Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday launched the new School Safety Toolkit for Tennessee Families, a practical resource to help parents prepare and engage in their child’s school safety plan. This follows Executive Order 97, which directed state agencies to equip and engage parents, increase transparency and collaborate with local law enforcement and school districts. “As we continue our work to protect Tennessee children, the new School Safety Toolkit will provide parents with helpful resources and greater transparency to feel confident their child is safe at school,” said Gov. Lee. “I encourage every Tennessee family to prepare and engage in school safety by utilizing this Toolkit and downloading the SafeTN app.” Read more about the toolkit here.

Montgomery County Commissioner Lisa Prichard says the commission will be asking the state for help in bringing a Regional Juvenile Resource and Justice Center to the Clarksville area. Montgomery County has sent juveniles to counties as far as Bedford, Williamson and Putnam, which makes it harder for families to travel to see their children. Prichard has inside knowledge on the issue as she was a deputy for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and took in troubled youth over the years. "We've been farming our children out to various counties for various reasons because we have no place to put them," said Prichard. She is part of a new ad hoc committee to address the issue.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission today held its first public meeting in nearly four years after the Senate in August confirmed seven new members, reinvigorating a panel unable to adopt new policies since losing a quorum in early 2019. The agenda included a vote to finalize the commission's priorities for 2022-2023, which include implementing the First Step Act. That bipartisan legislation is aimed at easing harsh sentencing for nonviolent offenders and at reducing recidivism. Watch the meeting here.

Nashville attorney John Tarpley, a shareholder at Lewis Thomason, has helped form the Trucking Defense Advocates Counsel, a commercial transportation advocacy organization. The group recently held its first meeting with 300 participants. Tarpley defends trucking companies in state and federal courts and at mediations and settlements. He is chair of the firm’s Transportation Practice Group and a former TBA president.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division is now accepting applications for its Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2023. DLI is a six-month leadership and mentoring program for Tennessee law students in their second, third or fourth years of study. Class size is limited to 20 to 25 students selected from across the state. The goal of the program is to have a diverse class, so selection is based in part on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, background, geographical factors and law school attended. The application deadline is 5 p.m. CST on Nov. 18.

Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division visited more than 30 students at the Nashville School of Law (NSL) last night. YLD Vice President Sean Aiello shared his thoughts on being active in the YLD and how beneficial it has been. He also stressed the importance of finding a mentor and attending TBA’s continuing legal education programs, which are offered free to law student members and provide exposure to different areas of the law. Billy Leslie, immediate past president of the YLD and a graduate of NSL, spoke of the significance of participating in the Diversity Leadership Institute when he was a law student. Both leaders stressed the importance of networking and getting involved with the TBA early in their careers. See a photo from the visit.

Shaterra Marion was yesterday sworn in as Tennessee’s newest Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims judge. Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer administered the judicial oath to Marion, who will sit in the Memphis office. Marion thanked her family for teaching her the value of hard work and acknowledged “standing on the shoulders of others.” Her first settlement approvals took place today. The Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims has more.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon and District Attorney General Steve Mulroy are asking the state to reestablish a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime lab in the county, the Commercial Appeal reports. The ask comes after the issue of backlogged rape kits fell under fresh scrutiny after the suspect in the killing of Eliza Fletcher was linked to a 2021 rape via a kit that was untested for nearly a year. Shelby County must send its sex offense evidence to a TBI lab in Jackson for testing. That lab was staffed by just three scientists this summer and the average turnaround time was nearly 49 weeks in July and August. Officials also asked the state to pass a blended sentencing solution to allow Shelby County leaders to expand juvenile supervision.

The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) Alumni Association this week concluded its annual statewide fall reception series. TBALL is a six-month leadership training program for attorneys with five to 15 years of practice experience. The receptions allow new nominees of the program to mix and mingle with alumni members to get an inside track on the benefits of the program. The series kicked off last week in Nashville at Baker Donelson and continued this week with stops on Monday at Butler Snow in Memphis, Tuesday at Best and Brock in Chattanooga and Wednesday at Egerton McAfee in Knoxville. More than 200 Tennessee attorneys have been nominated for the 2023 program and a class of 35 will be selected in the coming weeks. This year’s program is co-chaired by attorneys Terica Smith of Jackson and Jeffrey Maddux of Chattanooga.

Andrew Delke, a former Nashville police officer convicted of manslaughter after fatally shooting Daniel Hambrick in 2018, was released from jail today, the Tennessean reports. Delke, who is white, fatally shot Hambrick, who is Black, in the back three times as he ran away during a traffic stop. Delke was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting. Under a plea agreement, he was sentenced to three years in prison in July 2021. The agreement allowed him to serve his time in a facility run by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and allowed him to be released in less time with standard jail credits. His release date was previously set for Dec. 3. Delke’s attorney, David Raybin, said his client was released today due to earning jail credits.