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.

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.”

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Access staff email addresses and direct lines here.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that his office will be looking into Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC, the little-known entity that attempted to put Graceland up for a foreclosure auction. "My office has fought fraud against homeowners for decades, and there is no home in Tennessee more beloved than Graceland. I have asked my lawyers to look into this matter, determine the full extent of any misconduct that may have occurred, and identify what we can do to protect both Elvis Presley’s heirs and anyone else who may be similarly threatened.” Naussany said it would drop the foreclosure action after Elvis’ granddaughter filed suit alleging the company was basing its actions on forged documents. A Memphis judge halted the auction this week to investigate the claims.

A man detained in pretrial custody at the Shelby County Jail is suing the county and a number of jail personnel for a minimum of $500,000 in damages for an alleged assaulted by corrections officers. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Monday night, comes about six months after Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that two deputies had been indicted in the alleged beating. The Commercial Appeal has more on the story.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed into a law a bill to ban juveniles found to have committed serious crimes from buying firearms until they turn 25, Tennessee Journal reports. The “juvenile prohibitor” measure sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, and Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, cleared both chambers late last session with a bipartisan vote. Aggravated assault, cruelty to animals, robbery and threats of mass violence are among the crimes that would be included in the ban according to the Tennessean.