Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly announced the launch of a pilot program that is a collaboration between the Chattanooga Police Department, 423 Chain Breakers and the Downtown Chattanooga Alliance. Chattanoogan.com reports that the program is designed to positively engage young people and encourage a safe environment in downtown Chattanooga on selected weekends throughout the 2024 summer. In the program, members of 423 Chain Breakers will spend time downtown on select weekend nights from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. EDT, focusing in areas where young people often congregate. Their presence will be in addition to increased police patrols downtown. The group works to connect directly with young Chattanoogans to build relationships and steer them away from violence and criminal activity.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill eliminating two Shelby County judicial seats: Criminal Court Division 9 as of July 1, and Circuit Court Division 7 as of Sept. 1. Cases pending in those courts will transfer to the courts’ remaining judges, reports the Daily Memphian. Local attorneys, judges and the Memphis City Council all have voiced strong opposition to the move, saying it could cause backlogs in both courts, given the increased workload that the remaining judges will now have. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said, “This is an acutely bad time right now to be taking away 10% of our judicial capacity for criminal cases in Shelby County. To simultaneously complain about the backlog and then take away 10% of our ability makes no sense to me.”

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is currently accepting applications for judicial positions in the 4th, 19th and 23rd Judicial Districts. The new positions will be effective Sept. 1. The deadline to apply is June 11 at noon CDT. Applicants must be licensed Tennessee attorneys who are at least 30 years of age, residents of the state for five years and residents of the relevant judicial districts. The new position in the 4th Judicial District, which includes Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties, is for a circuit court judge. The new position in the 19th Judicial District, which includes Montgomery and Robertson counties, is for a chancellor. The new position in the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties, is for a circuit court judge. The commission will hold a public hearing with applicants for the 4th Judicial District on July 11, with applicants for the 19th Judicial District on July 18, and with applicants for the 23rd Judicial District on July 17. Visit the Administrative Office of the Courts' website for more information.

President Joe Biden has announced he will nominate Nashville attorney Karla Campbell to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. A vacancy will be created on the court when Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch transitions to senior status later this year. The Nashville Post reports that Campbell currently practices at Stranch, Jennings & Garvey specializing in employee rights and labor law. She previously served as legal advisor for local workers’ rights nonprofit Workers’ Dignity and represented the family of Gustavo Ramirez, a 16-year-old who fell to his death during construction of the La Quinta Hotel near Nashville's Nissan Stadium. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008. If she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Campbell will be the fourth judge Biden has added to the 6th Circuit in the past two years.

Gov. Bill Lee this week signed a bill into law which will increase penalties for those convicted of illegal street racing. WSMV reports that along with the increase in prison time from one year to six years, the new law raises the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony, accompanied by a fine of $3,000. The new law will take effect July 1.

U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles' campaign finance reports have been under scrutiny and were the basis of an ethics complaint filed against him in January by the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog group. According to the Nashville Banner, Ogles amended nearly a dozen past campaign finance reports this week, acknowledging that a reported $320,000 personal loan he made to his campaign never happened and was a "pledge if needed." Axios Nashville reports that in April, Ogles filed a disclosure showing he had about $449,000 cash on hand, including the $320,000. On his amended form, the outstanding obligation was reduced to $20,000.

Nashville Metro Council on Tuesday voted 30-3 not to allow TC Restaurant Group to install signage for country singer Morgan Wallen's bar over a Metro right-of-way. The council cited Wallen’s reputation, past use of racial slurs and recent arrest for throwing a chair off a six-story building, nearly hitting police officers, as the reason for not approving the sign. The decision was not based on code violations or safety of the sign, which has sparked some First Amendment concerns among local experts. Ronald G. Harris, chief administrator at Neal & Harwell PLC, told the Nashville Business Journal, “When you get into the regulation of commercial speech, the government has a burden to show that there’s some substantial government interest in the regulation of commercial speech ... It’s not about the sign size or location, it’s regulating what’s on the sign itself. That’s always problematic for the government — you’re objecting to who the speaker is and what’s on the sign.”

May is Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, recognizing the achievements of the Asian, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities. On May 30 from 5-7 p.m. CDT, the Nashville Bar Association's (NBA) Diversity Committee will host a reception at Bass, Berry & Sims to celebrate the people, culture and businesses of Nashville’s API community. For more information, visit the NBA's website.

Join the TBA Government Affairs team of Berkley Schwarz, attorney and TBA lobbyist with Pier Strategies, and Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin, Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists, as they walk you through the latest updates on legislation affecting Tennessee lawyers from the most recent session of the Tennessee General Assembly. The program will take place on June 13 from 2-3:30 p.m. CDT in the Venetian Room of the Peabody Hotel. Attendees can earn 1.5 general hours of CLE credit. Learn more about this and other CLE being offered at the annual Convention.

Two recent stories in TBA Today — one on May 7 and one on May 21 — incorrectly stated that the Shelby County Jail had failed two inspections over the last six years. The original source has now updated its reporting to note that the inspections found "deficiencies" not "failures" in the jail's operations. We have updated our reporting accordingly.