Gov. Bill Lee has included $20 million in his amended state budget for victim-serving agencies. According to the Tennessee Lookout, sexual assault centers, domestic violence shelters and child abuse counseling agencies — many of which play key roles in working with law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice — have seen their share of federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding decrease from a peak of $68 million in 2018 to $16 million last year. A coalition of victim advocate groups had requested $25 million in recurring state funding but said the governor's additional funds were an important first step. Earlier this month, a domestic violence agency in Memphis closed its doors due to funding issues. VOCA funding relies on fees and fines collected from individuals prosecuted in federal courts. The fund has seen a drop in collections as prosecutors have made a concerted shift to accept more plea deals.

The FBI confirmed last week it has established a task force to investigate an increase of vandalism and arson incidents targeting Tesla in recent weeks. According to The Hill, the task force, consisting of 10 people, was launched as a joint effort between the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The task force seeks to counter the violent activity targeting Tesla vehicles and charging stations. The FBI has received reports of 48 incidents involving Tesla so far this month, including at least seven it is investigating with local law enforcement.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Biden administration’s regulation of "ghost guns" in a 7-2 decision, rejecting a challenge from gun rights groups and manufacturers. The regulation, enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), requires ghost guns, sold as do-it-yourself kits, to be treated like other firearms, The Hill reports. “Future cases may present other and more difficult questions about ATF’s regulations. But we take cases as they come and today resolve only the question posed to us,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented separately, saying they would have invalidated the rule. In 2022, the ATF began regulating ghost guns as any other firearm, subjecting the devices to requirements such as serial numbers and background checks.

Metro Nashville Council members and safety advocates have called for increased traffic enforcement in the past. Now new data from the police department shows that officers have stopped 11,496 drivers since the beginning of the year — roughly 3,000 more than at the same point in 2024. The police department says it is committed to focusing efforts on the most dangerous driving behaviors including speeding, reckless driving and impaired driving,” according to the Nashville Banner. The data also shows disparities in the stops. White and Black drivers are being stopped at rates higher than their share of the population. But while less than 0.4% of the stops involving white drivers led to a vehicle search, 2.9% of stops for Black drivers did. Hispanic drivers made up nearly 13% of stops, with 24% of those being arrested — a higher rate than Black or white drivers. Police says that disparity is largely due to arrests for driving without a license.

Veteran federal prosecutor Joe Murphy is returning as interim U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. President Donald Trump announced that Murphy will replace Reagan Fondren, according to The Daily Memphian. “Joe Murphy is a skilled federal prosecutor who has dedicated decades of his career to serving the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis,” Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn said in a statement. Murphy earned his law degree at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Memphis since 1989. He was named the office’s first assistant U.S. attorney in July 2018. Fondren told the paper she was fired as acting U.S. attorney and as a Justice Department employee last Thursday. Read more from the U.S. attorney's office.

Two U.S. judges temporarily blocked key parts of President Trump’s executive orders targeting Jenner & Block and WilmerHale after the law firms challenged the orders in court on Friday, Reuters reports. "Considering the firm-wide effects of the executive order, it threatens the existence of the firm," U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., said of the order targeting Jenner & Block. He blocked provisions that sought to cancel federal contracts held by firm clients and restrict employee access to federal buildings and officials. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, also in D.C., heard WilmerHale's challenge. Calling the order retaliatory, he blocked provisions limiting access to U.S. government buildings and officials, but denied the firm's request to block suspension of employee security clearances.

Shelby County Judge James Jones today ruled that the jury in the state trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols will be brought in from out of town. According to the Daily Memphian, it has not been disclosed where jurors will come from in an effort to prevent tainting the jury pool. The jury will hear the case against Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Demetrius Haley, all of whom face charges, including second-degree murder and kidnapping, in the 2023 death of Nichols. Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said the jury will be selected from somewhere in Tennessee and will include up to 16 members, including alternates. The trial is still scheduled to begin April 28 in Memphis.

The 2025 Dispute Resolution Forum will take place virtually on May 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT. The program will feature sessions tailored to both lawyers and mediators, with topics including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the federal space and mass arbitrations. The forum will conclude with an ethics course. Speakers from the ADR profession will lead the discussions. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) raided the Memphis office of Butler Snow, which was tasked with investigating a complaint by former Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Lieutenant Garet Davidson, The Tennessean reports. In a 61-page complaint, Davidson alleged that high-ranking officials within the department collaborated with state lawmakers to strip Community Oversight Boards of much of their power, including their ability to obtain public records prior to the closure of an officer complaint. In May 2024, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell asked the firm to investigate the allegations. The raid on the law firm follows a September search of Davidson’s home, during which his attorney expressed concern that documents protected by attorney-client privilege may have been seized. TBI said any information related to the investigation would need to come from the court clerk's office, noting that the primary topic in the search warrant on Davidson’s home was related to the Community Review Board. Board members Monday said they learned of the raid through Davidson’s attorney and had not received any updates about the investigation since it began. A spokesperson for O'Connell’s office said the mayor has no role in the investigation and declined to comment on the raid.

Law firms Jenner & Block and WilmerHale are suing the Trump administration over executive orders that sanctioned the firms for their pro bono work and ties to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election. The lawsuits, filed today in a federal court in Washington, seek to block an order issued by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, which directed federal agencies to terminate contracts with companies that are clients of the firm and suspend the security clearances of its lawyers, Bloomberg Law reports. The executive orders target the firms due to their connections with attorneys who were part of Mueller's team. Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said late today that he is inclined to grant WilmerHale a restraining order in the matter. In related news, Skadden reached an agreement with the Trump administration to avoid an executive order targeting the law firm. The firm commits to providing at least $100 million in pro bono work for causes the Trump administration supports, to funding five fellows and to merit-based hiring and retention, and it will not deny representation to disenfranchised groups.