A Shelby County department head and his wife allegedly “misappropriated” more than $625,000 in public funds, the Tennessee Office of the Comptroller said Aug. 28. DeAndre Brown and his wife Vinessa Brown were both arrested Wednesday on 12 felony charges related to theft, money laundering and computer crimes, The Daily Memphian reports. The office also said its investigation identified more than $755,000 in “questionable disbursements” made by the couple that had no supporting documentation. DeAndre Brown, a convicted felon who was pardoned by Gov. Bill Lee in 2023, was appointed head of the Shelby County Office of Re-Entry in 2021, a department that helps formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society. Investigators said the Browns diverted funds from their nonprofit, Lifeline to Success, to pay themselves improper compensation, make personal purchases such as meals, retail goods and a trip to Jamaica, and transfer money to other entities, including a church founded by DeAndre Brown. The comptroller’s report cited loose financial controls and violations of funding agreements as factors that allowed the misuse of money. Both Browns remained jailed Thursday on $100,000 bonds each.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day. The office will reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m. CDT. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

The 2025 Equal Justice University (EJU) was held this week at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro with the theme "Moving Forward Together." The event included award and recognition events, CLE programs, committee and task force meetings and networking events. EJU, hosted by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS), is the annual gathering of hundreds of lawyers, advocates, social worker professionals and pro bono attorneys involved in providing civil legal assistance and access to justice across Tennessee. Speakers during the conference included TBA President Heidi Barcus, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary L. Wagner and Sharon Roberson, president & CEO of the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee. Past TBA President Jim Barry also shared brief updates from the Drowota Trust.

Barcus was the featured speaker at EJU's Leadership Luncheon, sponsored by the TBA, where she thanked those working in the access to justice field and said the TBA is proud to be part of a collaborative effort to provide quality and accessible legal services across the state. Barcus acknowledged that legal aid is currently navigating growing client needs amid threats to funding. She recognized legal service organizations in the state for working together to build long-term strategies to help support clients and their families. "Through these challenges, you — and your teams, staff and volunteers — are continuing to provide life-changing legal services to those in need, every day," she said.

Barcus closed by noting the importance of educating and engaging Tennessee lawyers around the many ways to support legal services. She said "there is no shortage of needs or opportunities for attorneys, mediators, paralegals, students, to actively engage in support for legal services. We want to promote and help lawyers engage with meaningful opportunities to support" legal aid organizations. See photos from the luncheon and look for a wrap up of awards presented at the conference in TBA Today next week.

Three of the five former Memphis police officers charged and convicted in connection with the 2023 death of Tyré Nichols are getting a new federal trial, The Daily Memphian reports. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman ruled that Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith will get a new trial based on comments U.S. District Judge Mark Norris made just days after their 2024 federal trial ended. Norris, who had presided over the case since its inception, recused himself in June. Lipman also granted a motion from the newspaper to unseal records in the case, including the reason for the recusal. The paper reports those records show that Norris said he could not meet with anybody from the Memphis Police Department about an investigation into the attempted murder of one of his law clerks because it is “infiltrated to the top with gang members.” Attorneys for Bean, Haley and Smith argued that comment violated their due process rights and that Norris should have recused himself from the case before the trial.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has appealed a judge's decision that struck down an executive order targeting law firm Susman Godfrey, Reuters reports. DOJ asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reverse the decision from U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan. The executive order, issued on April 9, suspended security clearances and restricted access to government buildings, officials and federal contracting work for lawyers at the firm. Susman said it would "fight the administration's unwarranted appeal and continue to defend the rights of … clients and our colleagues."

The federal judiciary is taking “special measures” and “technical steps” to respond to a hack of the courts’ case management system, according to the Department of Justice. The remarks come after the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced the judiciary was strengthening protections “in response to recent escalated cyberattacks of a sophisticated and persistent nature on its case management system.” The ABA Journal has more on the developments. In related news, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, has asked U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to commission an independent review of the judiciary’s cybersecurity practices. Wyden noted that the recent breach marks the second time since 2020 the system had been hacked by foreign actors exploiting the same cyber vulnerabilities, Reuters reports.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently announced two judicial appointments and one district attorney appointment. Lee named Chris Frulla as the new circuit court judge and Raymond Lepone as the new criminal court judge in the 30th Judicial District, which covers Shelby County. Frulla currently serves as a partner at Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell. He will take the bench immediately to fill a vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Valerie Smith to the Court of Appeals. Lepone currently serves as an assistant attorney general in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. He will take the bench immediately to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paula Skahan. Finally, Lee named Thomas Dean as new district attorney general for the 18th Judicial District, which serves Sumner County. He currently works as an assistant district attorney in the office and will take over when Ray Whitley retires on Sept. 1.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order on Aug. 27 referring Sevier County lawyer Aaron Michael Kimsey to the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) for whatever action it may deem warranted. The court took the action after Kimsey pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days, with all but 48 hours to be served on supervised probation.

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Anderson County lawyer of Steven R. Seivers to disability inactive status on Aug. 27. Seivers may not practice law while on inactive status. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by the court upon showing that his disability has been removed.

A story in the Aug. 20 issue of TBA Today highlighted a number of new hires at Tennessee law schools. A new professor at Belmont College of Law was omitted. Joe Sliskovich will be teaching courses in business associations, federal income tax and business and tax planning. Previously, Sliskovich was tenured at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Read more about him on the school’s website.