A riot broke out Sunday at the CoreCivic-run Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility in Hartsville, renewing calls for an overhaul of prison leadership. Axios Nashville reports that a "large group of inmates from several housing units" got out of their cells and into part of the prison yard. The inmates started fires and tried to damage security camera and other property. One guard reportedly was attacked during the incident, and was treated and released at an area hospital, according to the facility. Three inmates were also treated for injuries. Among those calling for reforms are Trousdale County District Attorney Jason Lawson, who issued a statement obtained by WSMV, and state Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, who commented in a Facebook post. In 2024, the U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into conditions at the facility. Earlier this month, an inmate sued prison officials alleging that they allowed gang members to repeatedly assault and extort him. In April, a former Tennessee state trooper sued CoreCivic after he was allegedly beaten by a cellmate at the facility. The Associated Press reports that a Kansas facility is also facing criticism.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has provided a notice of intent to release a request for proposal (RFP) for a statewide court case management system and efiling solution for all of the state’s trial courts. According to the AOC, this initiative is a critical element of its strategic vision to modernize court technology and enhance data accessibility across the state's judicial system. The notice, which can be found here, provides early awareness of the RFP to "support broad and fair competition for this procurement and to allow vendors, including those who may desire to partner, adequate time to respond." Interested vendors are encouraged to monitor this link for the full RFP document and submission details, which is expected to be released in July.

A Tennessee law that requires some convicted felons to provide documentation proving they are eligible to vote can stand for now, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has said. The court found that the NAACP did not prove it had standing to bring the suit, Bloomberg Law reports. The group had argued that a state rule requiring some felons to file additional records with their voter registration form violated the National Voter Registration Act. The district court had agreed and blocked the policy. The appellate decision reversed that ruling and remanded the case for proceedings consistent with its opinion. Read the opinion.

A Chattanooga attorney pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl. Patrick Bryant Hawley, 43, coerced the girl into engaging in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing images and videos from September to November 2024, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The move comes after Hawley reached a plea deal that includes registering as a sex offender. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors dismissed six other criminal counts involving animal crushing, coercion, enticement and child pornography. Hawley was temporarily suspended from the practice of law in November 2024.

The Rutherford County Library Board has reversed its decision to ban books on transgender topics, according to the Daily News Journal. The change comes after board members were counseled they likely would lose any First Amendment-based legal challenges. Board member Cody York, who had presented the ban as a way of protecting children, said he will make it a priority to craft new policies on the issue when he assumes the board chair position next month. In 2023, the board voted to remove four young adult books. The Rutherford County Board of Education also has taken action against certain books in 2024 and 2025.

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law has announced the appointment of Joan Heminway as director of the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law, effective Aug. 1. Founded in 1995, the center was created to strengthen business law education the law school. Currently the Rick Rose Distinguished Professor of Law, Heminway joined the law school faculty in 2000 and has been closely involved with the center’s growth and success, according to a release from the school. She replaces George Kuney, who served in the role for 24 years and retired in 2024, and associate professor of law Brian Krumm, who served as interim director. KnoxTNToday has the story.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whose deportation to El Salvador made him a flashpoint in the administration’s immigration policy, has been indicted in federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee on conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and MS-13 gang members into the United States. The Tennessean reports that Abrego Garcia was returned to the states on Friday and appeared in an after-hours court hearing in Nashville. He will be arraigned on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice says Abrego Garcia played a significant role in a nine-year smuggling ring. "He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country … This is especially disturbing because Abrego Garcia is also alleged with transporting minor children," Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a news conference. In 2022, the Tennessee Highway Patrol pulled over a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Abrego Garcia on Interstate 40 in Putnam County. “There were nine additional passengers in the Suburban, all of whom were Hispanic males, and none of whom had any identification,” the indictment alleges. Abrego Garcia’s attorney called the charges an “abuse of power.”

Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed into law legislation aimed at combating AI-generated child pornography, according to Local Memphis.com. The law criminalizes the possession, distribution or production of software or technology designed to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Penalties include a Class E felony for possession, a Class C felony for distribution and a Class B felony for production. Lawmakers said the measure is intended to address the misuse of artificial intelligence and protect minors from exploitation, while equipping law enforcement with tools to address the growing threat. The law takes effect July 1.

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that a group of Venezuelans deported to a Salvadoran prison under the Alien Enemies Act must be given a legal avenue to contest the Trump administration’s accusations that they are gang members, according to The Hill. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg did not specify the steps the administration must take but said it violated due process rights by failing to allow the migrants to challenge their removal before being sent to CECOT, a high-security Salvadoran prison. The Trump administration has argued it lacks the ability to secure the return of anyone held at the facility, and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has said he will not return individuals sent there under regular immigration authorities. While Boasberg acknowledged the administration may have lawfully invoked the rarely used Alien Enemies Act — as another judge has ruled — he emphasized that the deportees were denied basic legal protections and cited evidence suggesting many have no gang affiliation. He gave the administration one week to propose a compliance plan.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy are exploring plans for a limited local crime lab that could be housed within the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center. Harris and Mulroy presented the proposal on Wednesday to the Shelby County Commission’s Budget Subcommittee at an estimated annual cost of $5.5 million. According to the Daily Memphian, the lab would focus on ballistics, digital device analysis and rapid DNA testing. Harris said the county is well-positioned to expand forensic capacity, while Mulroy emphasized that the lab would complement and not compete with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's existing services. According to the paper, the lab could take more than a year to fully implement, with initial steps focused on hiring a planning team and determining interagency coordination.