Knoxville lawyer William Pennebaker “Boone” Dougherty died May 24 in Iowa. He attended Vanderbilt University and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1961. Following law school, Dougherty moved to Knoxville and practiced law with several firms, including Ambrose, Wilson and Saulpaw; Poore, Cox, Baker & McAuley; Bernstein, Dougherty & Susano; and Dougherty and Alliman. For more than 30 years he handled criminal defense, labor, environmental and coal mining matters. In 1965, Dougherty was appointed deputy law director for the city of Knoxville and served as city trial counsel and counsel for the city council until 1972. After retiring from private practice in 1991, he moved to Atlanta where he worked as an investigative reporter for a local newspaper. In 1993, he began a second career with the State of Georgia, trying cases for the Department of Human Resources. He retired for good in 2004, and in 2006, he moved to Iowa to be closer to his daughter.

Tennessee has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court challenging an effort by Colorado local governments to wield Colorado state tort law to control energy policy nationwide. Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti announced that the case, Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, raises significant constitutional questions about the authority of a single state to regulate conduct occurring entirely in other states. In the brief, Tennessee argues that the Constitution protects each state’s territorial sovereignty and prohibits one state from imposing its policy preferences beyond its own borders. Tennessee warns that allowing Boulder’s lawsuit to proceed would permit individual states to effectively dictate national energy and environmental policy for the entire country. Read more in a news release.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on May 27 issued an order seeking comments on a proposal to amend Supreme Court Rule 21. The changes, requested by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education (CLE), would combine Sections 6 and 7 of the rule and revise the applicable deadlines and fee structures related to attorney noncompliance with annual CLE requirements. The deadline for submitting comments is July 21. Comments should reference docket number No. ADM2026-00693 and be sent to Clerk of the Appellate Courts, 401 Seventh Ave. N., Ste. 321, Nashville, TN 37219-1407 or be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov. View the proposed changes in the attachments to the court’s order.

The 2026 Convention CLE lineup will offer 8.5 hours of credit, including a presentation from Tara Cheever, co-founder and chief product officer of LIT SOFTWARE. Since 2010, Cheever has helped lead the design and development of technologies to serve litigators, focusing on practical, accessible technology that supports legal professionals in trial preparation, case analysis and courtroom presentation. Her applications are used by a broad range of legal organizations, including solo practitioners, large law firms, corporate legal departments, prosecutors, public defenders and government agencies. The software also is incorporated into legal education programs at law schools throughout the country. Cheever’s presentation in Knoxville will focus on using technology to transform the way litigators prepare, organize and present their cases from managing discovery to preparing depositions, presenting evidence and collaborating with co-counsel. Learn more about the convention and register here. Can’t make the full convention? Day passes for Thursday’s Tech Showcase are available and include access to this CLE session.

A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the New York Bar against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for his role in the government’s case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the Campaign for Government Accountability accuses Blanche of violating ethics rules in bringing human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia. A federal judge in Nashville last week determined that prosecution of the man — who previously was deported and then brought back to the United States after alleging wrongful removal — was vindictive. A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson called the allegations “baseless” and said the department would be appealing the dismissal of criminal charges. The group also says it shared the complaint with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, questioning the role then-Acting U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire played in the prosecution.

Memphis lawyer Ronald D. “Ronnie” Krelstein died Feb. 10 at the age of 83. Krelstein earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and returned to Memphis where he established a 58-year legal career, first as the city's police legal adviser and then at his own law firm as a criminal defense attorney. Long-time legal friend and colleague, Richard Glassman, recalled that Krelstein loved trying lawsuits and loved the company of other lawyers. "Ronnie was an addict of the law. He was the No. 1 authority on contempt of court and always impressed judges with his legal knowledge." Krelstein was a member of Temple Israel and the Lawyers Journal Club of Memphis. He also was a frequent contributor to TBA Talk, the TBA’s group mailing list software that allows members to share knowledge and experiences with each other. The family asks that memorial donations be made to The Savior Foundation — a charitable agency for animals — or a charity of the donor's choice.

A proposed class action lawsuit accuses Washington, D.C., based law firm Wiley Rein of failing to detect a cyberattack, which gave hackers access to sensitive consumer data that was stolen and sold on the dark web. According to Bloomberg Law, hackers gained access to the firm’s systems for eight months as early as July 2024, but Wiley Rein did not discover the breach until June 2025 and waited until March 2026 to notify victims. Florida resident Derrick Burkett is suing the firm for negligence, breach of third-party contract, unjust enrichment and invasion of privacy on behalf of himself and similarly situated individuals. Burkett says he has had at least 19 fraudulent charges on his MetLife estate account due to the breach.

The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently voted to allow law schools to count graduates who complete alternative pathways to licensure toward the minimum graduation rate needed for accreditation. The ABA Journal reports that the council’s Standards Committee recommended modernizing Standard 316. Council member Mary Lu Bilek said it was important to align the standard with what is happening across the country, where some states — including Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah — have or are considering alternatives to the bar exam. The move follows a 2025 report by the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform, which found that innovative pathways such as supervised practice could help address access to justice and practice readiness.

The TBA International Law Section's annual forum — set for tomorrow in TBA's newly renovated CLE classroom — will provide an overview of the trade and investment landscape as it concerns Tennessee in 2026 and beyond. Programming will focus on Tennessee's foreign direct investment, global health perspectives and partnerships, international financing, global sales and supply chains, and more. Participants will have the opportunity for direct interactive discussions with speakers, and the chance to network, learn about best practices and chart a path to increase capacity for internationalization. Get more information and register here.

A three-judge state court panel has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by the NAACP challenging Tennessee’s newly redrawn congressional districts, according to the Nashville Banner. The lawsuit argued the General Assembly exceeded the scope of Gov. Bill Lee’s special session proclamation when it approved the maps, which divide Memphis into three congressional districts. The three-judge panel ruled that sovereign immunity protected Lee and the General Assembly from the suit and found only one plaintiff, DeVante Hill, had legal standing to challenge the map. But the judges ultimately determined that Hill’s constitutional and statutory claims lacked merit, concluding the legislature’s actions fell within the scope of the governor’s proclamation. Separate legal challenges to the maps remain pending in federal court.