Republican state lawmakers have announced a wide-ranging immigration package that seeks to make Tennessee a model for immigration crackdowns across the country. According to The Tennessean, leaders announced a package of about 10 bills that include those requiring state and local governments to verify individuals' legal status before distributing food assistance and housing benefits, tracking grade school students' immigration status, offering driver's tests in English only and criminalizing being present in the state after a final deportation order has been entered. The effort is aimed at "preserving legal immigration" while "protecting tax dollars, reducing fraud and ending sanctuary loopholes," said House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. At a press conference announcing the measures, Sexton thanked the White House, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller for their collaboration of the legislation. In response to the announcement, Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, criticized the federal immigration system and said the legislature should prioritize lowering grocery and child care costs. The paper has a breakdown of the proposals.

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by the family of Anthony Thompson Jr., who was killed by a Knoxville police officer in 2021. According to Knox News, Thompson was 17 years old when he was shot and killed by an officer inside an Austin-East Magnet High School bathroom. The lawsuit by his family centered on the claim that officers failed to provide sufficient medical care to the dying teenager. Other claims previously were thrown out by the courts. The settlement ends a lengthy court battle weeks before a scheduled federal trial but still must be approved by a judge.

New data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is raising questions about how DUI arrests are handled across the state after hundreds of drivers arrested for driving under the influence later tested with no alcohol or drugs in their systems. News Channel 5 reports that out of nearly 17,000 blood samples taken in 2024, 419 cases — about 2.5% — came back with zero alcohol or other intoxicants detected. Criminal defense attorney Ben Raybin tells the news channel that a woman he is representing is not “an isolated phenomenon.” We are “seeing hundreds throughout the state.” Compounding the situation is that by the time toxicology results are returned, the consequences of an arrest can already be severe. Raybin says changes are needed in how DUI investigations are conducted in the field.

Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay has proposed overhauling the structure of the troubled Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center to change its mission and who oversees it. According to Knox News, the proposal would turn the center into a judicial model designed to make teens successful contributors to their communities instead of focusing on incarceration and punishment. The detention center would be overseen by Knox County's juvenile court judge, ending any plans to put it under the sheriff's office. Jay unveiled the plan at a Knox County Juvenile Service Center Board of Directors meeting this week. The paper reports that the board voted unanimously to send the proposal to the Knox County Commission. The proposal is supported by Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin and by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.

State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, says she will bypass a repeat bid for Congress in favor of running for reelection to the state legislature, Axios Nashville reports. Behn ran for Congress last month in a special U.S. House election. She bested a competitive Democratic primary field but lost to Matt Van Epps by nine percentage points. In a recent Instagram post, Behn said the campaign took a physical and emotional toll after she received "a daily deluge" of violent threats. Her family also was harassed and stalked online. "This decision is about keeping myself and my family safe while continuing to care loudly for my constituents," she said in a press release. Behn also announced she will use the remainder of her campaign funds to "build organizing capacity in Tennessee while honoring our campaign commitment to fund a Davidson County organizer for the '26 cycle."

House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, will not run for reelection this year, he announced in a social media post on Jan. 15. "My time has come to say goodbye. My time has come to say, 'this is it for me.' At the end of 16 years, this November, I'll say goodbye to this legislature for the last time," he said. "I have nothing but respect, admiration and love for each one of you, and the greatest amount of respect and love for this institution." Faison represents Cocke County and parts of Jefferson and Greene counties. He was first elected to the state legislature in 2010. He has been chair of the House Republican Caucus since 2019. The Tennessean reports on the news.

A number of events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day are being planned in Memphis. The Memphis Bar Association and Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association will host a brunch on Monday from 11:30-1 p.m. CST. The National Civil Rights Museum will offer a "Community Resource Pavilion" to connect visitors with social service agencies and health and wellness organizations. An arts-and-crafts station, a storytelling station and live music also will be available. Admission to the museum will be free on Monday. In addition, a commemorative march will take place starting at 8 a.m. CST at the corner of Main and A.W. Willis. Finally, service projects are being planned by Volunteer Odyssey, Volunteer Memphis and United Way of the Mid-South, the Wolf River Conservancy and Lead Free South Memphis. Read more about these and other opportunities in the Commercial Appeal.

The latest congressional effort to place disclosure requirements on outside investors' financial stakes in U.S. litigation appears to have faltered after Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed opposition to the bill, Reuters reports. On Tuesday, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee ended debate on the legislation without a vote. The new bill from Darrell Issa, R-California, would require all parties in a lawsuit to disclose to the judge everyone with a "legal right to receive any payment or thing of value" in a settlement or jury verdict, and disclose the details of financial agreements to all parties in the litigation. An earlier bill from Issa was pulled from consideration last fall amid opposition from Democratic lawmakers on the committee and conservative groups.

A U.S. judiciary committee recently held a hearing on what would be the first-ever rule regulating AI evidence at trial. According to Reuters, the U.S. Judicial Conference's Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules heard public comment on the proposed rule, which received a "lukewarm reception" from those who testified. Corporate lawyers and class-action attorneys called it a well-intended but premature attempt to address an evolving technology. Under the proposal, AI and other machine-generated evidence offered at trial without an accompanying expert witness would be subjected to the same reliability standards as expert witnesses, who are governed by Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence.

A 24-year old Springfield man is expected to plead guilty Friday to charges related to hacking the U.S. Supreme Court’s electronic filing system, WSMV reports. In a motion filed Tuesday, Nicholas Moore stated he wishes to change his plea. Moore was charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with one count of fraud under allegations that he repeatedly accessed the court’s protected computer systems without authorization during 2023.