Tennessee are changed from time to time and delete the current list of judicial districts and the counties associated with each. It then sets up a process for addressing changes in the membership of the House of Delegates whenever there is a change to a judicial district. The second amendment addresses the terms of TBA delegates to the ABA House of Delegates and acknowledges the addition of Position 6. Rather than setting out specific years for elections, it would provide that Positions 1 and 3 be elected in odd-numbered years while Positions 2, 4, 5 and 6 be elected in even-numbered years. Review a redline version of the proposed changes.

The TBA will host its 2026 Dispute Resolution Forum on May 7 as a live virtual event. The program will feature sessions designed for lawyers and mediators presented by speakers from the alternative dispute resolution field, including discussions on technology tools to improve mediation practices, an arbitration panel and an ethics course covering Board of Professional Responsibility rules relevant to attorneys serving as negotiators and mediators. For more information or to register, visit the TBA website.

The TBA Bankruptcy Law Section directory is a great place to find colleagues with a similar focus. The directory provides a list of section members with contact information and a list of any other sections or TBA groups to which they belong. This resource provides a great way to connect with like-minded lawyers and cross-reference attorneys well versed in other practice areas as well. View the section directory here.

The 6th Circuit Judicial Council seeks a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the Eastern District of Michigan at Bay City. The position will become vacant with the retirement of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Daniel S. Opperman, effective January 2027. To be qualified for appointment, an applicant must be a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of at least one state, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The applicant must also be in good standing with every other bar of which they are a member and have engaged in the active practice of law for at least five years. Candidates cannot be related to a judge of the appointing Court of Appeals or Judicial Council of the Circuit, or to a judge of the District Court to be served. Applications must be submitted by March 24, 2026. Learn about this opening and more from the TBA Career Center.

Thank you for your continued support of our Adoption Law Section. At this time of year, the section's executive council is focused on responding to this year's bills being considered by the General Assembly, as well as advancing its own bill. If you'd like to contribute, it's not too late to sign up for TBA's Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp Legislative Reception! (More info below.) Once the session has adjourned, the executive council will begin planning the section's annual forum, which is held in the fall. You won't want to miss this yearly favorite, especially since section members receive a discount on all section-sponsored CLE!

In the meantime, you do not have to wait to connect with colleagues. The section directory is a great resource for meeting other adoption attorneys or for referrals. We hope to see you at Day on the Hill or the annual forum, and if you have thoughts or ideas about future section initiatives, please do not hesitate to reach out to TBA staff coordinator Jamie Rhode.

Need a change? TBA has the resources you need to grow as a leader, make a change to a new firm, or build your own firm. With TBA’s Career Center, Law Firm in a Box and 33 sections specializing in practice areas, members have access to hundreds of resources to find solutions for specific needs. TBA also offers two leadership programs focused on developing leadership skills and scaling your practice for growth. Start your membership here.

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Stephen Woods moved to suppress a pistol that police officers discovered in his car. The district court denied his motion. Because the officers had probable cause to search Woods’s car, we affirm.

KETHLEDGE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiffs Mary Bleick, Todd Butler, Allen Skierski, and Gary Petrime appeal the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction to prevent the transfer of ownership of funds from Ohio’s Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund to the state itself. We reject their arguments and affirm.

Defendants Pauline Virginia Spalding and Charles Martin Johnson were jointly indicted for especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, and impersonating a police officer. The Defendants were tried together by a jury, and the jury convicted both Defendants as charged. The trial court sentenced Ms. Spalding to fifteen years for the kidnapping conviction, three years for the assault conviction, and eleven months, twenty- nine days for the impersonation conviction. The trial court ordered Ms. Spalding’s sentences to be served concurrently, for an effective term of incarceration of fifteen years. The trial court sentenced Mr. Johnson to seventeen years for the kidnapping conviction, four years for the assault conviction, and eleven months, twenty-nine days for the impersonation conviction. The trial court ordered Mr. Johnson’s sentences to be served concurrently, for an effective term of incarceration of seventeen years. In this consolidated direct appeal, Mr. Johnson challenges the sufficiency of the evidence underlying his especially aggravated kidnapping conviction and also contends that his dual convictions for especially aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault violate double jeopardy. Ms. Spalding contends that the trial court erred in denying the admission of certain evidence; that purported dishonesty from one of the jurors during voir dire entitles her to a new trial; and that the trial court erred in sentencing her. We affirm.