Emmitt Martin III, the only former Memphis police officer charged in connection with the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols who was still in custody, is being released from jail. Martin, who pleaded guilty last year to federal charges related to Nichols’ death, will be released today, The Daily Memphian reports. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman granted his release Tuesday after a nearly two-hour hearing. Martin was initially released on bond after being charged but was taken back into custody in February for allegedly harassing the mother of his child, violating his bond conditions. His attorneys said he has been held in solitary confinement since then, harming his mental and physical health. Under the conditions of his release, Martin must spend 90 days in a mental health treatment facility and continue treatment afterward. He also will be subject to GPS monitoring and drug testing and is prohibited from contacting his child, the child’s mother, or any of the other former officers charged in Nichols’ death. Lipman also suggested Martin’s sentencing, tentatively set for December, could be delayed if his co-defendants are granted new federal trials.

A federal judge in Nashville ruled there is a “realistic likelihood” the government acted vindictively in bringing human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador before being brought to Tennessee in June to face criminal charges. According to the Tennessee Lookout, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw’s ruling on Friday allows Abrego Garcia's attorneys to seek documents and testimony from Trump administration officials about their public remarks and the basis for the decision to pursue charges. In granting the request to proceed with this claim, Crenshaw cited the timeline of official actions leading up to the charges as evidence of the “potential unreasonableness of the prosecution.” Prosecutors have denied that the government acted with any “ill will” in the case. No date for a hearing has been set.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he is considering establishing a night court to handle an anticipated surge in arrests from the federal Memphis Safe Task Force. Mulroy said the plan could be implemented within two weeks and operated at a low cost if the task force’s presence lasts no more than 60 days, according to the Citizen Tribune. The proposal would require cooperation from the sheriff’s and public defender’s offices to provide bailiffs, defense counsel and a judicial commissioner. Mulroy said the move could prevent the court system from becoming overwhelmed as daily arrests increase.

The TBA’s Tax Law Section will host a virtual roundtable discussion, “Tax Law 2025: Practice Management — How to Deal with the IRS,” on Oct. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Members of the section’s executive council and other tax practitioners will share updates on recent IRS developments and explore how these changes affect attorneys’ ability to manage workloads and offices. The event will be held via Zoom, and participants are encouraged to engage in the interactive format. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

Five Tennessee cities have some of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation according to a new report from the nonprofit Community Justice. According to WPLN, the group’s 2025 Violence Prevention Index ranked Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville among the nation’s highest for gun violence but noted some progress in tackling contributing factors such as housing insecurity and lack of access to mental health resources. The report comes after the Trump administration cut $145 million in Department of Justice grants for community violence intervention programs. Memphis was the only Tennessee city to show major improvement since last year's assessment. The improvement was credited to a new Office of Neighborhood Safety and expanded victim services and school-based violence prevention programs.

Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, has won the Democratic nomination in the special primary for the state’s 7th Congressional District, defeating three other candidates in the district’s first four-way Democratic primary in decades, The Tennessean reports. Behn will face Republican nominee Matt Van Epps in the Dec. 2 general election. Van Epps, who defeated eight rivals for the Republican nomination, earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who held a tele-rally on the eve of the election calling Van Epps “very special” and “a true champion for the people of the Seventh District.” The winner in December will replace retired U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who stepped down in July.

Nashville attorney Raymond T. “Chip” Throckmorton III died Oct. 1 at age 60. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1988 and earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 1993. Throckmorton practiced law for more than 30 years and served as mayor of Oak Hill from 2002 to 2006. A memorial service will be held at 12:30 p.m. CDT on Nov. 1 at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, 4815 Franklin Pike, Nashville 37220. Visitation will be held beforehand in Courtenay Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Despite a state law passed in 2021 prohibiting solitary confinement for longer than two consecutive hours in juvenile detention centers, reporting from MLK50 reveals that the Shelby County Youth and Justice Center has been holding teens as young as 13 in seclusion since 2023. Records show that the Memphis-Shelby County’s Juvenile Court has been aware that youth in one unit are separated from the general population and confined to their cells for most of the day since at least 2024. During the same time period, juvenile court magistrates incarcerated more youth at the center than the previous court administration, even as the number of youth charged with serious offenses declined. Meanwhile, inspection records show Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) has been aware that youth in one unit are separated from the general population since at least 2024.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection on Oct. 7 paid a $2,040.78 claim filed against Roane County lawyer Christopher Shawn Roberts. The fund also directed Roberts to reimburse the fund. The fund was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases also are posted online.

Millions of Americans, including more than 668,000 Tennesseans, could lose access to food assistance programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if a government shutdown continues. Axios reports that WIC could run out of funds within weeks, while SNAP benefits are only guaranteed through this month. Tennessee officials say WIC will continue operating for now as the state monitors the situation and awaits federal guidance.