The Defendant, Dallas Wayne Tomes, Jr., was convicted in the Criminal Court of Bradley County of five counts of burglary of a building other than a habitation, two counts of theft of property valued at more than $1000 but less than $2500, and one count of theft of property valued at $1000 or less. On appeal, the Defendant challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion to dismiss his charges pursuant to the Interstate Agreement on Detainers (“IAD”) and its classification of him as a career offender, arguing that the trial court failed to conduct a foreign judgments test prior to sentencing. Discerning no error, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.

Petitioner, Jordan Harp, appeals the denial of his post-conviction relief petition. Petitioner was indicted by the Shelby County Grand Jury for first degree premeditated murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. Pursuant to a March 2022 negotiated plea agreement, Petitioner pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of second degree murder and to especially aggravated kidnapping and received an effective sentence of forty years.1 Petitioner timely sought post-conviction relief, alleging several instances of ineffective assistance of counsel and that his guilty pleas were unknowingly and involuntarily entered. After only hearing from Petitioner’s trial counsel, the post-conviction court stated, “I don’t need to hear anything from [Petitioner],” and denied Petitioner the opportunity to testify and present witnesses. The post-conviction court then denied relief. Because we conclude that Petitioner was not afforded a full and fair hearing on his post-conviction petition, we reverse the judgment of the post-conviction court and remand this case for a new hearing on his post-conviction petition.

Defendant, Rebecca M. Davis, appeals her convictions for one count of aggravated child abuse of a child eight years of age or less, one count of aggravated child neglect of a child eight years of age or less, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment of child eight years of age or less. After a sentencing hearing, Defendant received an effective sentence of fifteen years’ incarceration. On appeal, Defendant argues that (1) the trial court erred by denying her motion for judgments of acquittal for aggravated child endangerment and aggravated child neglect of a child eight years of age or less; (2) the trial court erred by not merging her convictions for aggravated child endangerment with her respective convictions for aggravated child abuse of a child eight years of age or less and aggravated child neglect of a child eight years of age or less; and (3) the trial court violated her due process rights by allowing the State to comment on and elicit testimony regarding her pre- arrest, post-Miranda silence. After review, we reverse the trial court’s denial of Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal for her aggravated child neglect conviction but otherwise affirm the judgments of the trial court.

November 3, 2025 - November 7, 2025.

The interim superintendent of the Knox County Juvenile Detention Center resigned over the weekend, Knox News reports. Brian Bivens submitted his resignation Nov. 9, effective immediately. Leadership struggles at the facility began in May when longtime superintendent Richard Bean was forced out of the job. According to the paper, Bivens had been working to address several issues at the center, including empowering shift supervisors and updating policies and procedures.

JOHN K. BUSH, Circuit Judge. Rebecca Edwards, a former Shelby County Health Department employee, brought this action under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), asserting three claims. She alleges that the County (1) discriminated against her based on her night blindness, (2) retaliated against her for requesting a related accommodation, and (3) failed to accommodate a separate condition (her asthma). Following a two-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in her favor on all three claims. The County now appeals, contending that Edwards is not disabled under the ADA and that the evidence did not support the jury’s verdict. The County primarily argues that neither Edwards’s night blindness nor her asthma qualifies as a disability under the ADA, especially given her admitted ability to drive at night on some occasions. But while the evidentiary record is limited, it is not legally insufficient. Edwards testified in detail about the effect of her impairments on her daily functioning, and the jury was entitled to credit that testimony. And under the ADA’s fact-driven, individualized inquiry, the jury’s determination that Edwards is disabled was not unreasonable. So the County’s argument falls short of the standard required to disturb a jury verdict. We AFFIRM the district court’s entry of judgment on Edwards’s disability-discrimination, retaliation, and failure-to-accommodate claims.

A newly formed Nashville Homeland Security Task Force has announced several criminal cases, including a federal indictment exposing a drug-smuggling operation inside CoreCivic’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, the Nashville Banner reports. The task force — a coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies — was announced earlier this month and will work on cases involving violence and drug trafficking with ties to transnational criminal organizations. It also will focus on complex cases that expose systemic corruption and criminal networks operating within the state’s correctional system. In the Trousdale case, officials allege that an incarcerated man, his girlfriend and three correctional officers conspired to bring fentanyl, heroin and cocaine into the facility using contraband cell phones and Cash App transfers.

A government contracting document outlines plans to open a national call center in the greater Nashville area to coordinate the tracking and deportation of unaccompanied immigrant children, according to the Nashville Scene. The request for information, issued by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describes a 24-hour operation expected to handle 6,000 to 7,000 calls per day. The call center is part of the Trump administration’s push to expand 287(g) agreements, which allow state and local agencies to cooperate with ICE and exercise limited immigration enforcement authority. Nashville ended its participation in the program more than a decade ago, but this year Tennessee lawmakers created incentives for communities to join, and a special session approved a centralized immigration enforcement division.

Turnout was low in the special primary for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, with about 67,000 votes cast across both parties compared with nearly 330,000 in the 2024 general election, Tennessee Lookout reports. Democratic primary turnout of roughly 31,000 nearly matched Republicans’ 36,000 votes. Former General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps will face Rep. Aftyn Behn in the Dec. 2 general election to replace former U.S. Rep. Mark Green. Early voting begins Nov. 12.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort to overturn its landmark 2015 ruling guaranteeing same-sex marriage nationwide, The Hill reports. Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis asked the justices to overrule the decision after a jury awarded damages to a couple she refused to marry. In a brief order, the court declined to hear Davis’s appeal. No dissents were noted. Davis drew national attention for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds, and she was jailed for five days before the couple obtained their license. Kentucky later passed a law allowing clerks to omit their signatures from marriage certificates. The couple she refused to serve filed suit for emotional damages and attorneys fees. After a jury found for the couple, Davis challenged the award, arguing she had a private First Amendment religious defense. Her appeal to the Supreme Court also included an outright challenge to the Obergefell decision.