Sullivan County commissioners want to give a raise to uniformed officers in the sheriff's office, but are still working out what the budget impact would be and how big a raise they can fund, The Kingsport Times News report. The commission's Budget Committee has given its OK to a $1,045,000 budget for the department, but Michael Kennedy, finance director for the sheriff’s office, says the amount approved would not fund the $3 per hour raise that Sheriff Jeff Cassidy has proposed. Kennedy calculates the department would need $1.68 million to fund raises for 270 officers over an entire year. Commissioners will continue work on the budget next week.

A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) judge has rejected the agency's effort to strip the license of "Jammin" 99.7 FM/1040 WJBE, Knoxville's only Black-owned radio station. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the FCC initiated a license revocation hearing due to the owner's 2016 conviction for filing a false income tax return and failure to disclose the conviction in license renewal applications. Joe Armstrong, the owner, successfully defended the station with the help of the Institute for Justice, arguing that the conviction shouldn't disqualify him from operating the station. Armstrong says he plans to continue growing and serving the community through WJBE.

Joseph Padilla, a Cleveland, Tennessee, man who posted on social media about wanting to "take over the Capitol building" before the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison. He was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of Congress and other charges after a bench trial. The Associated Press reports that Padilla had thrown a flagpole at a police officer's head during the riot and later lied about it under oath. More than 1,100 people have been charged in connection with the riot, with over 600 sentenced, many pleading guilty.

The Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) has filed a lawsuit against the Memphis in May International Festival for the $675,000 it owes in damages to Tom Lee Park. The lawsuit was filed after the festival missed a Sept. 4 payment deadline, despite MRPP extending the deadline once before. The Daily Memphian reports that the festival is exploring other locations for its 2024 events and has submitted an insurance claim to cover the bill, which it describes as "punitive."

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) kicked off its annual fall meeting this weekend in Cancun. Members of the YLD Board, YLD Fellows and their guests gathered for a welcoming reception at the Hard Rock Hotel. Planning sessions and an awards dinner will follow throughout the weekend. See photos from the reception.

The 21st annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program is now accepting nominations for the 2024 class. Nominations are due Oct. 2. Nominees should have from 5 to 15 years of experience in practice. Last year, 33 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. TBALL programming will kick off in January 2024 with an opening retreat at Henry Horton State Park and end in June with class commencement during the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis. Read more about the program or contact Paul Burch for more information.

Attorneys for the state and for three women who challenged a Tennessee House of Representatives ban on signs at the legislature have agreed to bring the case to a close, Tennessee Lookout reports. “The special session has now adjourned,” the state’s legal filings said. “And the procedural rules adopted by the House for the special session — including the Sign Regulation that the (women) asked this court to declare unconstitutional and enjoin — are no longer in effect.” ACLU attorneys who represented the three women are not opposing dismissal of the case, but expect to file a motion seeking attorney fees and costs.

President Biden’s son Hunter Biden was criminally charged today with deceiving a gun dealer into selling him a firearm, reports Reuters. It is the first-ever indictment of a sitting president's child. Biden was charged in U.S. District Court in Delaware with three criminal counts related to lying about using illegal drugs at the time of the gun purchase, which would have banned him under the law from owning a firearm. A prior deal under which Biden, 53, would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enroll in a program to avoid prosecution, collapsed in during a hearing in July. A tax investigation remains ongoing.

The California Senate passed legislation yesterday requiring lawyers to inform the state bar if they suspect other lawyers of engaging in seditious conspiracy, insurrection or treason, reports Reuters. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill, which would not apply to information protected by attorney-client privilege. The California Supreme Court in August also began requiring lawyers to report fraud, misappropriation of funds and other criminal acts or conduct. The legislation was by motivated by the recent indictment of California lawyer Tom Girardi for allegedly stealing millions in client funds and directing more than $1 million in cash and gifts to a former investigator.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has opened the region's first Expungement and Restoration of Rights Clinic, reports the Daily Memphian. The clinic is staffed with law students working under director and adjunct professor of law Amber Floyd. The clinic will introduce students to the theoretical and practical aspects of representing clients with legal needs arising from the collateral consequences of prior arrests and convictions. Floyd currently serves as the general counsel for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority and is also a member of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board in addition to the steering committee of the TBA's Leadership Law program. Read more about the clinic.