Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon recently told The Daily Memphian that the court is opposed to taking over management of the county’s youth detention facility from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. He says the court does not have the budget to take over the facility after an outside entity estimated it would cost $30 to $40 million to make the transition. Sugarmon also expressed concern about the lack of clarity regarding the court’s role if the transition were to take place. In April, Sheriff Floyd Bonner proposed handing over the facility — which it has run since 2015 — to the court by Dec. 31, a timeline Sugarmon has questioned. In June, county commissioners rejected a nonbinding resolution requesting mediation between the two about the transition.

Sean Williams, a former Johnson City businessman linked to scores of suspected sexual assaults, is expected to face his first trial this week in a federal court in Greeneville, Tennessee Lookout reports. Williams will stand trial on charges related to two alleged escape attempts from custody. He is expected to represent himself after a fourth attorney appointed to represent him withdrew from the case last week. Williams will face federal charges for production of child pornography in August. He has not been charged with any crimes related to the alleged assaults or seeking to interfere with police business. The Johnson City Police Department is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that officers took kickbacks in a scheme to protect Williams and thwart his victims from pursuing justice.

Federal Judge Mark S. Norris recently denied six motions to dismiss aspects of the indictment against former Memphis police officers charged in the Tyre Nichols federal criminal case. Five of the six motions were filed by attorneys for Emmitt Martin III and were joined by the other defendants, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith. Those motions argued that various charges were unconstitutional, vague or lacking specific facts and evidence, and that the prosecution improperly stated Martin's duty to intervene. Norris rejected all of those claims. The sixth motion was filed by attorneys for Tadarrius Bean. They argued that the prosecution failed to give fair notice of his charges. Norris rejected that motion as well, finding that the facts presented in the indictment supported each count on which Bean was charged. Read more about the rulings from the Commercial Appeal.

Nashville’s Community Review Board is drafting a sexual misconduct policy that members hope will be implemented by the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). Even as MNPD leaders say they maintain a zero tolerance policy, the department has faced scrutiny over its handling of such complaints in recent years, and more recently as part of a whistleblower complaint. The community board says the policy would address workplace misconduct, but also would include guidelines for officer interactions with civilians, the Nashville Banner reports.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) is launching a new CLE series designed to enhance attorney wellness by incorporating an outdoor nature component. Join the group on Oct. 23 for the first installment at Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park in Manchester. The program will offer three hours of ethics CLE and a ranger-guided hike. Register now! The Exploration series will offer future programs at other Tennessee state parks. 

Dallas-based AT&T is facing a class action lawsuit after the company announced that the data of “nearly all” of its customers was downloaded to a third-party platform in a security breach. It was the company’s second data breach reported this year, WFAA in Dallas reports. The suit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that AT&T “has not been transparent about the nature and extent of data security lapses impacting its customers,” failed to adequately protect customers’ data from third parties, and earned “unjust enrichment” from customers after failing to protect their information.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission met in Charlotte recently to consider nominees for a circuit court judge in the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties. After holding a public hearing and interviews, the commission selected the following three nominees to forward to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration: Ashland City lawyer Jack Arnold, an assistant district attorney; Ashland City lawyer Jennifer F. Noe, a partner in the law firm of Balthrop, Perry and Noe; and Charlotte lawyer Joshua Turnbow, an assistant district attorney. Read more about each of the candidates from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which began its work in April, is mobilizing the nation’s lawyers and others to combat the growing trend of antisemitism, the group said in a release today. The task force plans to issue a report in August 2025 “describing the extent and immediacy of the issue and efforts undertaken by the profession to address and ameliorate instances of antisemitism and provide a path of redress,” said Nashville lawyer Barbara Mendel Mayden, co-chair of the task force. Toward that end, the task force has established working groups in the areas of K-12 education, civic and higher education, outreach to law firms, outreach to stakeholders, programming for judges and bar associations, and developing legislation and public policy.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of Tennessee’s “Adult Entertainment Act,” which prohibits the exhibition of obscene material to minors, reports the Associated Press. The law was challenged last summer by Memphis-based theater group Friends of George’s and the district court halted enforcement of it in Shelby County. The appeals court reversed that decision, saying, “there is no constitutional interest in exhibiting indecent material to minors.” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti applauded the court’s decision in a statement. Read the opinion.

Tennessee elections officials now say that any registered voter who received a letter asking them to prove their citizenship to stay on the voting rolls will not be removed even if they do not respond to the request. The Associated Press reports that the state clarified its position in a follow-up letter to all those did not respond to the first correspondence, which was sent to more than 14,000 registered voters. According to state election officials, nearly 3,200 of those have provided proof of citizenship, while more than 300 requested to be removed from the rolls. The ACLU informed the state late last month of plans to sue if the state did not change its plans. In related news, the Nashville Banner reports in its newsletter that the Secretary of State’s office has retained a private law firm to assist with the matter. In responding to the ACLU, the firm says the original letter was an “attempt to fulfill … obligations under Tennessee law, to avoid burdening voters and to ensure a fair and efficient election.”