TaxProf Blog, a leading source for news and commentary on tax law for more than 20 years, has found a new home and is being hosted exclusively by The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), National Jurist reports. Paul Caron, dean and professor at Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law, founded the blog in 2004, but it was shut down in September due to the closure of the Typepad platform, which hosted it. AALS says the blog has been a cornerstone for law school deans, law professors and tax lawyers for decades and it is honored to bring it back and build on its legacy. AALS will maintain the blog’s archives and host new content and personal reflections from Caron and a team of editors.

Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal has ordered the National Guard to withdraw from Memphis, saying the governor exceeded his authority to deploy the guard. "The governor may only call the militia into service in cases of rebellion or invasion and only with the General Assembly's declaration that the public safety requires it," Moskal wrote. She also rejected the Tennessee Attorney General's (AG) argument that the governor’s decision to deploy the guard is protected from judicial review. According to the Commercial Appeal, the ruling does not impact other aspects of the Memphis Safe Task Force. The temporary injunction will not take effect until after the deadline for the AG to appeal has expired, which will happen five days after the plaintiffs file the required bond. The Daily Memphian reports that the state intends to appeal the decision. The ruling comes as the state was preparing the double the number of guard troops in Memphis, the paper reports in a separate article. In related news, the Tennessee Journal reports that Republican members of the state House are considering ways to void the court’s decision.

The American Bar Association (ABA) will undertake a review of its standards for law schools as states weigh dropping the organization as an accreditor and critics blame its regulations for driving up student costs. The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar announced the review during a meeting last week, Reuters reports. The council said the review would align accreditation standards with a set of core principles and values adopted in August. The effort is expected to take a year or more. Also at the meeting, the council’s Standards Review Committee proposed eliminating the diversity and inclusion standard, which was suspended in February. The council did not advance the proposal but sent it back to the committee for further review. In Tennessee, the state Supreme Court is seeking comments on a range of proposals affecting regulation of the profession, including law school accreditation. TBA has formed a task force to solicit feedback and advise the TBA Board of Governors on the issue.

The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off 2026 with a series of arguments in several high-profile cases, including those involving transgender athletes, gun rights and the president’s effort to remove a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The court will hear seven arguments in total over five days beginning on Jan. 12 and running through Jan. 21. Read more about the cases from SCOTUSblog.

The Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Diversity Committee will hold a networking mixer on Jan. 8, 2026, at Spencer Fane, 511 Union St., Ste. 1000, Nashville 37219. The free event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST and parking will be validated. Special thanks to Spencer Fane for sponsoring this event. All are welcome but an RSVP is required. See a flyer for more information.

The Memphis Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee, together with the TBA Young Lawyers Division and other organizations, are hosting a Restorative Rights & Resource Fair this Saturday, Nov. 22. Services to be offered include expungements, voter reinstatements, driver's license reinstatements and resume help. The event will take place at the Hickory Hill Community Center, 3910 Ridgeway Rd., Memphis 38115 from 9 a.m. to noon CST. Fill out this form to volunteer. See a flyer for more information.

The TBA Mentoring Committee, in collaboration with the TBA Young Lawyers Division, will hold a special event "Developing Lawyers, Developing Leaders: A CLE on Mentorship and Professional Excellence" on Jan, 30, 2026, at Belmont University College of Law's Baskin Center. Make plans now to join TBA President Heidi Barcus, Marshall County General Sessions Court Judge Lee Bussart, University of Tennessee Winston College of Law professor Joan Heminway, Amy Schmisseur, chair of Belmont University's Department of Communication Studies, NBA Immediate Past President Joseph Hubbard, and XXX as they explore topics of mentorship, leadership and communication across one's legal career. The day of "Mocktails and Mentorship" will include lunch, three hours of CLE credit, followed by a networking event and the opportunity to mix mocktails together. For more details and registration.

NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Jason Kachner, Christos Karasarides Jr., Larry Dayton, and Ronald DiPietro created two illegal gambling businesses in northern Ohio: Skilled Shamrock and Redemption. Both housed gaming machines where players could try to win cash. Everything about these operations relied on cash: cash payouts to players, cash to employees, and cash profits to the owners. With cash profits, the owners could hide their income day-to- day, and DiPietro, an accountant, helped them hide it on the back-end in the tax returns they filed with the IRS. For all this, a jury found Christos Karasarides Jr. and Ronald DiPietro guilty of a series of conspiracies and stand-alone tax-related crimes. Now they challenge the procedures of their trial and their sentencing. Because none of their arguments has merit, we AFFIRM.

Defendant, Deon Lamonte Young, was convicted of possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a violent felony, driving on a revoked or suspended license, driving with an open container, and failing to stop at a stop sign. The State filed notice of intent to seek enhanced punishment based on six of Defendant’s prior felony convictions. The trial court imposed an effective twenty-five year sentence with eighty-five percent release eligibility as a Range III, persistent offender. On appeal, Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for possession of a firearm; that his sentence was excessive; and that the trial court committed plain error by “abrogat[ing] its duty to ensure a fair trial when it did not address whether [Defendant] intended to stipulate to his felony status, and failed to provide adequate instructions to the jury.” However, because the appeal is untimely and the interest of justice does not require waiver of the timely filing of the notice of appeal, we dismiss the appeal.

In 2024, the Defendant, Kevin McDougle, filed his eighth motion pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 36.1 seeking to correct an illegal sentence. The trial court summarily denied the Defendant’s motion for failure to state a colorable claim. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred when it denied his motion. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.