Tennessee

Judge apologizes for comment about working ‘like a regular white man’

A Tennessee judge is apologizing for a comment he made in his courtroom this week about working “like a regular white man.”

Jan 31, 2020 10:20 AM CST

See the video: Defendant shows his support for pot legalization in court, leading to new drug charge

A Tennessee defendant faces new charges after a courtroom appearance in which police said he pulled a joint out of his pocket and began smoking it.

Jan 29, 2020 10:20 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: ‘Not qualified’ judicial nominee confirmed; white nationalist group awarded attorney fees

Judicial nominee rated ‘not qualified’ wins confirmation Judicial nominee Sarah Pitlyk was confirmed Wednesday to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri despite a “not qualified” rating by the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. The ABA says its rating was based on a lack of…

Dec 5, 2019 4:56 PM CST

Judge who shared ‘foreign mud’ article on Facebook is reprimanded for partisan posts

A Memphis judge who shared an article on Facebook calling some immigrants “foreign mud” has been publicly reprimanded for posting information that was partisan in nature.

Nov 20, 2019 4:39 PM CST

Estate of executed man has no standing to obtain DNA testing, judge rules

A Memphis judge on Monday tossed a petition to obtain DNA testing in the case of a man executed 13 years ago.

Nov 20, 2019 11:53 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Madonna sued over late start time of concert; unusual bar ceremony goes viral

Fan sues Madonna for pushing back start time of her concert A Florida man who spent more than $1,000 on three tickets to see singer Madonna in concert at her “Madame X Tour” has sued because she pushed back the start time of her upcoming Miami Beach show from 8:30…

Nov 12, 2019 3:20 PM CST

Split intensifies over prosecutors’ ethical disclosure duties

States remain split on whether a prosecutor’s ethical duties for disclosures in a criminal case should extend beyond their constitutional obligations set by the U.S. Supreme Court. Most recently, the Tennessee Supreme Court vacated a formal ethics opinion that determined a prosecutor’s ethical duties were more expansive than those required under the Supreme Court’s decision in Brady v. Maryland in 1963.

Oct 2, 2019 8:30 AM CDT

Restoring voting rights in this state is a labyrinth for formerly incarcerated residents

For the past seven years, Dawn Harrington, 39, has been trying to get her voting rights back.

Sep 20, 2019 3:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Actress sentenced in college admissions scandal; judge sides with transgender Ohioans

Actress Felicity Huffman gets 14 days in prison for college admissions scandal Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. In May, Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay $15,000 to a fake charity to facilitate cheating when her…

Sep 13, 2019 4:51 PM CDT

Lawyer who threatened to pursue citizen’s arrest of judge is suspended for 30 days

A Tennessee lawyer has been suspended for a courtroom confrontation in which he threatened to pursue a judge’s citizen’s arrest and later criticized the judge on social media and in an ad he placed in the local newspaper. Edward Lee Kershaw of Greeneville was suspended for 30 days and placed…

Aug 8, 2019 2:48 PM CDT

Fake lawyer pleads guilty; he created website using Cravath bios

A 23-year-old Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday for holding himself out as a lawyer from an elite law school and collecting fees from would-be clients. John Lambert, whose fake attorney name was Eric Pope, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Law360 and a…

Aug 7, 2019 1:23 PM CDT

Lawyer disbarred for claiming paralegal’s work as his own; he regrets only ‘one license to lose’ for clients

The Tennessee Supreme Court has disbarred a Knoxville lawyer for alleged false and exaggerated time entries when he submitted a request for more than $103,000 in legal fees for the time that he spent fighting Lowe’s Home Centers over a discovery violation. The lawyer, Loring Justice, claimed his paralegal’s work…

Jul 8, 2019 3:52 PM CDT

Urge to merge: Difficult times for law schools have prompted several to attempt to be acquired by other schools

In the past three years, seven law schools announced plans to partner, gift or sell themselves to universities—all but begging the question: Why would anyone want them?

Jul 1, 2019 12:15 AM CDT

Ethics probe launched after DA calls Islam evil, says he won’t use domestic violence laws to protect gays

An ethics probe has been launched against a Tennessee district attorney who called Islam an “evil belief system” and said he won’t use domestic violence laws to protect people in same-sex marriages.

Jun 13, 2019 1:37 PM CDT

Prosecutor won’t use domestic violence laws to protect gay people, calls Islam ‘evil belief system’

A Tennessee district attorney is under fire after saying he won’t use domestic violence laws to protect people in same-sex marriages and making anti-Muslim comments. More than 200 Nashville, Tennessee, lawyers signed an open letter asking for an ethics investigation of the prosecutor, Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott, report…

Jun 5, 2019 4:10 PM CDT