Community members gathered at the National Civil Rights Museum yesterday to discuss the results of a 17-month federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department, the Daily Memphian reports. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice released a report finding that that the Memphis Police Department and the city engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Now community members want to see more officer accountability for policy violations, ability to give input on police policies and for officers to show citizens more empathy and respect. One attendee also spoke out against the city’s decision not to enter into a consent decree with the department. The city has said it wants to do in-depth review of the findings before making a decision about such an agreement.

Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse his conviction on charges of breaking federal campaign finance laws, Tennessee Lookout reports. Kelsey pleaded guilty to funneling more than $100,000 from his state campaign account through two political action committees to the American Conservative Union, which bought digital and radio advertising to bolster his bid for a congressional seat in 2016. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He later attempted to change his plea to not guilty. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reverse the plea. Kelsey is now asking the high court to reverse arguing that the appeals court applied the wrong type of review.

The Hamilton County Commission this week delayed a decision on choosing a new county attorney until its next meeting on Jan. 8, 2025. According to Chattanoogan.com, the body postponed consideration of the matter after meeting with attorney John Konvalinka, who was hired to represent the commission on the matter. Longtime county attorney Rheubin Taylor is contracted to serve until July 1, 2025. Taylor has said that attempts by County Mayor Weston Wamp to name Janie Parks Varnell as the new county attorney would violate his contract. 

American confidence in the judicial system dropped 7% from last year, sagging to a record low, according to a new Gallup poll. Axios reports that just 35% of poll respondents said they had confidence in the U.S. judicial system and courts, a drop from 42% last year. The poll’s findings also mark the first time that confidence in the courts is below 50% for both those who approve and those who disapprove of U.S. leadership. Gallup reports that over the past four years, the confidence rate has dropped 24%. Read more about the findings.

Former judge and current Shelby County prosecutor Donna Fields died in a car accident on Dec. 16, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has announced. Fields joined the district attorney’s (DA) office after retiring as a judge, working part time with a focus on animal cruelty cases. "Donna Fields was a relentless advocate for justice, especially for those who had no voice," said DA Steve Mulroy. "She didn’t have to return to work, but she chose to because of her deep love for animals and her steadfast commitment to justice." Funeral arrangements are still being developed.

State Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, has introduced a bill to create a new civil cause of action for those who mail or deliver abortion pills. HB26 would allow family members of women who end a pregnancy via abortion pills to sue drug manufacturers and distributors, delivery services and those who help women access abortion-inducing medications from out-of-state. Cases could be brought for up to $5 million in damages. The Tennessean, which reports on the measure, also reports that state law already prohibits sending and receiving abortion pills by mail in Tennessee.

Sessions from this fall’s 36th Annual Health Law Forum are now available on demand individually or in a 1-Click package, which features 15 hours of content including three hours of ethics credit. This year’s forum offered insights from health law providers, practitioners and regulators, providing the information lawyers need to stay on top of key advancements. Topics include private equity, antitrust laws, change health care, digital health, cyber security and enrollment issues. The program also includes the ever-popular legislative update and state case review.

The TBA’s Convention CLE Package offers an opportunity to experience the programs offered at the annual meeting last June and earn five hours of dual CLE credit. Ethics topics include combatting burnout, being your best in a virtual legal world and AI’s impact on the practice of law. Not what you are looking for? Check out all of the TBA’s year-end packages or build your own with more than 200 programs available on demand.

SUTTON, Chief Judge. During the stop of a semitrailer, police learned one suspicious thing after another about the truck’s cargo, its destination, and its other contents, ultimately leading to a dog sniff that alerted to drugs in the truck. The police found 20 kilograms of cocaine inside a wrapped box. Because the objective facts known to the officers warranted each step of the investigation, we uphold the search and reverse the district court’s contrary determination.

The Defendant, Jimmy Richard Burrow II, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, a Class C felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Class A misdemeanor; possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule V controlled substance, a Class E felony; and possession of a firearm after a felony drug conviction, a Class C felony. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-1003 (Supp. 2020) (subsequently amended) (aggravated burglary), 39-17-434(a)(4) (2018) (possession of methamphetamine), 39-17-417(a)(4) (Supp. 2020) (subsequently amended) (possession of a Schedule V controlled substance), 39-17-1307(c)(1) (2018) (subsequently amended) (possession of a firearm). He received an effective ten-year sentence to be served in confinement but was subsequently released to a residential drug recovery program. The Defendant violated the terms and conditions of the recovery program, and, after a hearing, the trial court ordered the Defendant to serve his sentence. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred by failing to consider alternative sentencing and the Defendant’s amenability to future rehabilitation. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.