JULIA SMITH GIBBONS, Circuit Judge. In November 2022, defendant-appellant Terrence London, II, was indicted on a total of six charges: two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924; two counts of knowingly possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); and two counts of knowingly possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). London’s charges stem from two separate incidents that occurred on November 18, 2021, and June 6, 2022. London was ultimately acquitted of the charges arising from the November 18 incident but convicted of the three June 6 charges. He now appeals his June 6 convictions on several grounds. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm London’s convictions.

The Defendant, Oscar Romero, was convicted by a Montgomery County jury of rape, a Class B felony. See T.C.A. § 39-13-503 (2018) (subsequently amended). On appeal, he asserts that the proof is insufficient to sustain his conviction, that the trial court erred by excluding rebuttal evidence to impeach the victim, and that the court erred in its application of an enhancement factor during sentencing. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

This appeal requires us to determine whether the Tennessee Public Participation Act mandates dismissal of Appellants/Builders’ slander claim and whether the trial court properly awarded attorney’s fees. After Appellants filed a construction lien against Appellees/Homeowners’ property, Appellees filed a complaint against Appellants with the Tennessee Board of Licensing Contractors, wherein they asserted that Appellants did not have a valid Tennessee contractor’s license. After Appellees filed the instant lawsuit, Appellants filed a counter-complaint, asserting, as relevant here, a claim for defamation based on allegedly false statements made to the Board regarding Appellants’ licensure. Appellees filed a motion to dismiss Appellants’ slander claim. Appellees’ motion, which was predicated on the dismissal provision contained in the Tennessee Public Participation Act, asserted that Appellants’ defamation claim was filed in response to Appellees’ exercise of their constitutional right to free speech on a matter of public concern. The trial court granted Appellees’ motion for partial dismissal and awarded attorney’s fees. Appellants appeal. Discerning no error, we affirm.

Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz says he will retire July 16 after a little more than five years as Metro Nashville’s legal director. As he prepares to step down, Dietz spoke with the Nashville Banner about his career, legal battles with the state and how a stroke last year changed his view of the job. The paper also reports that Mayor Freddie O’Connell has tapped Nashville lawyer Tyler Yarbro as Dietz’s successor. Yarbro, 48, is currently managing partner of Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella where she focuses on employment, probate, business and appellate matters. Prior to entering private practice, Yarbro served as Nashville’s public defender for more than six years. According to a news release from the city, the nomination will go before the Metro Council in June. Yarbro is married to Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Board granted the district’s attorney Justin Bailey an early contract extension during a special-called meeting on May 12. The move comes as the board is preparing a legal challenge of the state’s takeover of the school district. Bailey’s contract was set to expire in December 2026. The extension ensures his involvement through February 2029, with an option to extend for one year after that. “I’m grateful to the board and superintendent for their continued trust and confidence in me and my team, and I look forward to continuing to serve the district in partnership with them,” Bailey said in a statement to The Daily Memphian.

A federal judge will allow the state's newly-redrawn congressional district map to remain in place while a lawsuit against it moves forward, WRKN reports. Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. in the Middle District of Tennessee issued an order today denying a temporary restraining order requested by congressional candidates and voters. Campbell had set a hearing in the suit for May 20. Because the new filing date for redrawn districts is May 15, the plaintiffs asked Campbell to either rule on their request for a temporary restraining order or reschedule the hearing for this week. In related news, the state has asked Campbell to consolidate the congressional candidates' suit with one from the ACLU, according to the Nashville Banner, and a three-judge state court panel has set May 21 as the first hearing date for a suit from the NAACP,  according to WKRN.

A Chattanooga nonprofit has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new congressional redistricting plan, alleging it unlawfully dilutes the voting power of minority and opposition-party voters, News Channel 9 reports. The suit from The I AM Foundation claims the map divides communities with shared political, cultural and economic interests into multiple districts, alleging violations of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, the 15th Amendment’s protections against racial discrimination in voting, and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The I AM Foundation provides transitional and independent living options and community-based programming for youth in crisis. The complaint, the fourth to be brought against the state, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Unam Peter Oh, an assistant federal public defender in Memphis, will be honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) Claudia Jack Award. The award, which will be presented at the TBA’s Annual Convention in Knoxville, is named for the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged and a public defender in Maury County. Oh joined the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Memphis in 2014 after a career in private practice focused on corporate liability insurance. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Oh began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and then in the Public Defender’s Office in Northern Virginia.

Colleagues who nominated Oh noted his commitment to providing every client, regardless of their means, a sophisticated and tireless defense and said his work is characterized by a “boots-on-the-ground dedication” that far exceeds the traditional expectations of any counsel. “He frequently goes above and beyond by meeting his clients’ families in informal settings, most recently at a local Burger King, on his own time to provide updates, comfort, and ensure they feel heard.” Nominators also highlighted Oh’s impact on the profession as a mentor, investing hundreds of hours in the next generation of Tennessee’s legal community. In announcing Oh’s selection, TBA President and Knoxville lawyer Heidi Barcus said, “The TBA is honored to recognize the selfless service of Assistant Federal Public Defender Peter Oh. From his commitment to vigorously defend his clients, to his care for the families of those facing the justice system, to the mentoring of the next generation of lawyers, Peter embodies the values TBA seeks to promote through the Claudia Jack Award. We all are grateful for his example.” Read more in this press release from the TBA.

The TBA Litigation Practice Section is continuing its “Perspectives From the Bench” series next Thursday at the new TBA office in Nashville. The program will feature a conversation with Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins and former Supreme Court Justice and current Nashville School of Law Dean Bill Koch. Attorneys Hunter Branstetter with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison and Todd Presnell with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings will moderate the discussion, which will focus on each justice's path to the bench, the role of mentors, the importance of the Rule of Law and more. Make plans now to join colleagues for this informative program on May 21 from 3-4:30 p.m. CDT and a networking reception that will follow at 4:30 p.m. Learn more and register on the TBA website.

MURPHY, Circuit Judge. Andrea Tumbleson suffers from a rare disease that has gradually caused her to lose her vision and hearing. Despite her disabilities, she has excelled as an art teacher in the Lakota Local School District. After teaching for many years, Tumbleson decided that she needed a guide dog to help her navigate the world. She sought to use paid sick leave to attend a mandatory three-week training course to obtain her guide dog. Lakota denied her request for paid leave because this training did not qualify as a “personal illness” under the district’s sick-leave policy. But it allowed her to take unpaid leave as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Tumbleson sued Lakota. She alleged that the denial of paid leave violated the ADA both because it amounted to disability discrimination and because it failed to properly accommodate her disability. And she suggested that she had the right to use paid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The district court granted summary judgment to Lakota. We agree with this result. Tumbleson’s disparate-treatment claim under the ADA fails because she lacks evidence that Lakota treated nondisabled personnel more favorably. And her failure-to-accommodate claim under the ADA fails because unpaid leave qualified as a “reasonable” accommodation. Lastly, Tumbleson’s FMLA claim fails because this law entitled her to paid sick leave only if Lakota would “normally” provide that leave under the circumstances. And Tumbleson raises only a bare-bones challenge to the district court’s conclusion that her guide-dog training did not qualify for paid leave under Lakota’s sick-leave policy. We affirm.