Migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under then-President Donald Trump will receive temporary legal status and other benefits, according to a summary of a settlement agreement filed on Oct. 16. Reuters reports that the agreement applies to some 3,900 children separated from their parents. The ACLU represented separated families in a lawsuit first filed in 2018. The agreement also bars similar separations in the future according to reports.

New Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has hired Rep. Darren Jernigan to be his director of legislative affairs. Jernigan served Old Hickory, Donelson and Hermitage while on Nashville's Metro Council and has represented District 60 in the state house since 2012. Axios Nashville reports that Jernigan will serve out his current term but will not seek reelection.

A report by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession reveals that mothers in the legal field are more likely than fathers to experience negative workplace experiences, such as disparaging comments, lower compensation and fewer advancement opportunities. The report highlights that 61% of mothers in law firms have encountered demeaning comments about being a working parent, while 60% of mothers in other practice settings also faced such comments. It emphasizes the need for legal employers to address these challenges to retain and advance women lawyers with children and suggests best practices and policies to support female lawyers with families, including flexible work arrangements and comprehensive family health insurance.

In this divorce action, the court limited Wife’s proof at trial as a sanction for her failure to respond to pre-trial discovery. After the trial, the court granted the parties an absolute divorce, equitably divided the marital estate, adopted a permanent parenting plan for their minor children, and declined to award Wife spousal support. Wife argues that the court erred in limiting her proof at trial, dividing the marital estate, and denying her request for spousal support. Discerning no abuse of discretion in these decisions, we affirm.

In this declaratory judgment action between two real property owners in the same subdivision, the trial court dismissed the matter without prejudice, finding that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. The trial court declined to adjudicate the merits of the case concerning the issue of whether the defendant property owner’s utilization of his home within the subdivision as a vacation rental violated neighborhood restrictive covenants, determining that the plaintiff property owner had failed to properly join all real property owners in the subdivision as required by Tennessee’s Declaratory Judgments Act. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

A father filed a petition to modify the existing parenting plan. The trial court found a material change in circumstances had occurred and it was in the child’s best interest to award custody to the father. Because the evidence does not preponderate against either finding, we affirm.

This case concerns the procedure used by the Tennessee State Board of Equalization when it determined the 2018 appraisal ratio for Shelby County. In 2017, Shelby County real property was reappraised. Accordingly, the Board of Equalization set the County’s 2017 appraisal ratio at 1.000. In 2018, the Board of Equalization used the 2017 reappraisal to set the Shelby County 2018 appraisal ratio at 1.000. Appellants—owners of commercial tangible personal property in Shelby County—challenged the Board’s methodology as violative of Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-5-1605 and 67-5-1606 and unsupported by substantial and material evidence. Following review under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, the trial court determined that: (1) the Board did not violate Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-5-1605 and 67-5-1606 when it set the County’s appraisal ratio at 1.000 in 2018; (2) the Board’s decision was supported by substantial and material evidence; and (3) the Board’s decision was not arbitrary or capricious. Discerning no error, we affirm.

Nine Shelby County corrections officers, indicted for their alleged roles in the death of inmate Gershun Freeman, appeared in court for the first time. The Daily Memphian reports that the officers were charged in connection with Freeman's death following an altercation in the Shelby County Jail in 2022. Two of the officers, Courtney Parham and Stevon Jones, face second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges, while the others face charges of aggravated assault resulting in death. The officers are set to return to court on Dec. 1 for a report date. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Freeman's family, emphasized the significance of video evidence in obtaining the criminal indictments.

Tennessee's Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee chairman has warned against rejecting federal K-12 education funds, arguing that doing so would send Tennessee taxpayer money elsewhere. While he supports a thorough review of federal requirements tied to education funds, Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, stresses that these federal dollars are, in fact, taxpayer funds from Tennessee. The Tennessee Lookout reports that a group of House and Senate members is set to study federal education funding, examining the mandates and the possibility of recommending their rejection. Federal funds account for more than a third of Tennessee's budget, making this a significant issue for the state.

The newly created 19th Judicial District in Montgomery County has a new judge. Ashleigh Travis was sworn in as circuit court judge on Oct. 6 by Judge Jill Ayers of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. The Administrative Office of the Courts reports that Travis, most recently a child support magistrate judge, joins Judges Katy Olita, William R. Goodman, Robert Bateman, Joel Wallace Jr. and Adrienne Fry in representing Montgomery and Robertson counties as circuit court judges.