The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 27 will hear oral arguments before an accomplished group of rising high school seniors at the Tennessee American Legion Boys State at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. The event is part of the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students (SCALES) program, which educates students about the Tennessee legal system and the judicial branch. “It is imperative that our young people have the opportunity to see the judicial system in action and up close,” said Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “We are excited to bring this special session to Tennessee Tech University, where students will be able to observe actual cases argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court.” Participants will observe oral arguments in State of Tennessee v. Brent Paul Moon and Shirley Buckley et al. v. Jackson Radiology Associates, P.A. et al. beginning at 9 a.m. CDT.

On May 28, at 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Nashville, the court will hear oral arguments in three cases: Jospheen Guirguis et al. v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davison County; Leslie K. Jones v. Tennessee State University; and Mark T. Young, Individually and d/b/a Mark T. Young & Associates v. Bonnie Young Davidson. Both days of oral arguments will be livestreamed on the TNCourts YouTube page.

Brentwood attorney David Gebhardt on May 8 pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns that failed to report millions of dollars in income from cryptocurrency sales and from his consulting business, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. Court documents show that Gebhardt purchased cryptocurrency but used decentralized exchanges and nominees to conceal his income from those investments, did not report the income on his tax returns, falsely indicated that he did not engage in virtual currency transaction, and failed to report all the gross receipts earned by a consulting business he owned. In total, Gebhardt caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 by filing false tax returns for 2018 through 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in federal prison, as well as restitution and monetary penalties.

The TBA will host a one-hour CLE program, “Beyond the Hype: Practical Applications of AI,” on May 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT via webcast. The program will provide attorneys with a foundational understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works and offer practical ways to incorporate it into their practice. The session will be led by John Haines, an East Tennessee attorney who focuses on divorce and family law and has a strong interest in using technology to improve efficiency and accessibility in legal practice. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

Thank you to our 2025-2026 Tennessee Bar Association Patron Members. Patron members show their support for programs that assist in the development of the profession and provide meaningful access to justice initiatives such as the TBA tuition assistance program, mentoring program, practice management center, civics education support and online pro bono development. We are grateful for these members who make a difference for others by choosing this “above and beyond” dues level.

Warren County is launching a Safe Baby Court program aimed at reducing dependency and neglect cases while helping safely reunite children with their families through a collaborative, community-based approach, the Herald Citizen reports. A public kickoff event is scheduled for May 12 at the Warren County Courthouse. Led by General Sessions Judge Ryan J. Moore in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and other local organizations, the specialty court will serve children ages five and younger and their siblings involved in dependency and neglect proceedings. The program emphasizes coordinated services, accountability and early intervention to improve long-term outcomes for children and families. Tennessee established its Safe Baby Court program in 2017. By June of this year, there will be 32 sites statewide.

LARSEN, Circuit Judge. In 2018, law enforcement officers arrested John Griswold after a domestic disturbance. He admitted to taking several pills that were later identified as ulcer medication. After being medically cleared by doctors and discharged from the hospital, the officers placed Griswold in a jail cell. He died several hours later. Griswold’s estate sued several jail officials alleging deliberate indifference in violation of his constitutional rights. The district court denied qualified immunity to some of the officials, who now appeal. Because the officials are entitled to qualified immunity, we REVERSE.

CLAY, Circuit Judge. In this consolidated appeal, Respondents appeal various district court grants of petitions for habeas corpus. Petitioners are noncitizens without lawful status who were detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A).1 The district courts granted Petitioners’ habeas petitions, finding that the government did not lawfully detain Petitioners under § 1225(b)(2)(A) and that Petitioners’ detention without a bond hearing violated their Fifth Amendment due process rights. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM the district courts’ judgments.

Appellant was named conservator over her mother in 2019 over her sibling’s objection and posted a $25,000.00 surety bond in connection with the conservatorship. After several years in which accountings were approved by the trial court, a new judge was designated to preside over the case. The new trial judge refused to approve several of the expenses in the later accountings, finding that they were either not for the benefit of the ward or constituted payment to the conservator without prior court approval. As a result, the trial court ruled that the conservator was required to reimburse over $30,000.00 in expenses to the conservatorship account. Appellant argues that the trial court erred in finding that these expenses were unauthorized and directing reimbursement, as well as in granting a judgment to the conservator’s surety for the amount it paid to reimburse the conservatorship account pursuant to the surety bond. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

The employee alleged she injured her low back, left hip, and related anatomy while moving heavy mail bags at work. At trial, the employer argued that the employee failed to provide adequate notice of any alleged work-related accident and failed to come forward with sufficient proof that her condition was primarily caused by that alleged incident. The trial court agreed with the employer on both counts and denied the employee’s claim, and the employee has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we affirm the trial court’s order and certify it as final for purposes of any further appeal.

May 4, 2026 - May 8, 2026.