The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said a man incarcerated at the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar was found "unresponsive" in his cell Friday morning, and later died at the hospital. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, the man, identified as Kevin B. Wright, was being housed individually and was found just after 7 a.m. Friday. A statement from the office said that "Corrections deputies immediately implemented life-saving measures, and Memphis Fire transported him to Methodist University Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced deceased." The inmate was in the midst of his criminal trial, the Commercial Appeal reports. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy has asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate.

A trial date for the two men accused of fatally shooting Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021 has been reset for Sept. 23, the Commercial Appeal reports. The trial, originally set for March, was to have started today in Memphis. In extending the date, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Mitchell said, "I was extremely upset when the lawyers came to me, asking for a motion to continue this case. I was really anxious to get this case over and done with starting this week, but they both expressed to the court the desire to get experts in. So I allowed the continuance to occur." Mitchell also set a new date of Aug. 9 for oral arguments over expert witnesses.

Former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton has been appointed by Metro Nashville to lead an investigation into the Metro Nashville Police Department after details of a 61-page complaint by a former lieutenant were made public, the Nashville Banner reports. The complaint, a copy of which was obtained by WPLN, alleges a lack of accountability, inconsistent enforcement of policies, interference with investigations and biasing outcomes in favor of higher-ranking officers. Stanton, who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 2010-2017 and is now an attorney in the Memphis office of Butler Snow, has overseen a number of other critical investigations. In 2018, a federal court appointed him as a monitor of the Memphis Police Department following violations of the city’s consent decree. In 2022, he was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to investigate the state’s death penalty protocols.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Kandiss Brown as its 2024 CASA Volunteer of the Year. During the four years that Brown has volunteered with CASA of Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, she has won praise as a dedicated volunteer who never hesitates to take on a new case, regardless of its level of complexity. "Mrs. Brown conducts each investigation in a professional manner without letting emotions overcome her judgement," CASA Executive Director Michelle Childs said in her nomination of Brown. The CASA Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 14 in Memphis as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. Read more in the TBA's press release.

Two former Erlanger Hospital executives, Chief Compliance Officer Alana Sullivan and Chief Financial Officer Britt Tabor, in April 2021 filed a lawsuit against Erlanger, which recently was unsealed. The suit claims that the Chattanooga-based hospital is paying physicians well above their fair market value in exchange for referring patients, according to News Channel 9. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says it will intervene in the suit with regard to claims that the hospital violated the Stark Law, a federal anti-kickback statute that also prevents giving favored treatment to physicians.

In response to a May 7 lawsuit filed by special prosecutor and Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert from her position, a Memphis judge has set two court dates. The Daily Memphian reports that Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson has scheduled the ouster trial for Aug. 31, but has set a hearing for June 25 to determine whether Halbert should be suspended pending the trial's outcome. If the outcome of the hearing is that Halbert remains clerk at least up to the August trial, Wamp and the prosecution could also change how they present their case. “The standard is very, very high for removal. We have to make sure we have the proof for both the suspension hearing and the trial,” Wamp said. Darrell O’Neal, representing Halbert, has filed a motion to dismiss the case saying that "mere negligence" is not grounds for dismissal and Halbert is being targeted politically.

Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel has appointed retired federal judge Bruce Guyton as deputy chief to oversee the department's Office of Professional Standards, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. Noel created the position after an internal survey showed widespread dissatisfaction with communication from leadership, paths to promotion and that nearly every Black employee had experienced discrimination. Guyton, who has filled the role on an interim basis since July 2023, is tasked with creating, instilling and enforcing standards of conduct. Before taking on the interim deputy chief role, Guyton was a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee for 20 years until he retired in 2022.

The Chattanooga Bar Foundation recently announced its class of 2024 Fellows. They are Cathy Dorvil with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel; Ellie Hill with Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway; Laura Ketcham with Miller & Martin; Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw; Carrie Brown Stefaniak, law clerk for Judge Curtis L. Collier with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee; and Kara West, Chapter 13 trustee for the Southern Division of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Chapter 12 trustee for the entire Eastern District of Tennessee. Read more about the new fellows from Chattanoogan.com.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Thursday announced a multi-state lawsuit challenging a new rule recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Under the new rule, covered entities found to be non-compliant risk losing significant federal funding, including state Medicaid funding designed to assist low-income individuals, as well as exposure to civil liability from private lawsuits. The suit argues that the rule, among other impacts, will require medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs without regard for a doctor’s medical judgment. It also argues that HHS overstepped its authority in making the change.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced the appointment of Jeff Rader as special judge in the 4th Judicial District for Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties. Prior to becoming a general sessions and juvenile court judge in Sevier County in 1998, Rader practiced law at Ogle, Wynn and Rader from 1991-1998. He also has held numerous leadership roles, including founder of the Sevier County Safe Baby Court and Sevier County Workforce Probation and Recovery Court. Rader earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. This special appointment follows Judge Rex Ogle’s decision to take disability status effective June 3.