Early bird registration for the TBA’s 2026 Annual Convention ends April 30, and hotel reservations are due by May 8 at 5 p.m. EDT. The convention, set for June 10-13 in downtown Knoxville, will offer annual favorites such as the Public Service Breakfast, Lawyers Luncheon, compelling CLE and swearing in of TBA’s new president, as well as the Wednesday night welcome reception and a Thursday evening reception at Knoxville’s minor league ballpark. This year’s gathering also will include TBA’s first-ever Tech Showcase and lunch and learn opportunities with tech vendors on June 11. Day passes for Thursday are available for those who unable to attend the full convention.

Andrew Wylie, Petitioner, filed a pro se petition seeking a writ of habeas corpus (“the Habeas Petition”), claiming that his sentence had expired and that he was being illegally restrained of his liberty due to the trial court’s refusal to award sentence credits for the time Petitioner served while on community corrections (“street credit”). The trial court summarily dismissed the Habeas Petition for failing to state a colorable claim. Because Petitioner failed to follow the mandatory procedural provisions of the habeas corpus statute, we affirm the trial court’s summary dismissal of the Habeas Petition.

The Defendant, Cliesha D. Tedunjaye, was convicted in the Madison County Circuit Court of driving under the influence (“DUI) and DUI per se, Class A misdemeanors; possessing a handgun while under the influence, a Class A misdemeanor; violating the open container law, a Class C misdemeanor; and failing to maintain her lane of travel, a Class C misdemeanor. After a sentencing hearing, the Defendant received an effective sentence of eleven months, twenty-nine days to be served as forty-eight hours in jail and the remainder on probation supervised by community corrections. On appeal, the Defendant claims that the evidence is insufficient to support her convictions of DUI, DUI per se, and possession of a handgun while under the influence because the State failed to prove her intoxication. Based upon our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Defendant, Timothy Christopher Pillow, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon, evading arrest with a motor vehicle, and identity theft. At sentencing, Defendant requested an alternative sentence under the Community Corrections Act. Instead, the trial court imposed an effective sentence of eleven years’ incarceration, finding that Defendant’s history of criminal conduct and the need to avoid depreciating the seriousness of the current offenses warranted confinement. On appeal, Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his request for community corrections. Following our review, we affirm.

This is an accelerated interlocutory appeal as of right, pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B, filed by Samuel Forrester Hunter (“Father”) seeking to recuse the trial judge in this case. Having reviewed the petition for recusal appeal filed by Father, and finding no error, we affirm the denial of the recusal motion.

Plaintiff appeals the dismissal of his claim for false imprisonment based on the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations. We reverse.

Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said the county is developing a plan to build a new jail to address ongoing overcrowding, the Rutherford Source reports. The process is expected to take about five years. The current detention center, built in 1998 for 500 inmates, now houses more than 1,000 and is considered full at 834. Fitzhugh said more than 100 inmates sentenced to state prison remain in local custody because of limited space in the Tennessee Department of Correction, with the county spending about $92 per inmate per day while receiving $42 in state reimbursement. He also addressed the sheriff’s office agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and noted deputies’ salaries remain about $15,000 lower than those of city police officers despite recent increases. He concluded his remarks with an announcement that he plans to retire Sept. 1 after serving as sheriff since 2017.

The nonprofit organization Common Cause has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for collecting sensitive voter data — such as Social Security numbers, home addresses and voter histories — to create a centralized record system, according to the Nashville Banner’s newsletter, Tennessee was one of at least 12, and as many as 19, states that voluntarily complied, according to the DOJ. The department also has sued non-compliant states. Suits have been dismissed in five of those states. The DOJ says the effort is intended to check voter rolls for noncitizens and deceased individuals, according to NPR. Common Cause called it a “a blatant, partisan power grab” in a press release. In addition to requiring the DOJ to stop collecting data, the suit asks the court to require the DOJ and anyone who has received sensitive voter information to delete it.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of a nearly 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling,  creating a split with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which recently struck down the law. According to Reuters, in a 2-1 decision, the 6th Circuit said the ban is a “necessary and proper” means of enforcing federal excise taxes on distilled spirits, rejecting a challenge brought by an Ohio brewery owner who sought to produce whiskey at home for personal use. Read the opinion. The ban, enacted in 1868 to curb tax evasion, carries potential penalties including fines and prison time. Attorneys for the plaintiff said they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator Troy Haley has named Peter Frech of Nashville as the newest judge on the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims, according to a blog post from the court. Frech will replace Judge Thomas Wyatt of Chattanooga, who will retire at the end of June. Frech focuses exclusively in workers’ compensation and has experience as both a plaintiff and defense lawyer. He also has worked for many years in family law. He earned his law degree with a focus in advocacy and dispute resolution at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law in 2012. “He [Frech] brings stellar and wide-ranging experience, having represented both employees and employers, before the Court and the Appeals Board. He has a deep knowledge of the Workers’ Compensation Law, and a commitment to fairness and following the law,” Haley said. Frech will sit in both Nashville and Murfreesboro. His term will begin on July 1.