The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law hosted its 2026 Orr Symposium on June 3, bringing together judges, lawyers, scholars and access to justice advocates to examine attorney shortages in Tennessee's rural "legal deserts" and discuss possible reforms. According to a release from the law school, the symposium explored issues such as alternative pathways to lawyer licensure, the use of trained non-lawyer legal professionals and strategies to expand legal services in underserved communities. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary Wagner said the court's recent call for public comment on potential regulatory reforms is intended to encourage statewide discussion about unmet legal needs. The program also highlighted findings from Tennessee's 2025 Civil Legal Needs Assessment and introduced the proposed Legal Desert Incubator Program, which would support new lawyers who commit to practicing in rural areas with limited legal representation.

The 2026 TBA Annual Convention kicked off today at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville with a meeting of the TBA House of Delegates, followed by a welcome reception and group dinners for attendees. On-site registrations are still available — including tickets for tomorrow's Tech Showcase — at the TBA Registration Desk on the Mezzanine level of the hotel. A full schedule of convention events and CLE programming is available on the TBA website.

Thank you to the sponsors who have helped underwrite the costs of this year's TBA Convention! Thank you to Platinum Sponsor Miles Mediation & Arbitration; Silver Sponsors Lexitas, SoFi and TBA Member Insurance Solutions; Bronze sponsors Clio, Easy IT Guys, JAMS, LexisNexis, Pinnacle Financial Partners and The Bar Plan; and Copper sponsors Conservatorship Association of Tennessee, Duck Hunts Medical Records Retrieval, Esquire Deposition Solutions, Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) and Time Miner. Check out our sponsor page for more information on these companies and make plans to visit with many of them during this week's event in Knoxville. Pre-registration has closed but on-site registration will be available.

This is an accelerated interlocutory appeal as of right pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B § 2.02 from the trial court’s denial of a motion for recusal. Having reviewed the petition for recusal on appeal, we affirm the trial court’s decision to deny the motion for recusal.

This case comes to this court by way of a delayed appeal. The Defendant, Houston Thomas Wilkes, was convicted in the Carroll County Circuit Court of domestic assault, violation of a no-contact order, possession of more than .5 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, and possession of fentanyl with the intent to deliver, for which he received an effective sentence of thirty years as a career offender. The trial court denied the Defendant’s motion for a new trial on the grounds that it was untimely, and the Defendant did not file a direct appeal to this court. In a post-conviction petition, the Defendant raised a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel based, in part, on trial counsel’s failure to file a timely motion for new trial and a notice of appeal. Without holding an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court entered an agreed order granting a delayed appeal. Because a delayed appeal cannot be granted by agreement of the parties, we reverse and remand to the post-conviction court for an evidentiary hearing and findings of fact regarding whether a delayed appeal is appropriate in this case.

The Petitioner, Toran Harper, appeals the Shelby County Criminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, claiming that he received the ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Based upon our review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

A Shelby County jury convicted the defendant, John Champion, of one count of sexual battery by an authority figure. On appeal, the defendant argues that: (1) the trial court erred in denying the defendant the use of two peremptory challenges; (2) the trial court’s failure to dismiss the indictment due to the State’s failure to preserve evidence resulted in a fundamentally unfair trial; (3) the trial court erred in failing to declare a mistrial following a prejudicial misstatement by a witness; (4) the trial court failed to require the State to elect which incident it was relying on to establish the offense; and (5) the trial court improperly sentenced the defendant to confinement. Following a thorough review of the record, the briefs, and applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

This is an accelerated interlocutory appeal as of right filed pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B. Because Appellant failed to provide this Court with a copy of the motion to recuse filed in the trial court, the appeal is dismissed.

This is an appeal from a final order entered on March 23, 2026. The notice of appeal was not filed with the Appellate Court Clerk until April 23, 2026, more than thirty days from the date of entry of the order from which the appellant is seeking to appeal. Because the notice of appeal was not timely filed, we have no jurisdiction to consider this appeal.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is accepting applications for a new full-time magistrate judge position, with an anticipated start date of April 1, 2027, subject to congressional funding. Magistrate judges handle a variety of duties, including preliminary criminal proceedings, misdemeanor cases, pretrial matters and evidentiary hearings referred by district judges, as well as civil cases upon consent of the litigants. A merit selection panel composed of attorneys and community members will review applications and recommend the five most qualified candidates to the district judges. Application forms and more information on the magistrate judge position may be obtained from Clerk of Court Designee Vicki Kinkade, 719 Church Street, Suite 1300, Nashville 37203. The form is also available here. Applications are due by the close of business July 17 and should be submitted to magistrate@tnmd.uscourts.gov. Read the court's announcement for additional information.