The Nashville Bar Association YLD will host the 27th Annual Carbolic Smoke Ball on Aug. 22 at Emerson Hall, located at 2512 Gallatin Ave., Nashville 37206. All proceeds from the event will benefit Nashville Children's Alliance and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Black tie is optional. Information on the event and how to purchase tickets can be found at NashvilleBar.org/Carbolic.

Nashville kicked off a series of ceremonies across the state for new admittees to the practice of law. Candidates who passed the February bar exam, along with others, were sworn in during a ceremony in Nashville. Tennessee Bar Association President Ed Lanquist Jr. delivered remarks at the event, while representatives from the TBA and its Young Lawyers Division were on hand to welcome the new lawyers to the profession. Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Sarah K. Campbell and Jeff Bivins presided over the ceremony. See photos from the event. The Tennessee Supreme Court held additional events in Memphis, Jackson and Knoxville. 

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. Eszter Pryor brings this Title IX action against The Ohio State University (“OSU”) for allegedly failing to protect her from the sexual abuse and sexual assault committed by her diving coach when she was a minor competing for the Ohio State Diving Club. The district court dismissed her claim as time barred. But Pryor contends that the court applied the wrong statute of limitations and that her claim should not have been dismissed. Because the district court applied the correct limitations period, and Pryor filed her complaint beyond the applicable two-year window for such actions, we affirm.

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Jurisdiction is power. The power of the federal courts is not unlimited: we are courts of limited jurisdiction. But when we do have jurisdiction over both the subject matter of the case and the parties before us, we must exercise that jurisdiction, except in certain limited circumstances. After all, within the bounds set by the Constitution, it’s Congress’s call just how powerful we should be. Drawing the boundaries of federal courts’ jurisdiction is a policy choice—a choice that the Constitution vests in the political branches. As judges, we respect that choice by exercising jurisdiction that we have and not exercising jurisdiction that we lack. But there are exceptions to the normal rule of mandatory jurisdiction. This case asks us how broad some of those exceptions are and how they interact with one another. Our sister circuits have provided different answers to this question. We have yet to weigh in until now.

A Williamson County trial court, over objection from the State of Tennessee, granted the defendant’s motion to depose a witness for discovery purposes. This Court granted the State’s application for an extraordinary appeal under Rule 10 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. Upon our review, we conclude the trial court erred in its decision to grant the defendant’s motion and remand the case to the trial court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The Petitioner, Eddie Harris, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his 2016 convictions of two counts of first degree premeditated murder, two counts of first degree murder in the perpetration of a robbery, and one count of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. On appeal, the Petitioner argues the post-conviction court erred by failing to find that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel due to trial counsel’s failure to (1) present a witness in support of his defense, (2) cite favorable law during an evidentiary hearing or make an offer of proof following the trial court’s adverse ruling, and (3) object to alleged inconsistencies in the grand jury process. Discerning no error, we affirm.

May 26, 2025 - May 30, 2025.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that it is contracting with a retired judge to help reduce the jail’s population. According to the Daily Memphian, retired Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Carter will serve as the office’s jail population management coordinator. Carter, who served as judge from 2010 to 2022, told the outlet that his goal is to reduce the jail population to 80% of capacity. As of February, the main jail had an average daily population of 2,547 inmates, though it was built to hold 2,400. Carter also said criminal cases need to move more quickly through the courts: “If we don’t change anything, if we could handle cases more efficiently, if they take a month less, that will have an aggregate effect on the jail population."

The TBA will host a webcast on “Arbitration & Independent Legal Research” on June 25 from 11 a.m. to noon CDT. The session will feature Gail Ashworth of Wiseman Ashworth Trauger and Christopher Sabis of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. Additional details and information on the webcast will be available soon on the TBA website.

The 2025 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award will be presented to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile at the TBA’s Annual Convention by the Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD). Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech Jr., the award is given each year to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, the legal system and their community. In announcing the award, Fellows President and Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers said, "Judge Veile truly exemplifies the values embodied in the Leech Award. He is a past president of the TBA YLD, a TBA Board of Governors member, an extremely supportive TBA YLD volunteer and a devoted community leader. Judge Veile generously gives of his time as a mentor to young lawyers, speaks at legal and community events, and volunteers at TBA YLD events such as the TBA YLD Mock Trial competition. He has spent his entire career giving back to the Tennessee legal community and to the Middle Tennessee communities he serves. The Fellows are honored to award Judge David Veile the 2025 TBA YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award." Veile was elected circuit court judge and chancellor in Williamson County's 21st Judicial District in 2024. He previously practiced criminal defense law in Franklin. The award will be presented on June 13 at the Lawyers Luncheon. Read more about Veile's selection in the TBA's press release.