The state Senate on Monday voted to make the Holy Bible the state’s official book by a 19-8 margin, The Tennessean reports. The state House approved the measure (SB1108 / HB0615) last year, and now the speakers of the House and Senate must sign off on the legislation before it can officially head to Gov. Bill Haslam’s desk. A spokesperson for Gov. Haslam today said the "governor has constitutional questions and personal reservations about this legislation," the Associated Press reports. 

The Tennessean reports at least 23 women from across the state are running as Democrats in hopes of entering the male-dominated Tennessee legislature. Most of the women, whose ages range from 28 to 77, are running for public office for the first time. Sydney Rogers is running for the seat of House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, and communications professional Holly McCall is seeking the seat of Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin.

The Petitioner, Shawn Christopher Sales, pleaded guilty in the Rutherford County Circuit Court to robbery, and the trial court sentenced him as a career offender to serve fifteen years with release eligibility at 60%. The trial court ordered that the Petitioner serve 163 days in confinement and the remainder of his sentence on community corrections. The trial court later revoked the Petitioner’s community corrections sentence and ordered that he serve his sentence in confinement. This Court affirmed the revocation on appeal. State v. Shawn C.

The Defendant, Mark Tiger, was convicted by a Madison County Circuit Court jury of aggravated assault, a Class C felony. See T.C.A. § 39-13-102 (2014). The trial court sentencedtheDefendanttofiveyears?confinement. Onappeal,theDefendantcontendsthat (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction and (2) the trial court erred during sentencing. We affirm the Defendant?s conviction.

The Defendant, Eric D. Crenshaw, pleaded guilty to theft of property valued at $10,000 or more but less than $60,000, a Class C felony, evading arrest, a Class E felony, theft of property valued at $500 or less, a Class A misdemeanor, possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor, and driving on a revoked license, a Class B misdemeanor. See T.C.A. §§ 39-14-103 (2014) (theft), 39-16-603 (2014) (evading arrest), 39-17-425 (2014) (unlawful drugparaphernalia),55-50-504(2012)(drivingonarevokedlicense).

Petitioner, Andre Davis, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter by a Shelby County jury and sentenced to fourteen and one-half years in incarceration. His first appeal was denied. State v. Andre Davis, No. W2007-01442-CCA-R3-CD, 2008 WL 4831230, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. Nov. 5, 2008), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Mar. 16, 2009). Petitioner filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief which led to the grant of a delayed appeal based on trial counsel?s failure to file a motion for new trial. Petitioner was permitted to file a motion for new trial.

The Defendant, James Patterson, was found guilty by a Knox County Criminal Court jury of attempt to commit aggravated rape, a Class B felony, and two counts of assault, Class A misdemeanors. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-502 (2014) (aggravated rape), 39-12-101 (2014) (attempt), 39-13-101 (2010) (amended 2013) (assault). The trial court merged the assault convictions and sentenced the Defendant as a Range I, standard offender to concurrent terms of ten years for attempted aggravated rape and eleven months, twenty-nine days for assault, all to be served on probation.