Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) recently named Clint Wren as assistant director of career services. Wren previously served as a staff attorney and pro bono coordinator for Legal Aid of East Tennessee in Knoxville, where he represented clients in civil matters and built partnerships to expand access to legal services in the region. "Clint brings a unique combination of legal experience and a strong commitment to public service that will greatly benefit our students as they navigate their career paths," said Caitlin Torney, director of career services at LMU Law. Read more in a press release from the school.

Judge Chris Frulla, recently appointed to the 30th Judicial District bench by Gov. Bill Lee, began his career in archeology. After earning a degree in anthropology and working on archeological surveys, he decided to follow his father’s example and pursue law, graduating from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He practiced as an attorney for more than 13 years before colleagues encouraged him to apply for a judgeship after Judge Valerie Smith was elevated to the Court of Appeals. Sworn in on Sept. 3 by Smith, Frulla described the moment as humbling. “Walking out on the bench the first day, to my surprise, my father was sitting in the gallery. He said he is just so proud of me, and he had to see it with his own eyes.” Read more in a profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judge. Two corrections officers, Austin Bryce and Calvin Turner, escorted prisoner Brent Nash through a prison hallway and out into a prison yard. Upon entering the prison yard, the officers executed a takedown maneuver on Nash, throwing him to the cement and fracturing his foot in two places in the process. This appeal centers on whether that takedown maneuver was justified. Nash contends that he did nothing prior to the takedown to warrant the officers’ use of force against him. The officers contend that Nash lunged away from them, causing them to panic and take him to the ground. Most of the relevant events were captured on the prison’s security videos. Relying on that video footage, a prison misconduct hearing officer found that Nash had assaulted Bryce and Turner by lunging away from them before their decision to take him down. Nash then filed suit against Bryce and Turner under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, arguing that the takedown violated his Eighth Amendment right to be free from excessive force. After discovery, the district court granted summary judgment to the defendants, holding that they were entitled to qualified immunity. In so doing, the district court made two conclusions about the factual record—that the hearing officer’s factual findings from the prison misconduct hearing should have preclusive effect on the litigation, and that the prison videos blatantly contradicted Nash’s testimony. We disagree with both conclusions and, relying on a corrected review of the factual record, hold that Nash has raised a genuine dispute of material fact regarding whether Bryce and Turner violated his Eighth Amendment rights. We accordingly reverse the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the officers.

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is disputing the city of Millington’s claim that her office owes more than $30,000 in unpaid rent for its satellite location, saying she never signed nor agreed to a lease. Millington officials argue Halbert was aware of the lease, which the county commission approved retroactively to January 2023, and accuse her of trying to avoid payment. Halbert maintains the clerk’s office has historically operated in Millington without rent and says she was excluded from discussions about the agreement. City officials counter that rent is justified due to rising costs and increased traffic, warning they may pursue legal action if the issue is not resolved. Two attempts in 2024 to remove Halbert from office were dismissed. The Daily Memphian has the story.

ALICE M. BATCHELDER, Circuit Judge. This is a case about a public-school teacher, Jason Russell, who had good reason to believe that a student, X.M., brought a handgun to school; Russell’s actions to protect against that threat; and the lawsuit by Cheyenne Johnson, X.M.’s mother, against Russell for those actions. In this interlocutory appeal, Russell challenges the district court’s denial of qualified immunity on Johnson’s claims of Fourth Amendment violations. The district court denied Russell’s motion because it decided that certain disputed facts required a determination by a jury, and our dissenting colleague agrees. But the critical fact—and arguably the only material fact—is not in dispute: Russell had good cause to believe that X.M. might have had a gun at school. Because the other facts in dispute are not material to Russell’s qualified immunity defense, and because Russell—as a matter of law—did not violate X.M.’s clearly established constitutional rights, even under X.M.’s version of the facts, we REVERSE.

This is a termination of parental rights appeal. The trial court found that two statutory grounds existed to terminate mother’s parental rights to the two minor children: abandonment by failure to visit or support and persistence of conditions. The trial court found that three statutory grounds existed to terminate father’s parental rights to the minor children: abandonment by failure to visit or support, persistence of conditions, and abandonment due to father’s confinement of ten or more years. The trial court then concluded that termination was in the children’s best interests. We reverse the trial court’s findings on the grounds of abandonment by failure to visit or support. We affirm the remainder of the trial court’s judgment.

Because the order appealed lacks finality based on the failure to comply with Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 58 and no good cause exists to waive the procedural deficiency, this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to consider this appeal.

The employee reported injuring her left knee while placing bags on a conveyor belt at work. After the employee filed a petition for benefit determination, the parties attempted mediation, which was unsuccessful. Thereafter, the employee’s attorney sought to withdraw from the case, and the trial court granted that motion. The employee then failed to appear for several status hearings, leading to the issuance of a notice for a show cause hearing, which was sent to the employee’s last known email address and physical address. In addition, the employer filed a motion to dismiss the case, to which the employee did not respond. The employee did not appear for the show cause hearing, leading the court to dismiss the employee’s petition with prejudice. The employee has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we affirm the trial court’s order and certify it as final.

The Texas Supreme Court has signaled plans to end the state’s reliance on the American Bar Association (ABA) for law school accreditation and instead take direct authority to decide which schools’ graduates may become licensed lawyers in Texas. Reuters reports that, if adopted, Texas would be the first state to break from the ABA’s oversight, though Florida, Ohio and Tennessee are reviewing similar measures. The court says it wants a streamlined system with neutral criteria, such as bar exam pass rates, while preserving graduates’ ability to practice across state lines. While the ABA and most Texas law deans have raised concerns about costs, uncertainty and lawyer mobility, the court has invited public comment through Dec. 1 before changes take effect in January.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) recently released its 2024 By the Numbers report which shows that for the fourth consecutive year, housing cases dominated legal aid caseloads, accounting for 288,000 closed cases or 37.2% of all matters handled. The number of clients aged 60 and over reached 171,572 in 2024, with the report highlighting the growing legal need among older Americans, especially older women. Veteran households also saw increased representation, with 34,205 families receiving legal assistance.