Gov. Bill Lee has issued the first veto of his six-year administration, on SB455/HB527, which would have given the state parole board more discretion to deny parole to state prisoners. The Tennessean reports that in a letter notifying the Senate and House speakers of his veto decision, Lee stated that the bill would be "a step backwards from safer Tennessee communities" after implementation of the 2021 Reentry Success Act, which had received bipartisan support in the legislature: "Two years later, Tennessee achieved the lowest recidivism rate in state history, meaning fewer crimes and fewer victims. And I am confident that the Board of Parole and other safeguards ensure parole is awarded appropriately." Lawmakers could call themselves back into session to override the veto or move to do so at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session. The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference released a statement expressing disappointment in the veto, saying, "To ignore the gravity and specific facts of an offender’s crime when determining early release eligibility is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous. It disregards the suffering of victims, erodes trust in the criminal justice system, and places our communities at greater risk."

Knox County District Attorney (DA) Charme Allen last week fired Berkley Mason, an assistant prosecutor, after Knox News asked questions about a now-deleted social media account that allegedly contained racist and sexist messages. In a statement about the firing Allen said: "It is imperative that prosecutors in my office be moral, ethical, fair-minded persons who are able to apply the laws of our state justly to each set of facts presented on a case-by-case basis ... [The account's content] undermines my confidence in [Mason's] ability to uphold his oath as a prosecutor to 'administer justice without respect of person and impartially discharge all of the duties incumbent upon (a prosecutor).'" She also announced a review of the cases handled by Mason and "appropriate corrective action if necessary." According to the paper, as of May 2, 28% of the 111 pending cases Mason had been assigned included a minority defendant. It says it based its calculation on a review of booking photos in JIMS, the court’s online database.

Several local bar associations across the state celebrated Law Day last week. The Maury County Bar Association, which held its first Law Day event since 2018, presented General Sessions Court Judge Bobby Sands with the Liberty Bell Award, recognized Agothos Christian School's participation in the Tennessee State Mock Trial Competition and swore in new Assistant District Attorney Jenni Smith. In East Tennessee, the Knoxville Bar Association's (KBA) celebration included remarks from former state Sen. Lamar Alexander and award of the 2025 Law & Liberty Award to Samantha Monday, substance abuse case manager for the Knox County Sheriff's Office. The KBA Barristers Mock Trial co-chairs also recognized Sevier County High School's mock trial team as the district winner from the February competition. The Nashville Bar Association heard from Judge Curtis Collier as the featured speaker and presented two Liberty Bell awards to the Metro Davidson County Office of Conservatorship Management and Brentwood attorney John Day. Finally, Memphis Bar Association President Lauren Stimac spoke during a naturalization ceremony held by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee to welcome new citizens. The Chattanooga Bar Association's event is planned for May 14.

Five Nashville-area nonprofits behind the Eviction Right to Counsel (ERTC) program jointly announced this week that they have secured a $2.4 million allocation in Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget recommendation. ERTC is aimed at providing outreach, education and legal aid to qualifying low-income renters facing eviction — the first program of its kind in Middle Tennessee to do so. ERTC is a partnership among nonprofits Legal Aid Society, Nashville Hispanic Bar Association, American Muslim Advisory Council, Rooftop Nashville and Nashville Conflict Resolution Center. The groups recently announced that the program has generated a total financial return of $5.10 for every dollar invested since its launch in July 2022. All low-income Davidson County residents are eligible for the program’s services. Anyone facing eviction who meets eligibility requirements will be provided legal assistance as resources permit. Read more a joint press release from the groups.

The director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the chair of the judiciary’s budget committee recently wrote a letter to leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee to express “significant concerns” about the judiciary’s ability to keep courthouses safe under current resource levels, reports Bloomberg News. The letter notes that the judiciary’s court security budget has been flat for two consecutive fiscal years and that another year at the same level will cause “further reductions to courthouse security” — including to equipment used to restrict certain areas and screen individuals entering courthouses — at a time when threats against federal judges and courthouses are escalating. A report from Reuters found that the families of at least 11 federal judges also have faced threats of violence or harassment. The Trump administration’s choice to lead the U.S. Marshals said in his confirmation hearing that judicial security is his top priority and pledged to seek more resources to protect judges, if needed.

Nashville School of Law (NSL) Dean William C. Koch Jr. announced Nashville attorney Marlene Eskind Moses as a new member of the NSL Board of Trust. Moses is a partner in the family law section at Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin (GSRM Law) where she specializes in family law litigation, mediation, arbitration and collaborative law. Moses has been a staunch advocate of NSL since she graduated in 1980. “I am thrilled to be a board member at the Nashville School of Law," Moses said. "I owe the school a lot in terms of how it has propelled my life both professionally and personally." Koch stated, "Marlene’s national and international leadership in the field of family law demonstrates that NSL’s law degree enables our graduates to reach the heights of our noble profession.” Moses is a regular columnist for the Tennessee Bar Journal, coauthoring the Family Matters column with her associate, Ansley Owens Tillett. Read a press release from the law school.

Belmont University School of Law's Board of Advocates ranked in several national competitions throughout the 2024-2025 advocacy competition season. Three types of teams compete throughout the year: moot court, mock trial and transactional. Under the leadership of Amy Moore, professor of law and director of advocacy, the Board of Advocates provides students with opportunities to hone their legal advocacy skills through competitive experiences before entering the profession. These activities further supporting Belmont Law’s commitment to developing practice-ready lawyers, according to the school. Read this profile of Moore and the advocacy teams.

The National Center for Juvenile Justice last month released data that shows that Black and American Indian children are significantly more likely to be incarcerated than white children, despite similar rates of criminal behavior across races. Observers contend that the disparity stems from over-policing in communities of color and unequal treatment at every stage of the justice process. Additionally, although overall youth incarceration has dropped, those who remain — mostly children of color — tend to stay in detention longer, which increases their risk of long-term negative outcomes according to the study. NPR has the story.

Knoxville attorney Thomas Carl Cravens III died April 20 at age 75. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he earned his bachelor's degree and Master of Business Administration before going on to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law. Cravens was a partner at the law firm of Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley. He also co-founded World's Fair Beer, worked for real estate developer Walter Wise, and ran a travel agency with his wife. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902, the Billy Graham Association or a charity of the donor's choice. Services will be held on May 2 at 1 p.m. EDT at St. John's Cathedral. The family will receive friends following the service. Interment will be 3 p.m. at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

Metro Nashville has joined five other cities and 11 nonprofits in a federal lawsuit attempting to halt the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze on various community programs — which, for Nashville, puts $14 million in transit and infrastructure projects at risk, according to WPLN News. Two projects are specified as being at risk: the Electrify Music City project, which would expand public electric vehicle charging stations across the city, and the East Nashville Spokes project, which is spearheading the design and construction of new bikeways across East Nashville. In April, the city also joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over recent public health funding cuts, arguing the cuts are unconstitutional.