Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge and TBA YLD President-elect Alex McVeagh announced the elected members of the 2025-2026 YLD Board this week. Those members serving on the executive committee are:

• Alex McVeagh — President
• Jennifer L. Sneed — President-elect
• Darius Walker Jr. — Vice President
• Zack Walden — Secretary
• Ashley Tipton — Treasurer
• Samantha Ellis — East Tennessee Governor
• Alix Rogers — Middle Tennessee Governor
• Faith Watson — West Tennessee Governor
• Sean Aiello — Immediate Past President
• Quinton Thompson — Past President
• Billy Leslie — Past President

Other elected positions are:

• District Representatives: Sydney Gilbert (1), Amanda Howard (2), Mari Jasa (3), Alexandra Jones (4), Claire Tuley (5), Amber Vargas (6), Alyssa Fox (7), Grace Burnett (8), Ginny Blake (9), Jack Wagster (10), Colton McGrew (11), Nicole Flowers (12), Shelby Combs (13) and Rod Watson (14)
• TBA House of Delegates: Mary Frances DeVoe, Lorne Hiller and Dale Hutcherson
• ABA YLD Tennessee/Kentucky Representative: Sean Aiello

Beyond services to its members, the YLD provides multiple programs a year across the state including expungement and name change clinics, essential documents for essential workers, debt relief, immigration and pro bono service clinics. The YLD also sponsors the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition — the largest public service project for the TBA. Other special initiatives for this term include sponsoring the Rural Judicial Fellowship program for law students, holding pro bono civil legal clinics for Tennessee's Recovery Court participants, and helping introduce diverse high school students and law students to the practice of law in the TBA YLD's Leadership and the Law Academy as well as its Diversity Leadership Institute. McVeagh appointed the following TBA members to lead various committees to undertake the significant public and membership initiatives of the YLD:

• Public Service Committee: Savannah Oliver
• Recovery Court Volunteer Program: Molly Green
• Diversity Committee: Jennifer Safstrom, Chicoya Gallman
• Diversity Leadership Institute: John Murphy, Raven Austin
• Leadership and the Law Academy: Ariel Anthony
• Membership Committee: Patrick Morrison
• Publications Committee: Brian Mounce
• Mock Trial Committee: John Jolley, Bridget Pyman, Ashley Tipton
• Long Range Planning Committee: Darius Walker Jr.
• Rural Judicial Fellowship Program: Zack Walden

A group of state attorneys general (AGs) have sued to stop efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to review federal government spending and recommend cuts, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that DOGE head Elon Musk was illegally appointed and given “unchecked legal authority” by the president without congressional approval. After a hearing today, a federal judge appeared inclined to deny a request to block access to sensitive records, but said she would rule on the issue within 24 hours. ABC has that development. In another suit, the Association of Administrative Law Judges has joined two federal employee unions in seeking to block DOGE from accessing workers’ personal and employment records. That suit alleges that the disclosure of such information violates the Privacy Act and poses a security risk to federal workers. Read the filing.

Nashville attorney Darius Walker Jr. will serve as the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) president in 2027-2028. His election to the post was uncontested. After taking office as vice president at this summer's TBA Convention, Walker will become president-elect in June 2026 and president in June 2027. He has served as YLD treasurer for the last three years and is a member of the TBALL class of 2025. Walker earned his law degree from The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and is an associate at Ogletree Deakins in their Sports and Entertainment Industry Group. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Civil Rights Law and Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star.

A federal judge is expected to rule that Germantown school officials may maintain a ban on Herbie, a seizure-alert dog they say has been more disruptive than helpful to a student with multiple disabilities, the Daily Memphian reports. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker said in a hearing last week he would deny a request to lift the ban after the student’s parents filed a lawsuit in November. They claim Germantown officials violated federal disability laws in banning Herbie. The school district argues that the dog did not follow the student’s commands and “posed a danger” to him and other students. Parker found the school was not intentionally discriminating against the student by banning the dog. He said the official ruling will come soon but did not offer a timeline. “The ruling that I’m making today ... is not necessarily forever and always,” Parker said. “... Perhaps the court could revisit this question down the road.”

The TBA will host its 29th Annual Labor and Employment Law Forum on May 2 at the Bradley L. Barrett Training Center in Nashville from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT. The forum will provide insights into current labor and employment law topics. More information about topics and speakers now is available on the TBA website.

A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jon McCalla has raised concerns about the future of the Kendrick Consent Decree, a federal order that has long prevented the Memphis Police Department (MPD) from spying on citizens, the Commercial Appeal reports. McCalla's decision modifies the decree by replacing a private attorney who monitors police activities with two lawyers employed by the city of Memphis and assigned to the Memphis Police Department. Memphis lawyer Ed Stanton has been serving in the role since 2018. The ACLU of Tennessee, city outside counsel Bruce McMullen and Stanton support the change, saying the independent monitor role was not intended to be permanent. Others — including attorney Bruce Kramer, who first sued the city in 1976 over MPD’s illegal surveillance — argue that the shift risks undermining protections against civil rights violations. The Kendrick Consent Decree, established in 1978 after the MPD was found to have spied on political activists, has been crucial in safeguarding First Amendment rights, supporters say.

Aprio, a U.S.-based business advisory and accounting firm, and Radix Law, a full-service business law firm in Arizona, announced last week they have entered into an exclusive letter of intent to merge into Aprio Legal LLC, a full-service Alternative Business Service (ABS) law firm. The new firm will provide a holistic approach to serving entrepreneurs and business leaders, according to an Aprio press release. Both Aprio Legal and Radix Law are licensed by Arizona's ABS program, with Aprio receiving approval in May 2024 and Radix Law in 2021. The merger is expected to be finalized in late spring. Last month, KPMG — another accounting firm seeking to enter the legal services market — had its application put on hold after the state’s Supreme Court requested additional information.

Springfield attorney Larry Wayne Simmons died Friday following a 46-year legal career. Simmons served as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps before earning his law degree at the Nashville School of Law. He began his career as an attorney in 1970 and later served as the Adams city attorney and as a city judge in Springfield. Funeral services will be held on Feb. 18. Visitation will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST in the chapel of Austin & Bell Funeral Home, 509 N. Walnut St., Springfield, TN 37172. The service will take place at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery, 3141 US-31W., White House, TN 37188. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, P.O. Box 111180, Nashville, TN 37222-1180.

The city of Johnson City agreed last week to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by multiple anonymous women who accused the city police department of failing to investigate a man who allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women between 2018 and 2021. The department has denied allegations of corruption or bribery in the handling of the cases, according to WPLN News. The accused assailant, Sean Williams, is currently in jail on charges of producing child sexual abuse images and escaping police custody, though he has not yet been charged in connection with the women's allegations. The lawsuit is one of three accusing the police department of mishandling evidence that Williams was drugging and assaulting women for years. The city said it has since improved department practices, including adopting a new sexual assault investigation protocol and creating a "comfortable space" for victim interviews.

Those interested in an appointed position on the TBA Young Lawyers Division's 2025-2026 Board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. Get details on positions and a link to the application on the YLD's webpage.