The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted an order amending Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31(15)(b) following a petition from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission (ADRC) asking the court for discretion when considering a Rule 31 application training requirement. The court amended the rule to add the following language: “The ADRC may grant a training waiver upon appropriate application for those whose credentials have lapsed for failure to comply with CME requirements pursuant to Rule 31(15)(a) for failure to timely renew under Rule 31(15)(b), or for any other reason deemed sufficient by the Commission.” The court reported that during the comment period on the proposed change it received responses from the ADRC, the Knoxville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and private individuals.

The Metro Nashville Police Department announced Wednesday it has made six more arrests in an ongoing investigation related to the smuggling of narcotics into the Downtown Detention Center. According to WKRN, those charged included a former sheriff's office employee, three inmates and two civilians. The new charges are the third round of indictments in the overall investigation into drug smuggling into Davidson County detention facilities. Overall, 14 people have been charged. Read more from the police department.

A coalition of 44 law school deans as well as the Law School Admission Council, the Society of American Law Teachers and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund have filed comments in opposition to proposed changes to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) diversity standards for law schools. According to Reuters, the groups argue that eliminating the terms “race and ethnicity” from accreditation rules will hobble efforts to bring in diverse students and faculty. Read the comments. 

A Nashville murder case scheduled to go to trial next week has been placed on hold amid concerns that District Attorney Glenn Funk's office illegally eavesdropped on the defense team as they reviewed evidence in the case. News Channel 5 reports that Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cynthia Chappell agreed Wednesday to delay the trial of Calvin Atchison after the defense filed a motion to disqualify Funk's team. She has set a hearing for Dec. 13 to determine if the district attorney's office should be removed from the case. Allegations of the recordings came to light through reporting by the station and a report from the state comptroller’s office, including a call for a special prosecutor to investigate the matter. 

All defense attorneys have rested their cases in the trial of three former Memphis Police Department officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. Jury deliberations began yesterday, according to the Daily Memphian. Defense lawyers argued their clients followed the appropriate use-of-force guidelines during Nichols’ attempted arrest and put forward witnesses to speak about the department’s use-of-force policy as well as the men’s character. The paper has daily reports from the trial. 

Democratic state House candidate Bryan Goldberg of Knoxville has filed a lawsuit seeking to block what he says are "defamatory attacks" against him and his wife, Knox News reports. Goldberg says the ads "have escalated beyond the bounds of acceptable political discourse." He is asking a Knox County chancellor to issue an injunction against his opponent, incumbent Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, the state Republican Party, House Republican Caucus and Parthenon Strategies. The ads center on claims that Goldberg did not timely pay his property taxes. Goldberg says he was the victim of identity theft and a check for the taxes was modified and cashed by the thief. Goldberg says he appreciates that Davis publicly condemned the ad and asked her party leadership to stop running it.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has opened an investigation into Impact Plastics in Erwin, Knox News reports. Employees of the company have alleged management did not allow workers to leave the facility even as flood warnings were issued and floodwaters from the Nolichucky River swamped the building. According to the paper, two employees died and several were missing at the time of the report. Steve Finney, district attorney for the First Judicial District, requested TBI investigate the business to "identify any potential criminal violations." The company denies that it forced anyone to continue working as waters rose.

The Davidson County General Sessions Domestic Violence Court has been selected to participate in a domestic violence court mentorship program run by the Center for Justice Innovation and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Nashville Banner reported on the development in a recent newsletter (scroll to the seventh story). The goal of the program is to provide resources and education on how to better handle domestic violence cases and improve outcomes for victims and children. Davidson County’s domestic violence docket was established in 2014, and is currently presided over by three judges: Allegra Walker, Ana Escobar and Marcus Floyd.

The 21st Annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program is accepting nominations for the 2025 class through tomorrow. Nominees should have from five to 15 years of experience in practice. Nominations should be submitted using this online form. Last year, 35 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. The new class will kick off in January 2025 with an opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park and end next June with a commencement ceremony during the TBA Annual Convention in Franklin. Email TBALL coordinators Tanja Trezise or Jarod Word with any questions.

The U.S Justice Department announced Monday it plans to launch a review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a white mob attack on a Black district in Oklahoma. The attack is considered one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history, according to Associated Press. The review — initiated under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, a federal cold-case initiative — aims to detail findings by year's end. While prosecutors have "no expectation" of living perpetrators, the descendants of survivors have embraced the news. The Oklahoma Supreme Court previously dismissed a lawsuit by survivors seeking reparations. According to the article, survivors hope the investigation will bolster their efforts to seek financial amends for the attack.