Brian Bivens, interim superintendent of the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center, recently told the Juvenile Service Center Oversight Board that he has focused on hiring support staff, improving incarcerated teens' mental health and introducing educational and health programs during his first few months in office. Knox News looks at the changes being made following allegations of poor medical care and retaliatory firing of whistleblowers, as well as the departure of longtime superintendent Richard Bean. The changes come on the heels of others reported last month.

Suspended Rutherford County lawyer Jared Michael Streich has been arrested on charges he violated his bond conditions when he visited the apartment of his girlfriend Miranda Gray. During the visit, Streich called police and reported that Gray was unresponsive. After arriving, police confirmed she was dead. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled. Streich previously had faced charges of aggravated assault against Gray, which led to the bond condition that he stay away from her apartment complex. Most of the previous charges were dropped and police said that Gray repeatedly declined their offers of counseling, orders of protection, prosecution and shelter services. Streich was suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court in June for failing to communicate with clients, expedite clients' litigation, act competently and return client property. The court also found that he charged unreasonable fees and provided false information to the Board of Professional Responsibility. The Tennessean reports on the case.

A three-judge panel of the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled on Aug. 15 that certain inmates facing life sentences can be released early for good behavior. The unanimous decision applies to people sentenced for crimes committed before July 1, 1995, or for crimes committed as a juvenile, according to The Tennessean. It will not apply to those sentenced to life without parole. The decision came in the case of Howard Aktins. David Esquivel, attorney for Atkins, said if the ruling stands, it means dozens or hundreds of people sentenced to life should have already been released from state custody. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which could appeal the decision, says it is "still reviewing next steps." In Tennessee, a life sentence is considered to be 60 years. The appeals court estimated that under the Department of Correction’s good time calculation formula, inmates could shave off about 20 years from their sentences.

The man accused of organizing the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021 has been found not guilty, the Daily Memphian reports. A Memphis jury acquitted Hernandez Govan of charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder today after three hours of deliberation. Prosecutors alleged Govan hired the two men who shot the rapper and then worked with them to secure payment for the killing.

Save the date for TBA’s 2025 Environmental Law Forum, set for Dec. 5 in Nashville. The program will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST and will include lunch. This staple for Tennessee lawyers and environmental professionals will feature timely topics relevant to the practice area. Environmental Law Section members save on registration costs. Not a section member? Get started here. Stay tuned for more details about speakers and topics coming soon.

Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Middle Tennessee have agreed that Abrego Garcia can be released from custody tomorrow, the Nashville Banner reports. A flurry of filings on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week asked District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw to release him on Friday. Crenshaw had issued a stay of his release order until Friday due to uncertainty about whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would attempt to detain and deport him again. But after a federal judge in Maryland barred ICE from using a detainer warrant to grab him upon release, both sides agreed to the release. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys also have asked Crenshaw to order ICE to allow him to have access to legal counsel in the event he is detained. The defendant is facing human smuggling charges in Nashville stemming from a 2022 traffic stop.

Three Tennessee law schools recently have added to their faculties. Vanderbilt University Law School has added Jeff Gordon, who will teach courses on tax law, federal budget law, legislation and regulation; Jeffrey Bellin, who will teach classes related to criminal law and evidence and join the Branstetter Litigation & Dispute Resolution Program and Criminal Justice Program; and Anne-Marie Moyes, who has been named the inaugural clinic director of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which supports the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee. Belmont University College of Law has expanded its experiential learning program with increased staffing and the addition of a three-credit hour seminar. Patrick Riley will serve as director of field placements and teach the seminar, while former director Kristi Arth steps into a new role as assistant dean of experiential learning. The law school also has hired former Loyola Law School professor Joe Sliskovich to teach courses on business associations, federal income tax and business and tax planning. Finally, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has hired Joseph A. Figueroa and Courtney Panter as assistant professors of law.

Three families are suing the Williamson County Board of Education and Legacy Middle School’s principal after a transgender student was allowed to participate in a girls-only sex education class. The families claim the decision violated Tennessee law and caused emotional harm to students. The plaintiffs, represented by state Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, seek to bar anyone other than “biological females” from the course and criticize a school counselor’s LGBTQ+ advocacy as conflicting with the state’s abstinence-based policy. The Nashville Post reports that Bulso, who recently launched a bid to fill Mark Green's seat representing the 7th Congressional District, is promoting the lawsuit as part of his campaign. In a web post he asks supporters to help him “take this fight to Washington” and stop “the madness.”

The Trump administration has proposed a rule change to the Supplemental Security Income program that could cut or eliminate benefits for about 375,000 disabled people nationwide, including 7,500 in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Lookout, the change would end an exception that currently prevents benefits from being reduced when individuals live with family members who receive SNAP food assistance. Analysts estimate the shift could completely end benefits nationwide for 100,000 people and reduce payments for another 275,000.

The Memphis City Council is considering a plan to dedicate $900,000 toward a stronger legal push against blighted properties, with a final vote possible Sept. 9. The funds, redirected from a policing task force proposal, come from interest earned on federal COVID-19 relief money. The Daily Memphian reports that City Attorney Tannera Gibson said the money will be used to hire additional attorneys and outside counsel to move blight cases from general sessions environmental court to chancery court for quicker resolutions. The approach could eventually become self-sustaining through revenue from restored properties sold out of receivership, while also freeing up code-enforcement officers from heavy court duties according to the city.