Marshall County, population 34,318 according to the 2020 census, sits about an hour south of Nashville. The county seat is the charming small town of Lewisburg, which has some big ideas on addressing the rural mental health crisis. In 2024, District Attorney General Robert Carter and General Sessions Judge Lee Bussart collaborated with the Marshall County Recovery Foundation to create the SHIELD (Supportive Help for Individuals Experiencing Life-Threatening Distress) Program. Judge Bussart and Jillian McGauley, a 2L at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law and Judge Bussart's Rural Judicial Fellow, explain how the SHIELD Program works and how it is impacting lives in Marshall County.

In this installment of Day on Torts, John Day breaks down how tax policy can impact personal injury and wrongful death settlements and judgments, and why tort lawyers need to understand the ins and outs of income taxes.

Lawyers around the country have long looked to Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, Wyoming and South Dakota as the best jurisdictions in which to establish trusts because of those states’ favorable trust law. As Tennessee has modified its trust law over the last two decades to embrace many desirable features, professionals in other states have begun to take notice. Eddy Smith explains in Where There's a Will.

Nearly nine in 10 immigration-related arrests made by Memphis Safe Task Force officers began with traffic stops and were not tied to underlying violent crimes, The Daily Memphian reports. New data show the task force, which launched in Memphis on Sept. 29, made at least 662 “administrative” arrests — its internal term for immigration-related cases — over a 65-day period. Of those arrests, 580 were initiated through traffic stops, while the remainder stemmed from warrants, targeted operations or pedestrian encounters. As of the most recent report on Dec. 8, 2025, the task force had made 3,774 total arrests since it began, 650 of which were administrative in nature. In related news, President Donald Trump said on Saturday that crime in Memphis has dropped by 77% as a result of the Memphis Safe Task Force, according to the paper.

The TBA Mentoring Committee, in collaboration with the TBA Young Lawyers Division, will hold a special event — "Developing Lawyers, Developing Leaders: A CLE on Mentorship and Professional Excellence" — on Jan. 30 at Belmont University College of Law's Baskin Center. Make plans now to join TBA President Heidi Barcus; Marshall County General Sessions Court Judge Lee Bussart; University of Tennessee Winston College of Law professor Joan Heminway; Amy Schmisseur, chair of Belmont University's Department of Communication Studies; Joseph Hubbard of Polsinelli; and Toyin Edogun of Bass Berry & Sims as they explore topics of mentorship, leadership and communication across one's legal career. The day of "Mocktails and Mentorship" will include lunch and three hours of CLE programming, followed by a networking event and the opportunity to mix mocktails together. The program is free for law students. Register by Jan. 25.

Shelby County voters will head to the polls for countywide primary elections on May 5, with races including Shelby County mayor, all 13 county commission districts, court clerks, the assessor of property, sheriff, trustee, register of deeds, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Arlington Community Schools school board seats, the Commercial Appeal reports. Candidates began picking up petitions on Dec. 22, 2025, with the qualifying deadline set for Feb. 19 and the withdrawal deadline Feb. 26. Absentee ballot requests start Feb. 4 and end April 25. The voter registration deadline is April 6, and early voting runs from April 16 to April 30. After the May primary, Shelby County voters will return for the county general and statewide primary on Aug. 6 and the state and federal general election on Nov. 3.

A theater professor at Austin Peay State University (APSU) has been reinstated three months after he was fired over social media comments about Charlie Kirk, after the school admitted it did not follow proper policy, The Tennessean reports. A spokesperson confirmed on Dec. 31 that Darren Michael was fully reinstated as a tenured professor. Michael was fired on Sept. 12 after posts he made about Kirk were widely shared online. In October, the school reversed his termination, saying he was instead suspended while administration began the process of ending his tenure. APSU President Mike Licari said in an email that the university “did not follow the required tenure termination process in this matter.”

More Tennessee agencies are signing up to help the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforce federal immigration law as part of the Immigration Enforcement Grant Program, which provides grants to local governments participating in the federal 287(g) program. According to Fox 17, the number of agencies partnering with ICE to assist in the enforcement, detention and removal of undocumented immigrants has grown from 11 to more than 40 in six months. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security shows that 40 counties have now signed up for the program. The state has set aside $5 million for the grants.

The city of Knoxville and the family of Anthony Thompson Jr. will attend a Jan. 7 settlement conference in Chattanooga, with a settlement deadline scheduled for Jan. 14. The case centers on whether officers’ actions in the minutes after a 2021 shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School caused Thompson unnecessary pain and suffering, a claim revived by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals after it dismissed allegations of wrongful arrest and excessive force. In recent rulings and filings, judges have limited expert testimony, and both sides have asked to exclude evidence they argue would unfairly prejudice a jury, as the court prepares for a trial focused solely on the adequacy of medical care provided at the scene. Knox News has more on the developments.

Tennessee recorded 147 fewer traffic deaths in 2025 than in 2024, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Tennessee's Fatality Analysis Reporting System data through Dec. 30 shows 1,045 roadway deaths statewide, down from 1,194 the previous year, a decrease of about 14%, Action News 5 reports. State officials said much of the reduction was driven by improvements in Memphis and Shelby County. “This is meaningful progress, and it represents lives saved,” said Col. Matt Perry, commander of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. “Our troopers see the consequences of dangerous driving every day. Enforcement, education and visibility matter, and we will continue working to slow drivers down, curb impaired driving and reinforce seat belt use across the state.”