Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at an immigration appointment in Baltimore, Bloomberg Law reports. The arrest came less than 72 hours after a Tennessee federal judge overseeing his criminal case released him so he could return to his family in Maryland while awaiting trial. According to reports, Garcia’s legal team was not told where he is being sent, though the Trump administration has indicated it intends to deport him to Uganda. Today, a federal judge issued an order stating the administration is “absolutely forbidden” from removing him from the United States, The Hill reports. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis blocked deportation until she can hold a hearing to determine whether the administration will allow Abrego Garcia contest his removal to a third country. According to Bloomberg, Abrego Garcia's attorney Sean Hecker said his client is willing to be removed to Costa Rica, which has agreed to accept him as a refugee.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has closed disaster assistance applications for residents affected by severe storms and flooding in April, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Between June 19 and Aug. 19, FEMA approved about $7.2 million in aid to 975 individuals, including $4.3 million for housing assistance and $2.9 million for other needs. Residents of Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson counties were eligible to apply for help covering uninsured losses. While the initial application period has ended, FEMA will accept late applications for up to 60 days with an explanation for the delay. Individuals can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, through FEMA’s mobile app or by calling 800-621-3362.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is being sued by Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner over the FY2026 budget. According to court records obtained by The Commercial Appeal, Bonner is seeking to restore $67 million to his office's budget, which he says was not included in the mayor's budget request or approved by the Shelby County Commission. Harris, in his response to the suit, denied that he did not include Bonner's $67 million in budgetary requests, stating the allegations are "inconsistent with the plain language" within the adopted budget.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday seeking to limit cashless bail and threatened to revoke federal funding for jurisdictions that use it, Reuters reports. He also signed a separate order directing police in the District of Columbia to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them in federal custody to avoid cashless bail. Cashless bail allows defendants to be released from jail while awaiting trial based on their promise to appear in court rather than paying a set cash amount. Opposers of the policy argue cashless bail reduces the incentive for defendants to appear in court and puts public safety at risk, while supporters say the system prevents low-income people from being jailed simply because they cannot afford bond. The District of Columbia was one of the first U.S. cities to largely eliminate cash bail in the 1990s, with judges deciding pretrial release based on a defendant’s risk of not showing up for trial. Among states, Illinois has eliminated cash bail, while New York, California and New Jersey have scaled it back.

Lawrenceburg attorney Randy Hillhouse died Aug. 23 at age 71. Hillhouse earned his law degree from the University of Knoxville in 1977. He was the owner of Randy Hillhouse, Attorney at Law and a member of the Tennessee Bar Association. Funeral services will be conducted at Neal Funeral Home, 231 N. Military Ave., Lawrenceburg 38464, at 3 p.m. CDT tomorrow. Interment will follow at Fall River Cemetery in Leoma. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bo's Blessings.

The TBA YLD Rookie Series continues with a webcast on the role of federal magistrate judges on Dec. 3 at 12 p.m. CST. Make plans now to join U.S. Magistrate Judges Mike Dumitru, Debra Poplin and Cynthia Wyrick for a panel moderated by TBA YLD Board member and CLE Chair for East Tennessee Weslen Lakins. Watch for more information coming soon.

A Knoxville police officer has been suspended after he was captured on video knocking a woman to the ground with a punch, straddling her and swinging at her again, Knox News reports. The Knoxville Police Department released a statement Friday announcing preliminary steps in its investigation of the incident, which occurred around 10 p.m. EDT Thursday in the 2600 block of Woodbine Avenue. “The situation escalated and (the woman) was detained following a use of force by on-scene officers,” the KPD statement said. She was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment. KPD did not name the officer who was suspended. The video, recorded by a bystander from a front porch, was shared on Facebook and accumulated more than 57,000 views.

State lawmakers are reconsidering how accomplices to murder are charged under the state’s felony murder law, which allows accomplices to face equal or harsher punishments than the actual killer, Local 3 News reports. During a Senate Judiciary Committee summer study session, lawmakers heard testimony from Mindy Dodd, who served decades in prison for conspiring to murder her husband and stepfather despite not being at the crime scene before her sentence was commuted in 2021. Former District Attorney Stephen Crump argued the law fairly deters crime, while Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, said it can unjustly punish people with little or no intent to kill. No vote was taken, but proposals to amend the law could be filed next year when the legislature reconvenes.

President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked more than 6,000 student visas for overstays and breaking the law, Reuters reports. Directives from the State Department this year have ordered U.S. diplomats abroad to be vigilant against applicants the administration could view as hostile to the United States or with a history of political activism. About 4,000 visas were canceled because visitors broke the law, and 200 to 300 were revoked for terrorism, a State Department official said Monday. In April, five students from the University of Memphis and nine from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville reportedly had their visas terminated.

The Hamilton County Attorney’s Office on Thursday announced the launch of a new online system for submitting public records requests. The system is designed to provide the public and members of the media with a more transparent and accessible way to request public records, The Chattanoogan reports. County Attorney Janie Parks Varnell said the system is part of a broader modernization effort to improve access to government information, efficiency and accountability by reducing reliance on paper-based processes.