Car booting will remain largely prohibited in Tennessee after a judge ruled in favor of the state, saying the law restricting the practice benefits the public, WVLT-TV reports. In recent years, multiple booting companies in Middle Tennessee have been accused of operating without licenses and failing to remove boots from vehicles in a timely manner. Concerns about predatory practices prompted the Tennessee General Assembly to pass a law last year making car booting illegal in most situations. One company, Nashville Booting, then sued the state, arguing the law destroyed its business. The judge said that while the law may harm booting companies, it protects the public from reported industry abuses. Current law allows booting only under specific circumstances. New legislation pending this session could ban the practice outright statewide.

The University of Memphis School of Law has launched the Transformative Justice Initiative, a new student organization dedicated to "reimagining justice beyond incarceration, punishment and surveillance." According to the school, the group will serve students interested in movement lawyering, public defense, decarceral legal strategies and building alternatives to the criminal legal system. Through events, panels, workshops and collaborations with advocates and impacted communities, the initiative aims to engage law students, attorneys and others who want to promote a legal system focused on healing, accountability and liberation. Attorneys who want to get involved or learn more can contact Tyler.Foster@memphis.edu or visit the school's website.

Gerald Powers, a Tennessee man sentenced to death 26 years ago, died Saturday while on death row, the Tennessean reports. The official cause of death is pending a medical examiner’s report, but the Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed Powers had advanced metastatic cancer at the time of his death. He was one of 45 male death row inmates housed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Attorneys with the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee allege that the state failed to provide adequate treatment for Powers' illness. His death comes as Tennessee resumes executions following a five-year pause, with four executions scheduled this year. Powers was not among that group.

Tennessee ranks second in the nation for economic outlook, according to the 18th annual Rich States, Poor States Report from the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative organization that drafts model legislation for state governments. The News Herald reports that Tennessee moved up from sixth place in 2024 and 13th in 2023, receiving high marks for its tax policies — including no income or estate taxes — and a minimum wage at the federal level of $7.25 per hour. Tennessee ranked 12th in overall economic performance, with a 76.25% growth in gross domestic product from 2013 to 2023. The state also saw an influx of 405,833 new residents between 2021 and 2023, ranking seventh in population growth.

A federal judge has struck down a U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that capped credit card late fees at $8, after the agency argued the regulation, enacted under the Biden administration, was unlawful. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman granted a joint request by the CFPB and a coalition of six business and banking groups to vacate the rule, Reuters reports. Pittman agreed the rule violated the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, which allows issuers to charge fees that are "reasonable and proportional to violations." In a March 2024 lawsuit, CFPB was accused of overstepping its authority.

The 2025 Business Law Forum will take place April 24 in Nashville, offering a full day of education and networking for Tennessee's business law community. The event will feature two sessions: "TN Business Law 101" in the morning, which will be aimed at early career professionals and seasoned practitioners looking for a refresher, and "Advanced Topics" in the afternoon for those dealing with more complex legal issues. A networking happy hour will round out a day of connection and education.

The morning program will focus on the basics of business law, beginning with a presentation on Tennessee-specific laws such as usury and indebtedness tax, which often arise in debt financing transactions and M&A transactions. Other morning sessions include entity formation, including choice of jurisdiction and entity, and a multi-firm panel discussion of drafting lessons and recommendations.

In the afternoon, the forum shifts focus to more complex and nuanced issues facing Tennessee business lawyers. Kicking off the Advanced Topics mini-program will be Delaware corporate governance litigator Brad Sorrels, who will be sharing recent updates to Delaware law. The second afternoon session will focus on tax and economic allocation provisions in LLC and partnership agreements. The last session of the day will further narrow the focus on entity formation, in particular the ethics challenges and conflicts of interest that attorneys face when forming new entities.

Schedule At-A-Glance: (all times central)

9 – 10 a.m.  A Beginner’s Guide to Debt Tax and Usury in Tennessee: Katie Smalley, Leslie Ford
10 – 10:15 a.m.  Break
10:15 – 11:15 a.m.  Entity Selection and Formation in Tennessee: Van East, Nathan Harris
11:15 – 11:30 a.m.  Break
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Practical Tips for Contract Drafting: Laura McKinney (moderator), Courtney Keehan, Tyler Huseman, Dillon Reid
12:30 – 1:15 p.m.  Lunch (provided)
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.  Delaware Corporate Law: The Times They Are A Changing (Or Are They?): Brad Sorrels, Joan Heminway
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.  Break
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.  Drafting Tax & Economic Provisions of Operating Agreements: Alex Davie
3:30 – 3:45 p.m.  Break
3:45 – 4:45 p.m.  Ethics Issues in Entity Formation in Tennessee: Paula Schaefer

In an effort to provide flexibility for attendees with specific learning interests, the TBA is offering three options for forum attendance:

• Full-day registration is available here.
• If you prefer to only attend the morning portion, which focuses on beginner topics, register to attend the 3-hour morning portion here.
• If you prefer to only attend the afternoon portion, which focuses on advanced business law topics, register to attend the 3-hour afternoon portion here.

Charles Stephen "Steve" Weaver died April 12 at age 76. In his early years, he was a musician, songwriter, guitar instructor, entertainment agent and a member of several regionally popular groups based in Memphis. After graduating from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1977, Weaver relocated to Atlanta and was an assistant professor and director of the Commercial Music/Recording Program at Georgia State University. He began his private practice in 1983, with offices in Memphis and Nashville, moving all offices to Nashville's Music Row in 1995. Weaver was a member of the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association and Country Music Association, among others. Memorial gifts may be made to Alive Hospice of Nashville or Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. A private memorial will be scheduled at a later time.

In 2021, the Petitioner, Billie Joe Chapman, pleaded guilty in separate cases to multiple burglary, vandalism, and weapon charges for which he received an effective sentence of thirteen years of incarceration. The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging the ineffective assistance of counsel, and the trial court denied him relief. This court affirmed the denial. Chapman v. State, No. W2022-01333-CCA-R3-PC, 2023 WL 5572932, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. Aug. 29, 2023), no perm. app. filed. Thereafter, the Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, and the trial court entered an order summarily dismissing the petition. We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

The plaintiffs brought an election contest and a declaratory judgment action against the defendants to enjoin the implementation of Metro Ordinance No. BL2024-427, which implements Metro’s transit improvement plan created pursuant to the Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy Act. The trial court found that the plan and ballot question complied with the Act in all respects. We affirm, except that we find that the surcharge in the transit improvement plan cannot be used for the acquisition of land for housing and parks.

John Lindberg (“Lindberg”), an inmate at Turney Center Industrial Complex (“TCIX”), was convicted of introducing drugs into TCIX by the prison’s Disciplinary Board (“the Board”). After failed appeals to the TCIX Warden and Tennessee Department of Correction (“TDOC”) Commissioner, Lindberg filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the Chancery Court for Hickman County (“the Trial Court”). The Trial Court denied his petition. He appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.