Two protesters arrested in 2024 on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus have filed a federal lawsuit claiming their First Amendment rights were violated. Siblings Hasan Husain and Layla Soliz filed the joint lawsuit on May 15, one year after the arrests. The suit names the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee trustees and UT System President Randy Boyd as defendants. The two were part of a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested and charged with criminal trespass after attending a pro-Palestine vigil. All were released without having to pay bail, according to Knox News. The lawsuit centers on what Husain and Soliz describe as violations against “nonviolent community members who were not violating any laws,” and alleges that the arrests were intended to intimidate demonstrators. In March, Soliz was awarded $71,500 by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office after the department published her mug shot online without her hijab.

A bill aimed at identifying and supporting ways to increase music-related tourism across the country passed the U.S. Senate last Wednesday. The American Music Tourism Act of 2025 was introduced by Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Kingsport and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood. According to WBIR, the bill directs the assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism to help facilitate incentives and conferences to boost music-related tourism, with an emphasis on “rural and other destinations” that are “rich in cultural heritage or ecological tourism” for international meetings, conferences or exhibitions. The bill passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support in April.

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 13 during the group's Annual Convention in Franklin. The award, which will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon, was established more than 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Kidwell is being honored for her article It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule, which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Prior to joining UT last fall, she served at the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General (AG) and Reporter in the Solicitor General’s Office. 

In announcing the selection of Kidwell, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said, “Laura's winning article is exactly what the Joe Henry Award sets out to honor: straightforward and concise writing that explains the legal process of the final judgment rule in civil actions, as well as its exceptions.” The award is named for Joseph W. Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who was known for his forthright and clear writing. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday extended its ban on the removal of Venezuelan men currently in immigration custody in Texas, under the Alien Enemies Act, SCOTUSblog reports. In an unsigned opinion, the justices found that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals erred when it dismissed the detainees’ appeal of their removal based on a belief that it lacked authority to review it. The justices sent the case back to the appeals court for a determination of the procedures detainees are entitled to in order to challenge their removal. The opinion also stressed that it was not addressing the underlying question of whether detainees can be removed under the Alien Enemies Act. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a dissent saying the court had “no authority to issue any relief.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a short concurring opinion arguing that the Supreme Court should have resolved the issue itself, rather than sending it back to the lower court. In March, the administration initiated efforts to remove noncitizens designated as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act. Lower courts, including those in Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C., have issued various rulings on the effort.

The special TBA group rate for the 2025 Annual Convention in Nashville has been extended through May 21 at 5 p.m. CDT Make your reservation now at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs to take advantage of this exclusive rate. This year’s convention, set for June 11–14, features engaging programming, valuable networking opportunities and memorable social events. Don’t miss out — book your room today!

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 39 states and territories in opposing a proposed federal amendment that would bar states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) products. In a letter led by the attorneys general of Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire and Vermont, the group urged Congress to reject the AI-related provision in the budget reconciliation bill, warning that it would strip away critical consumer protections without establishing a sufficient federal framework. Skrmetti said in a release that eliminating state oversight would leave Americans vulnerable to privacy violations, consumer exploitation and antitrust abuses. The letter emphasizes that states have been at the forefront of regulating emerging technologies and are best positioned to respond to the evolving risks posed by AI.

The TBA’s Litigation Practice Section will host “Perspectives From the Bench: A Conversation with Justice Sarah Campbell and Justice Mary Wagner” on June 5 at the offices of Miller & Martin in Chattanooga. The event, part of the section’s ongoing speaker series, will feature a moderated discussion with the Tennessee Supreme Court justices, led by attorneys Mary Taylor Gallagher and Zac Greene. Topics will include the justices’ paths to the bench, mentorship, judicial interaction and the role of the Rule of Law in society. For more information and to register, visit TBA’s website.

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff-Appellant Holly Lawson appeals the grant of summary judgment to Defendants-Appellees in this 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action asserting that Lawson’s public-school coworkers, Defendants-Appellees Kayla Creely and Lori Franke, together with Defendants-Appellees School Superintendent Mark Kopp and the Franklin County, Kentucky Board of Education (the Board),1 violated her Fourth Amendment rights. We AFFIRM.

Defendant, Willie E. Spencer, appeals as of right from his guilty-pleaded convictions for three counts of sale of 0.5 grams or more of methamphetamine, for which the trial court imposed an effective sentence of twenty years. On appeal, Defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing a maximum in-range sentence. Following our review, we affirm.

The Defendant, Jeffery Lynn Sanders, appeals from the trial court’s revocation of his probation. On appeal, he alleges that (1) various procedural errors attended his revocation hearing, (2) no substantial evidence existed to support the finding of a violation of probation, and (3) the trial court abused its discretion by revoking his probation and ordering him to serve the remainder of his sentence in confinement.1 After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.