Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton last week called for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to rescind an executive order requiring the city to report interactions with federal immigration authorities. In a statement issued on Thursday, Sexton said the order forces city employees "to act as big brother." O'Connell is defending the executive order saying it is an "appropriate, transparent measure." Axios Nashville has more on the issue.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whose deportation to El Salvador made him a flashpoint in the administration’s immigration policy, has been indicted in federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee on conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and MS-13 gang members into the United States. The Tennessean reports that Abrego Garcia was returned to the states on Friday and appeared in an after-hours court hearing in Nashville. He will be arraigned on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice says Abrego Garcia played a significant role in a nine-year smuggling ring. "He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country … This is especially disturbing because Abrego Garcia is also alleged with transporting minor children," Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a news conference. In 2022, the Tennessee Highway Patrol pulled over a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Abrego Garcia on Interstate 40 in Putnam County. “There were nine additional passengers in the Suburban, all of whom were Hispanic males, and none of whom had any identification,” the indictment alleges. Abrego Garcia’s attorney called the charges an “abuse of power.”

Among the many social events providing opportunities for convention attendees to connect and network with colleagues will be a reception hosted by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC). The event, scheduled for Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CDT, will honor the group’s 2025 Pro Bono Award Recipients and provide an opportunity to learn more about the incredible work and lasting impact of the individuals. It will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in the Saddlebred/Highland Room. For more information about the event, please contact TJC Development Manager Aleena Robinson at arobinson@tnjustice.org. Learn more about the 2025 Annual Convention. Pre-registration has closed but full registration and individual tickets may be purchased on site from the TBA Registration Desk, which will be located in the hotel's conference center.

In this feature of Voices of the YLD, Judge Zack Walden discusses the new Indigent Representation Plan and urges attorneys to willingly take indigent appointments. Not only will you be serving the community in a meaningful way, but you will gain valuable litigation experience.

Judge Zachary R. Walden has presided over Criminal Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans Treatment Court for Tennessee's Eighth Judicial District since his election in 2022. He also serves as the East Tennessee governor and Mock Trial Long Range Planning coordinator for the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (TBA YLD), chairs the Tennessee Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee and is a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court's Technology Oversight Committee. He is a past president of the Knoxville Barristers. Walden has been recognized by the American Bar Association with the On the Rise Award, was named in the Knoxville News Sentinel's 40 under 40 and recognized as the University of Alabama School of Law's Rising Young Lawyer award recipient in 2025. He is also a recipient of the TBA YLD President's Award, Special Recognition Award and Public Service Award. Walden is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and East Tennessee State University. Prior to his election, Walden was an attorney at Eldridge & Blakney in Knoxville.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the "Dismantling DEI Departments Act" into law. The legislation bans all state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities, from promoting or requiring DEI policies, programs or offices. The law immediately voids all existing DEI-related mandates and initiatives within government institutions. Read more on Lee's decision from Local 3 News.

Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed into law legislation aimed at combating AI-generated child pornography, according to Local Memphis.com. The law criminalizes the possession, distribution or production of software or technology designed to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Penalties include a Class E felony for possession, a Class C felony for distribution and a Class B felony for production. Lawmakers said the measure is intended to address the misuse of artificial intelligence and protect minors from exploitation, while equipping law enforcement with tools to address the growing threat. The law takes effect July 1.

On September 21, 2021, Detectives Dustin Tidwell and Justin Miller of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department went in plain clothes to Auto Market, a used car dealership, to serve a subpoena. While they were standing outside the dealership, a car emitting “the obvious odor of marijuana” pulled into the parking lot. R. 172, Trial Tr., PageID 950. The car passed within fifteen to twenty feet of the detectives and parked four or five spaces away from them. When the driver opened his car door to exit, the smell of marijuana grew stronger. No one else was in the car. The officers later identified the driver as Edwin Santiago. As Santiago entered the Auto Market, the detectives saw a pistol on his waistband. Though open carry is legal in Tennessee, possessing a firearm while under the influence of marijuana is not. The detectives suspected Santiago of possessing the firearm while under the influence and decided to detain him once he exited the store. They put on police vests and turned on their body cameras in preparation for the encounter. The bodycam footage reveals the following: After Santiago left the store, the detectives approached him, and Miller instructed him to keep his hands up. Miller then began to handcuff Santiago, while Santiago repeatedly asked, “What’s going on?” R. 26-1, Detective Tidwell’s Bodycam Footage, 00:30–00:50. Tidwell responded, “It reeks of weed, you just pulled up here, okay? It reeks of weed. . . . [Y]ou’ve got a gun on your hip, man.” Id. at 00:43–00:50. Miller, meanwhile, pulled the pistol out of Santiago’s waistband. At this point, Santiago denied ownership of the pistol and shifted his body slightly; Miller grabbed his arm and yelled, “Stop!” Id. at 00:48–00:51. The officers then handcuffed Santiago. Trial testimony revealed that, after handcuffing Santiago, Miller patted him down, took Santiago’s wallet out of his pocket, and retrieved Santiago’s ID. A background check disclosed that Santiago was a felon. So Miller formally placed him under arrest. A grand jury indicted Santiago on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Santiago moved to suppress all the evidence acquired on September 21, arguing that his detention, arrest, and search were unconstitutional. The district court held a suppression hearing, where Detectives Tidwell and Miller testified to the facts recounted above. The manager of the Auto Market, who witnessed the arrest, also testified that he smelled an odor like marijuana around Santiago and his car. The court noted that possessing marijuana is a crime in Tennessee, and it explained that it found the detectives’ testimony about the smell of marijuana credible. That odor, which the officers localized to Santiago alone, gave the officers reasonable suspicion for the stop and probable cause for the arrest. So the court concluded that the warrantless arrest, and the search incident to it, were constitutional. The court denied Santiago’s motion to suppress. Santiago, although represented by counsel during the suppression hearing, proceeded to trial pro se. A jury convicted him. The district court sentenced Santiago to 56 months’ imprisonment. Santiago now appeals through counsel.

KETHLEDGE, Circuit Judge. The plaintiffs appeal the district court’s judgment in favor of the defendants as to their claims that GM and Bosch misled consumers regarding the emissions generated by certain Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The Defendant, James Brent Wall, pled guilty to the sale of a controlled substance and two counts of TennCare fraud. The trial court imposed an effective six-year sentence, which it suspended to probation. The State later alleged that the Defendant violated the conditions of his probation by refusing to submit to drug screening, failing to pay restitution, and absconding from supervision. Following a hearing, the trial court revoked the suspended sentences and ordered the Defendant to serve the remainder of his sentences in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revoke his probation because the court clerk retired the case, recalled the violation warrants, and issued an alias capias. Upon our review, we agree. Accordingly, we respectfully reverse the trial court’s judgment and remand the case with instructions to dismiss the proceedings.

A Monroe County jury found the Defendant, Russell Matthew Morgan, guilty of solicitation of a minor to commit aggravated statutory rape and solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means. On appeal, the Defendant raises three issues: (1) whether the evidence is legally insufficient to support his conviction for solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means; (2) whether Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-528 prohibits solicitation of a minor to commit aggravated statutory rape; and (3) whether the trial court erred in admitting hearsay testimony. Upon our review, we respectfully affirm the judgments of the trial court.