In 2018, the Defendant, Ronald Gray, pleaded guilty to several drug related charges in exchange for a total effective sentence of eleven years. He was ordered to serve a portion of his sentence in confinement and then released on May 1, 2018, to Community Corrections. In 2019, the trial court entered an amended judgment to reflect an enhanced sentence for his “plea to Violation of Community Corrections.” The order indicated that, as of June 5, 2019, his Community Corrections was revoked, he was reinstated and transferred to state probation, and he had to restart the eleven years of probation. In June 2020, the trial court issued an arrest warrant for the Defendant based upon a probation violation. In 2024, the trial court ordered that the Defendant be incarcerated for the duration of his sentence based on the probation violation. The Defendant appeals, but his notice of appeal was not timely filed. As such, we dismiss the appeal.

In 2012, a Sullivan County jury convicted the Petitioner, Dwight Randall Walton, of two counts of rape of a child, two counts of solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, and three counts of aggravated sexual battery. For these convictions, he received an effective sentence of fifty years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. State v. Walton, No. E2014-02319-CCA-R3-CD, 2015 WL 5554573, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. Sept. 21, 2015), no perm. app. filed. On direct appeal, this court concluded that the evidence was sufficient to support each conviction, except one of the aggravated sexual battery convictions (Count 3). Id. Concluding that the evidence was insufficient to support one of the aggravated sexual battery conviction, we reversed and dismissed that conviction. Thereafter, the Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, claiming that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. The post-conviction court denied his petition after a hearing. After review, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment.

Defendant, Allen Fitzgerald Ailey, pleaded guilty in two cases to felon in possession of a weapon, possession with intent to sell or deliver .5 grams or more of cocaine, and possession with intent to sell or deliver oxycodone. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Defendant received concurrent four-year sentences for the drug offenses to be served consecutively to a sentence of six years for the weapon offense, with the manner of service of Defendant’s sentences to be determined by the trial court. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court denied alternative sentencing and ordered Defendant to serve his entire ten- year sentence in confinement. Defendant argues on appeal that the trial court abused its discretion by denying probation. Finding no error, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. However, we remand for entry of judgments on the counts that were dismissed pursuant to the plea agreement.

This action involves the termination of a mother and father’s parental rights to their minor child. Following a bench trial, the court found that clear and convincing evidence existed to establish several statutory grounds of termination as applied to each parent. The court also found that termination was in the child’s best interest. We now affirm.

In this compensation appeal, the employer asserts the trial court erred in concluding that the decedent’s death was caused primarily by a work-related heart attack given evidence of his significant preexisting heart disease. Following a compensation hearing, the court considered the conflicting testimony of two medical experts and concluded that Ms. Vanderford’s expert’s opinion should be afforded greater weight, thereby resulting in the award of death benefits. The court also determined that, in addition to the decedent’s biological son, his former stepdaughter is a dependent eligible to receive death benefits. The employer has appealed. Upon careful review of the record and the arguments of counsel, we affirm the trial court’s compensation order and certify it as final.

During a recording of the WKNO podcast "Behind the Headlines," Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris stated that an office other than the sheriff’s should be running the county jail. A total of 12 prisoners have died in custody of the sheriff’s office so far this year, including at least four in November. Harris criticized what he described as a lack of urgency from Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and said he is exploring options with the Tennessee Corrections Institute and other state officials, including potential changes in training or even private management. Bonner, who is suing Harris over budget restrictions, said many inmates who died had longstanding health issues tied to poverty and noted that medical care in the jail is overseen by a contractor selected by the mayor’s office, not the sheriff. The Daily Memphian has the story.

TBA Past President Buck Lewis and his wife Malinda have been honored in Memphis and in Knoxville for their work and support of the American Red Cross. Buck Lewis served sequentially as chair of the advisory board in each city. The board room in Knoxville and the red staircase in Memphis have very recently been named in the couple's honor. He began his Red Cross service in 2005 after helping organize legal aid for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Memphis. His commitment to community service, shaped by his parents’ example and reflected in his work with organizations including the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and the American Bar Association’s FreeLegalAnswers.org, continues to guide his leadership in strengthening Red Cross partnerships, fundraising and volunteer engagement across the state. Read more on the American Red Cross website.

Vanderbilt University Law School is seeking volunteers to conduct 20-minute virtual mock interviews for LL.M. students in early February. For more information and to volunteer, contact Legal Studies Program Manager Tricia Crocker at the law school.

Lee Beaman, the former Nashville car dealership owner nominated by President Donald Trump to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of directors, faced a Senate committee this week, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn introduced Beaman to the committee, saying, “He brings decades of experience in business leadership, community service and organizational governance with him to fill this role at the TVA.” Democrats on the committee questioned Beaman about his ties to Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. Beaman previously served as Ogles’ campaign treasurer, though he denied holding the position when senators said disclosures were made. Knox News also reports on the hearing. Beaman must still face a committee vote before his nomination can go to the full Senate. If confirmed, his term would expire in 2030.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has rejected a petition to amend Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.1 to allow bar associations in the state to access contact information of licensed Tennessee attorneys from the Board of Professional Responsibility. The TBA filed a petition seeking the change in August after the court amended the rule to limit public access to attorneys’ contact information.