Federal court orders that controversial sterilization program be rescinded; White County officials to pay Plaintiffs’ attorney’s fees, permanently enjoined from making or enforcing any sentencing determination that is based "in whole or in part upon a defendant's consent—or refusal to consent—to becoming permanently or
In 2017, three inmates in White County, Tennessee sued White County General Sessions Judge Sam Benningfield, alleging a variety of constitutional violations arising from a coervice sterilization-for-sentencing-credits program instituted in the county jail. Among other things, the inmates' lawsuit sought injunctive relief that would
Prestigious Legal List Cites Horwitz's Landmark Election Litigation Victories, Wins For High Profile Clients Daniel Horwitz, a constitutional lawyer and impact litigator, has been named to The Nashville Post's 2019 "Legal in Charge" list, reserved for "the best of the best in the Nashville
After a years-long effort to secure a review of Joseph Webster's conviction for a 1998 murder, the Davidson County District Attorney's Office has officially authorized a reinvestigation into the case. It is the first investigation into a potential wrongful murder conviction in Nashville's history.
In a Memorandum Opinion and Order issued on February 4, 2019, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Deja Vu of Nashville, a local strip club, against business owner Linda Schipani. The lawsuit arose out of
Nashville's first-ever Community Oversight Board—a committee that will review and investigate complaints of police misconduct that voters approved by an overwhelming margin in a November 2018 referendum—will stand, according to a unanimous opinion from the Tennessee Court of Appeals. The Fraternal Order of Police
Calvin Bryant—a beloved college student and high school football star whose sentence garnered national attention for its purposeless cruelty after he received a 17-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense—was released from prison on October 31, 2018. Mr. Bryant's release
In a landmark victory against a decades-old Tennessee election statute, Horwitz client Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws—a non-partisan PAC that aims to "protect all Tennesseans’ rights to participate in the political process without unreasonable interference from the state government"—has secured an injunction prohibiting the
In another resounding win, celebrated Nashville restaurateur Randy Rayburn has again beaten back a multi-million dollar defamation and false light lawsuit filed against him by Thomas Nathan Loftis, Sr., the former director of Nashville State's culinary program. In a unanimous ruling, the Tennessee Court of
In a landmark ruling, the Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the special election to fill the vacancy in the Nashville Mayor's office must be held in May. The ruling comes on the heels of Tennessee's high court opting to exercise its extraordinary