Tennessee

Where and how are criminal defense lawyers making headway on COVID-19 bail motions?

“Releasing a few people at a time, after litigating pretrial release conditions, is frankly too slow. It’s important work but not nearly enough. Once the coronavirus enters a detention center, it’s too late; it will spread like wildfire,” says Aaron Littman, a clinical teaching fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.

Apr 6, 2020 9:48 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Find COVID-19 resources on new ABA website; law firms aid coronavirus fight

ABA coronavirus task force launches website with resources

The ABA Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic is providing lawyers with resources on a new…

Apr 3, 2020 3:23 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bar assault leads to suspension; lawyer reprimanded for punch threat

Former prosecutor suspended for bar assault

A New York appeals court has imposed a two-month suspension on a former prosecutor in New York County after his conviction for getting into…

Mar 12, 2020 4:31 PM CDT

Some Tennessee death-row inmates opt for electric chair over lethal injections

A Tennessee inmate scheduled for execution Thursday evening has chosen the electric chair over lethal injection.

Feb 20, 2020 12:29 PM CST

Lawyer is suspended after he is accused of misleading and bullying judge

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended a Georgia lawyer after a hearing board found that he misled an administrative law judge and bullied her during his representation of a methadone clinic.

Feb 13, 2020 10:18 AM CST

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…

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…

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…

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…

Aug 8, 2019 2:48 PM CDT