The Metro Nashville Council adopted legislation this week to add guardrails to Fusus, a camera surveillance system that will allow the Nashville Police Department to access businesses’ private security footage with the owner’s consent to address calls for service. The proposal had failed by one vote last year. This year, the legislation received eight additional votes. Debate on the measure centered on whether the cameras could be used for government overreach or target marginalized communities. Supporters argued that the system will not be used to target immigrants or specific groups. “It is just a photo of a criminal leaving a business,” said council member Bob Nash. He has supported the system from the beginning. Read more from the Nashville Post.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI this week announced the launch of Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7), an initiative that will "seek justice for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel and address the ongoing threat posed by Hamas and its affiliates." According to the department, 47 U.S. citizens were killed that day and eight were taken hostage. The task force will focus on “targeting, charging, and securing for prosecution in the United States” the individual perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attack as well as take responsibility for pending charges against Hamas leadership. In addition, the group will investigate “acts of terrorism and civil rights violations by individuals and entities providing support and financing to Hamas, related Iran proxies, and their affiliates, as well as acts of antisemitism by these groups.” Read more in a release from the department.

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall recently announced changes in how county correctional facilities will handle legal mail sent to inmates. Hall says the change is necessary to protect against drug overdoses and related deaths. Several years ago, the process for personal mail was changed after finding that senders were soaking paper in a liquid form of opioids. Inmates then would lick or eat the paper to get the desired high. Now letters are scanned and inmates are provided an electronic version on tablets. At the time, processing of legal mail was left unchanged with letters being opened in front of the inmate. Now Hall says there is “direct knowledge” that envelopes and documents that appear to be legal mail are being used in the same way. Effective May 5, facilities no longer will provide the actual mail but, in the presence of the inmate, will make a photo copy and provide that version. Additionally, no legal mail will be allowed to go directly to inmates in court, at the courthouse or any other location. All mail from attorneys and court staff must be left in the Birch Building mailbox marked “DCSO Legal Mail,” or taken to the Downtown Detention Center or Correctional Development Center lobby.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and its Mock Trial Committee will hold the 2025 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition this week in Nashville. On Friday and Saturday, 16 teams will meet in a bid to be this year's state champion. Participating schools are: Agathos Classical School in Columbia, Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Clarksville High School, Cookeville High School, two teams from Chattanooga Southeast Home Education Association, Elizabethton High School, Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Maryville High School, Memphis University School, Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Sevier County High School in Sevierville, St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, and University School of Nashville. Students will present their best arguments in Lee Jasper v Reece Witherfork, a civil case centered around a rodeo. This year's competition also will feature the first Artist in the Courtroom Contest. Tennessee's team winner and first place artist then will have the opportunity to represent the state at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Phoenix, Arizona, May 7-10. The Mock Trial Committee is led by Chair Ashley Tipton, Vice Chair Michael Holmes and Long Range Planning Coordinator Zack Walden. The state competition caps off the district competition process. This year, students from 110 teams competed at nine regional events.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that a bipartisan coalition of states has reached a final settlement — pending court approval — in a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), which will end the NCAA’s NIL (name, image and likeness) recruiting ban. Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia and New York attorneys general, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in January 2024, alleging that the NIL recruiting ban created anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes. Read more a press release from the AG's office.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has announced the appointment of Caitlin Torney as its new director of career services and alumni relations. Torney earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Since 2020, Torney has served as director of pro bono for Legal Aid of East Tennessee. She also has served as co-chair of the Knoxville Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee since 2023. LMU Law Vice President and Dean Matt Lyon said, “[Caitlin] is uniquely situated to build on the foundation our Career Services Office has created with employers throughout our region and beyond, while also expanding pro bono and service opportunities for our students and graduates.” Read more in a press release from the school.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights reports it has opened two investigations into American universities. The first is looking at 60 universities — including the University of Tennessee (UT) — over allegations of antisemitic discrimination and harassment. UT was included on the list due to it being “under investigation or monitoring in response to complaints.” According to Knox News, a university spokesperson confirmed a student complaint was filed in 2023, but that the school has “cooperated fully” with the department. A second investigation was opened into 45 universities — including Vanderbilt University — alleging the institutions engaged in race-exclusionary practices by partnering with “The Ph.D. Project,” an organization that provides doctoral students with insights into obtaining an advanced degree. The department says the program limits eligibility based on the race of participants.

The Energy, Environment & Land Use (EELU) Program at Vanderbilt Law recently announced the launch of the Private Climate Governance (PCG) Lab, which will serve as a hub for innovative scholarship, resources and student learning opportunities in the emerging field of private climate governance. According to the school, the lab provides feasible solutions to private actors — ranging from individuals to corporations, financial institutions, religious organizations and advocacy groups — that can effectively contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. “Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and it is more important now than ever to engage everyone in the fight,” said Ethan Thorpe, inaugural fellow for the lab. “The Lab will provide a platform for educational and practical resources that support interdisciplinary climate action,” he said. Read more in a press release.

The Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County abruptly ceased operations on March 5. The agency served as a “one-stop shop” for victims of domestic violence, aiding victims in obtaining orders of protection in coordination with police and the district attorney’s office, and connecting families to housing, food and other resources. The Tennessee Lookout reports that federal funding for victims of crime in Tennessee has dwindled in recent years from a peak of $68 million in 2018 to $16 million last year. The center received $742,000 in federal crime victim funding in 2020, according to the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP), which distributes federal funding to Tennessee nonprofits. This year, that funding was about $132,000. The OCJP received notice March 6 that the center had shuttered the previous day. Ethel Hilliard, the center’s executive director, “stated that the closure was due to a board decision related to financial issues,” an OCJP spokesperson said. A group of advocates is asking the state legislature to provide additional funding.

Wally Dietz, legal director for Metro Nashville Government, suffered a minor stroke at the office on Monday and was taken to the hospital. Alex Apple, spokesperson for Mayor Freddie O’Connell, stated the following in an email to The Nashville Banner: “Director Dietz became ill at work, and he is in the hospital, but he is doing well.” The paper reports that during his nearly four years with Metro Legal, Dietz’s most prominent role has been advocating for the jurisdiction in legal actions against the state. The city is due in appellate court later this week to fight a state law that would cut the size of the metro council in half.