The Tennessee Supreme Court has formed a three-member committee to review procedures for handling complaints against district attorneys (DAs) and public defenders (PDs), after repeated misconduct allegations against Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy by state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads. According to the Daily Memphian, the court in July appointed William Koch, dean of the Nashville School of Law; Victor “Torry” Johnson, Belmont College of Law professor; and Lang Wiseman, former chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee, to the new review committee. In addition, Justice Mary Wagner will chair a committee that will make recommendations on a disciplinary board for court clerks. Mulroy disputes Taylor’s claim that the panel is investigating him personally, noting that five of Taylor’s prior complaints have already been dismissed, including one about sharing juvenile records that was legal under a new law Taylor sponsored. Action News 5 reports on the dismissal of that complaint.

TaxProf Blog, a 21-year-old staple of the law professor blogosphere founded by Pepperdine Law Dean Paul Caron, is shutting down after its host platform Typepad announced it will close on Sept. 30. Reuters reports that Caron said he does not plan to restart on a new platform but hopes to preserve the blog’s archive of nearly 56,000 posts, which have long chronicled developments in tax law, law school rankings and legal education. The closure also casts uncertainty over the future of about 60 other law professor blogs in Caron’s Law Professor Blog Network, many of which also rely on Typepad.

CoreCivic on Sept. 6 announced the appointment of Allen Beard Jr. as senior warden at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility. The Nashville Post reports that Beard replaces Guy Bosch, who was named warden in April after then-warden Vince Vantell was placed on administrative leave and soon resigned. Beard is the former director of the security threats and intelligence unit at the Tennessee Department of Correction. The facility has come under scrutiny in recent years due to its reputation of prison deaths, riots, assaults, mismanagement, high staff turnover and a pending investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) launched its fall visits to Tennessee law schools this week with a session at Vanderbilt University Law School. Thanks to YLD members Lorne Hiller, John Murphy, Jennifer Safstrom, Darius Walker Jr. and Kristen Walker for their contributions to this kickoff event. See photos from the day. During this year's visits, YLD leaders will speak with students about their entry into the profession and share information about TBA member benefits. Membership, which is free to law students, provides access to continuing legal education that can increase students' professional knowledge, opportunities to network, and savings on school supplies and insurance. Students also will be encouraged to apply for the 2026 Rural Judicial Fellowship program and the Class of 2026 DLI program.

The TBA Immigration Law Section will host the “Immigration Law Basics: Overview” webcast on Sept. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will offer a high-level overview of various areas of immigration law, including employment-based, humanitarian and family-based immigration. More details will be announced soon on the TBA website. Discounted registration is available for Immigration Law Section members. Not a member? Join today!

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) presented its annual Access to Justice Awards to five legal community leaders from across the state at the Equal Justice University in Murfreesboro. Chay Sengkhounmany, lead immigration attorney at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS), received the B. Riney Green Access to Justice Award for her commitment to promoting successful inter-program cooperation across the state. Scott County Family Justice Center Executive Director Christy Harness was recognized with the Janice M. Holder Access to Justice Award for her contributions to advancing the quality of justice statewide by ensuring the legal system is open and available to all. Finally, TALS recognized three attorneys as New Advocates of the Year. They are: Michael Davis, managing attorney of the Knoxville Eviction Prevention Program at Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Jake Old, who serves as West Tennessee Legal Services' Consumer Unit manager; and Patricia Sellers, a staff attorney with LAS. The new advocate award recognizes those who use their legal skills in active and creative ways that produce outstanding benefits for individual clients and the communities in which they live. Read more about the annual awards on the TALS' website. 

Nashville’s jail system has been over capacity for more than a year, raising concerns about violence, unsafe conditions and strained resources, the Nashville Banner reports. Data show the men’s Correctional Development Center has exceeded its 768-bed capacity since May 2024, with two other facilities overcrowded for at least five months. Sheriff Daron Hall said the problem stems from a combination of pandemic-era policy changes, longer jail stays and the closure of the former CoreCivic-run Metro Detention Facility, which has sat empty since 2020. On Aug. 18, the city’s jails held 2,644 people — nearly 300 over capacity. Metro Public Defender Martesha Johnson said the overcrowding has already contributed to violence, citing the June assault of one of her clients who later died, as well as a fatal overdose at the Harding Place jail. Both Hall and Johnson agreed that the overcrowding creates unsafe conditions for incarcerated people and staff and must be addressed soon.

Immigration policies promoted by Tennessee lawmakers this year have faced setbacks since the legislature recessed in April, the Nashville Banner reports. In the latest news, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced last week that his office will not defend a provision threatening local elected officials with felony charges if they vote in favor of sanctuary city policies. Skrmetti called it legally indefensible. The ACLU of Tennessee sued the state over the law. News reports from a few weeks ago indicated that the state might be open to a settlement with the group. House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, who sponsored the bill that included the provision, said he trusts Skrmetti’s judgment but noted that the rest of the law will remain intact, even if the provision is ruled unconstitutional, due to a severability clause in the law.

A recently obtained police report sheds additional light on a 2024 shooting that ultimately led U.S. District Court Judge Mark Norris to recuse himself from several cases, including those involving former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the death of Tyré Nichols. According to The Daily Memphian, the report reveals that police responded to a shooting at 2:23 a.m. CDT on Oct. 7, 2024 — four days after the former officers were convicted. Police were told that four unknown people entered a home and shot Norris' former clerk in the abdomen. A witness told police they saw two people run toward the clerk’s driveway and later flee the scene. According to police, one 14-year-old suspect has been charged in connection to the crime. Following the shooting, Norris pushed for federal charges in the case and reportedly expressed frustration over the local police department’s investigation. Comments allegedly made about the investigation led Norris to recuse himself from the cases and a new trial for the former officers, according to the paper.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) will host a free suicide prevention training using the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) method this Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. Participants will learn to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help, similar to how CPR or the Heimlich Maneuver can save lives. The free session, limited to 20 participants, will include lunch and provide guidance on identifying common causes of suicidal behavior, helping someone in crisis and accessing support for oneself. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.