One day after Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs called for "immediate state intervention" at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville, Richard Bean has been forced out as superintendent. Knox News reports that he announced his retirement in a press release today, stating that his last day will be Aug. 1. Bean fired the center's sole registered nurse and an information technology specialist on May 28, but Jacobs and Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin cited "questionable circumstances" and demanded that the employees be reinstated. The nurse had been documenting errors and concerning incidents regarding patients before she was fired.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear a decade-long rape kit lawsuit against the city of Memphis, effectively ending the case, the Daily Memphian reports. The court denied Janet Doe’s request to appeal a 2023 ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals that dismissed her claims. The case began in 2014 when three women sued the city and Shelby County, alleging their sexual assault kits were mishandled. Doe later became the sole plaintiff after the others withdrew. The appeals court found Doe’s claims were filed 14 months after the alleged injury — beyond the state’s 12-month statute of limitations — and did not relate back to the original filing. The court also overturned a lower court’s decision to certify the case as a class action, ruling that the proposed class of more than 12,000 untested rape kit victims was too vaguely defined.

On Wednesday, the Shelby County Commission approved three resolutions to release more than $1.4 million in emergency funding to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office for repairs and improvements to the Shelby County Jail, also referred to as 201 Poplar. The money will come from the county’s primary operating budget, with more than $1.2 million going to Schindler Elevator Corp. to fix and maintain 10 escalators inside the jail, Local Memphis reports. Additional funds have been allocated for the installation of a shower system and for plumbing services and supplies. The emergency funding approval comes as some city officials continue to push for construction of a new jail outside downtown.

The Supreme Court today granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to revoke former President Joe Biden’s parole program that extended legal protections to migrants from four Latin American countries, The Hill reports. Under the program, migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela could apply in advance to enter the United States and receive a two-year work permit, provided they secured a U.S.-based financial sponsor. The justices in the majority did not explain their reasoning, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing the decision ignores the significant harm to migrants now at risk of removal before the legal issues are resolved. The ruling does not affect a separate order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani which protects other types of parole granted under the Biden administration, including for Afghans and Ukrainians. On May 19, the high court issued an emergency order allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to proceed with plans to end protected status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans while a legal challenge to the plan moves through the appeals process.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division continued its Exploration Series today at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer, one of the state’s scenic natural landmarks. TBA members attended presentations from TBA YLD District Representative Mary Frances DeVoe, as well as John Rice, Thomas Shumate and Joanna McCracken, with Patrick Morrison, the YLD board’s health and wellness coordinator, serving as moderator. The event included a ranger-led hike to the falls and a group lunch. The Exploration Series offers members quality CLE programming in an unplugged, outdoor setting while fostering professional networking. Upcoming events in the series are scheduled at Meeman-Shelby Forest and Long Hunter state parks. See photos from the event.

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt an order allowing migrants to challenge their deportations to South Sudan. According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts-based U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy ruled that immigrants must get the chance to raise any concerns that being sent to that country could put them in danger. The government had argued that such a requirement would be a major setback to its efforts to deport migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries. The judge also found that the administration sent eight immigrants to South Sudan without giving them the opportunity to present their case, but said it could hold those hearings in Djibouti as long as the men remained in U.S. government custody.

The Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated 72 graduates during the school’s 117th commencement ceremony on May 24. Dean William C. Koch Jr., Board of Trust Chair Aubrey B. Harwell Jr. and commencement speaker Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater shared inspiring and encouraging messages. The school recognized seven students who were inducted into the prestigious Cooper’s Inn Honor Society, reserved for those in the top 10% of their graduating class while nine students were recognized for completing 50 hours of pro bono service during their law school career. Koch also presented the Founder’s Award, which is given to the student with the highest grade-point average, and the Dean’s Certificate of Excellence for recording the most pro-bono hours to Jennifer Burch. Read more about the award recipients in a release from the school. See photos from the event.

Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs today called for "immediate state intervention" at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center, requesting that Gov. Bill Lee shift control of the center's operations from the current board of trustees to the Department of Children's Services (DCS). Jacobs says that move will protect the center while more permanent arrangements can be made for the Knox County Sherriff's Office to take control. Knox News reports that issues surfaced this week after the center fired its sole registered nurse and an information technology specialist under what Jacobs and Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin called "questionable circumstances." In a letter to the center, Jacobs and Irwin demanded the two employees be reinstated. The nurse, Stephanie Clowers, told the paper she had been documenting errors in medication distribution and poor practices, including one instance when a juvenile lost consciousness after ingesting another's medication. No one at the facility took his vitals, called poison control or summoned an ambulance, she stated. An investigation by ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio in 2023 found that the center had been using seclusion as a punishment for years, rather than as a last resort as the law requires.

The Tennessee Workers Comp Appeals Board will hear in-person oral arguments in Taylor v. Dale’s Recycling on June 13 in Murfreesboro. The case involves a claim of brought by the wife of Darrell Taylor, who died of cardiorespiratory arrest related to chronic hypertension and diabetes while driving a trailer of scrap metal for Dale’s Recycling. The trial court awarded benefits. Both parties rely on Mitchell v. Bunge North America, the only post-Reform Act appellate opinion about heart attacks, to support their positions. Arguments will begin at 9:15 a.m. CDT.

The 3rd Judicial District Chancery Court is reminding attorneys that when they file orders in the Electronic Court Filing System (ECF), a certificate of service must be included as part of the order listing all parties just as if it had been filed on paper (Rule 11 Local Rules of Electronic Filing). This includes orders to close estates unless the parties have waived service of final order under oath. The court also reiterates that the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) does not replace the need for service of process. The NEF satisfies the responsibility of a filer to send service to other parties that are registered in the ECF System. Non-registered parties must be served via conventional means through USPS or email from the attorney. The case information contains a service list which will identify those registered users and those who must be served by traditional method. The email received as a registered user lists that same information as well. Attorneys are encouraged to refer to the local rules for more information on e-filing.