Criminal charges against four Youth Villages staffers in the 2023 death of 17-year-old Alegend Jones have been dropped following an agreement between the facility and Jones’ family. The staffers had been indicted for facilitation of aggravated child abuse and reckless homicide, but the indictments were rescinded after prosecutors decided not to pursue the case. An autopsy suggested Jones died from complications of a physical restraint, but due to unclear video footage and inconclusive findings, the manner of death was ruled “undetermined.” The Daily Memphian reports that as part of the resolution, Youth Villages will undergo a review by independent experts to assess and improve safety protocols.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has extended its suspension of a rule requiring law schools to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through efforts like targeted recruitment of underrepresented groups. The suspension, now lasting until August 2026, comes amid legal challenges, executive orders from the Trump administration and communications from the U.S. Department of Justice. The council overseeing law school accreditation cited “extraordinary circumstances” and potential hardship for schools caught between ABA rules and federal law prohibiting race- and gender-based policies in supporting the extension. The council first voted to suspend enforcement of the rule in February. Bloomberg News has more on the story.

Save the date for the annual Federal Practice Forum, which will take place virtually on July 15 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT. Speakers and topics will be announced soon. Stay tuned here for more information.

The 2025 Elder Law Forum will be held July 25 at Belmont University College of Law’s Randall & Sadie Baskin Center in Nashville. This annual event brings together attorneys and elder care professionals from across Tennessee to explore key topics including undue influence, Medicaid/TennCare, VA benefits and ethics. Lunch and free parking is included. The forum offers a valuable opportunity for learning and networking within the elder law community. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. Elder Law Section members enjoy discounted registration. Not a section member? Get started here.

Blount County District Attorney Ryan Desmond’s office has begun reviewing evidence in an ongoing investigation into the Knox County Trustee’s Office after Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen formally recused her office from any future prosecutions, Knox News reports. Desmond confirmed his office is coordinating with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and does not need to wait for that agency's investigation to conclude to begin legal review. The probe centers on Trustee Justin Biggs and staff members, who are accused of misusing taxpayer funds on luxury hotel stays and personal use of county-leased vehicles. The investigation also recently expanded to include other county officials and possible misuse of public resources, according to the paper.

Tennessee has renewed its contract with private prison operator CoreCivic to run the South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County. The State Building Commission approved the three-year, $168 million contract during a meeting last Thursday. The contract will take effect July 1 and run through June 30, 2028, according to the Nashville Post. The South Central facility is one of four prisons in Tennessee operated by CoreCivic that have faced scrutiny in recent years over poor conditions and inmate deaths. The new contract comes as the state legislature recently passed HB1144/SB1115 as amended, increasing oversight of private prisons by requiring a facility’s inmate population to be reduced by 10% if its death rate is twice that of a comparable state-run prison. The legislation, signed by Gov. Lee on May 9, also requires population reductions to continue until the issues are resolved.

Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether she was protected by the First Amendment when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples nearly a decade ago, her attorney says. The News-Enterprise reports that the move follows the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to deny a request to rehear her case, stating that the panel of judges who ruled against Davis in March had already fully considered it. Davis is challenging a federal jury’s decision that she must pay $100,000 to a couple she denied a marriage license in 2015. Davis, then the Rowan County clerk, made national headlines for refusing to issue marriage licenses to several same-sex couples, citing her religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge David Bunning jailed Davis for five days for contempt after she failed to comply with a court order. In 2024, Bunning ordered Davis to pay $260,104 in legal fees and expenses to attorneys who represented one of the couples.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a federal law banning nonviolent felons from owning firearms, ruling the ban does not violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. In an en banc decision, the court said its ruling aligns with four other federal circuit courts that have reached similar conclusions, Bloomberg News reports. It is the latest federal appeals court decision to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s constitutional test, which requires courts to examine whether a gun restriction has a historical analogue dating back to the nation’s founding. The ruling upholds the criminal conviction of Steven Duarte, who was caught with a pistol in Los Angeles while knowing he had previously been convicted of five nonviolent felonies. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit had found the law unconstitutional in 2024, but the court voted to rehear the case after the Supreme Court clarified the test in the U.S. v. Rahimi.

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Jennifer Peck as the new 11th Judicial District Circuit Court judge effective immediately, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Her appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Michael Dumitru, who recently took office as a new federal magistrate judge in East Tennessee. Peck has been serving as chief of staff and chief operating officer at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. She previously owned and managed Peck Legal Group. She earned her law degree from Regent University School of Law. “Jennifer has faithfully served Tennesseans during her tenure at the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and I am confident she will continue to serve with integrity,” Lee said in a news release.

Starting with the class of 2028, Tennessee high school students must take at least one computer science course to graduate. A new policy, unanimously approved by state lawmakers in 2022, is designed to prepare students for a growing number of jobs that require a deeper understanding of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Tennessee is one of 12 states that already have a computer science mandate in place. According to Axios Nashville, more than 200 CEOs signed a letter this month urging state leaders nationwide to follow Tennessee’s lead by requiring AI and computer science courses for high school graduation. “To be a full participant in the economy and the world, you have to be able to understand the technology that’s driving the world,” state Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, told Axios. Yarbro helped lead efforts to draft Tennessee’s plan for computer science education.