Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady last month at 3.6%, seven-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in August was unchanged from the previous month. Tennessee’s unemployment rate continues to track well below the U.S. rate, which was 4.3% in August. Over the past year, Tennessee employers added 34,400 jobs, with the biggest gains in government, the professional and business services sector, and leisure and hospitality.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division, Belmont University College of Law and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services are joining forces to offer a wills clinic on Oct. 11 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CDT at the Nashville Public Library's Southeast Branch, 5260 Hickory Hollow Pkwy #201, Antioch 37013. Volunteer attorneys will prepare simple wills, powers of attorney and advanced health care directives for clients. If you are interested in participating, please email YLD District 9 Representative Ginny Blake.

The TBA is accepting applications from candidates interested in the position of Education and Professional Development Coordinator. This position manages projects and logistics for continuing legal education (CLE) programs, section/committee meetings and special events. The role oversees communication, scheduling, vendor coordination, volunteer management, budgeting and follow-up to ensure programs run smoothly and meet member needs. To apply, send a cover letter explaining interest in the position and a resume by email to Director of Education and Professional Development Jennifer Vossler. Access the full job description here.

Gov. Bill Lee today appointed Judge Jim Todd to the 20th Judicial District Criminal Court, covering Davidson County. Todd currently serves as a judge in the Davidson County General Sessions Court. He will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Cheryl Blackburn. Todd earned his bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and law degree at the University of Memphis. “I am proud to announce the appointment of Judge Todd to the 20th Judicial District Criminal Court. Jim brings significant experience to the bench, and I appreciate his leadership and willingness to serve Tennesseans with integrity,” Lee said according to the Nashville Post.

RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge. An immigration judge (IJ) issued a removal order for Miriam Patricia Vargas-Rodriguez in 2009. In 2024, Vargas-Rodriguez filed her third motion to reopen. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denied the motion. For the reasons set forth below, we DENY Vargas-Rodriguez’s petition for review.

Petitioner, Richard E. Reed, appeals as of right from the Knox County Criminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, wherein he challenged convictions for possession with intent to sell 0.5 grams or more of cocaine in a drug-free school zone; possession with intent to deliver 0.5 grams or more of cocaine in a drug-free school zone; possession with intent to sell 0.5 grams or more of cocaine within a drug-free childcare zone; possession with intent to deliver 0.5 grams or more in a drug-free childcare zone; possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony; and unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, for which the trial court imposed an effective twenty-year sentence. On appeal, Petitioner asserts that he received ineffective assistance of appellate counsel for failure to include an offer-of-proof transcript in the appellate record; that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress; and that he was denied due process because he was not permitted to testify or call trial counsel as a witness at the post-conviction hearing. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Following a retrial, Defendant, William Eugene Moon, was convicted by a Coffee County jury of attempted second degree murder and employment of a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony and sentenced to an effective sixteen-year sentence to serve in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, Defendant asserts that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions; that the trial court erred by failing to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of attempted voluntary manslaughter; that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a written request for the jury instruction before the jury began its deliberation; that the trial court erred by denying Defendant’s motion to suppress his statements; and that Defendant was denied a speedy trial. Having reviewed the entire record and the arguments of the parties, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

In 2012, the Defendant, Jesse L. Kutrieb, pleaded guilty to two counts of vandalism of property valued at $500 or less, three counts of burglary other than a habitation, theft of property valued at $500 or less, and two counts of theft of property valued between $1,000 and $10,000. The trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of four years of supervised probation. The Defendant moved out of state without notifying his probation officer and was arrested and convicted of multiple offenses in Michigan. On this basis, the trial court revoked his probation and ordered the Defendant to serve his sentence in confinement. On appeal, the Defendant asserts that the trial court erred when it revoked his probation because it did not rely on the facts set forth in the probation violation warrant, which only included absconding. After a thorough review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

In 2023, the Defendant, Aimee Lee Higby, entered a guilty plea to the facilitation of first degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse, and abuse of a corpse. By agreement, the trial court imposed an effective sentence of twenty-seven years. Thereafter, the Defendant filed a motion to withdraw her plea, which the trial court denied after a hearing. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred when it denied her motion to withdraw her guilty plea. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

The Petitioner, Donavan Daniel, was convicted in the Weakley County Circuit Court of three counts of first degree felony murder, one count of first degree premeditated murder, one count of especially aggravated robbery, and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver. After a bifurcated sentencing hearing, the jury sentenced him to life without parole for two counts of first degree felony murder, life for the remaining count of first degree felony murder, and life for first degree premeditated murder. This court affirmed the convictions on direct appeal and affirmed the denial of post-conviction relief. Subsequently, the Petitioner filed a motion to reopen his post-conviction petition. After a hearing, the post-conviction court granted the motion to reopen, granted post-conviction relief, and reduced the Petitioner’s two sentences of life without parole to life. On appeal, the State contends that the post-conviction court erred in applying State v. Booker, 656 S.W.3d 49 (Tenn. 2022), to the Petitioner’s sentences of life without parole and, therefore, erred in reducing the Petitioner’s sentences to life. We agree with the State. Accordingly, the judgment of the post-conviction court is reversed, and the Petitioner’s sentences of life without parole for first degree felony murder in counts three and four are reinstated.