The Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear a decade-long rape kit lawsuit against the city of Memphis, effectively ending the case, the Daily Memphian reports. The court denied Janet Doe’s request to appeal a 2023 ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals that dismissed her claims. The case began in 2014 when three women sued the city and Shelby County, alleging their sexual assault kits were mishandled. Doe later became the sole plaintiff after the others withdrew. The appeals court found Doe’s claims were filed 14 months after the alleged injury — beyond the state’s 12-month statute of limitations — and did not relate back to the original filing. The court also overturned a lower court’s decision to certify the case as a class action, ruling that the proposed class of more than 12,000 untested rape kit victims was too vaguely defined.

On Wednesday, the Shelby County Commission approved three resolutions to release more than $1.4 million in emergency funding to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office for repairs and improvements to the Shelby County Jail, also referred to as 201 Poplar. The money will come from the county’s primary operating budget, with more than $1.2 million going to Schindler Elevator Corp. to fix and maintain 10 escalators inside the jail, Local Memphis reports. Additional funds have been allocated for the installation of a shower system and for plumbing services and supplies. The emergency funding approval comes as some city officials continue to push for construction of a new jail outside downtown.

The Supreme Court today granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to revoke former President Joe Biden’s parole program that extended legal protections to migrants from four Latin American countries, The Hill reports. Under the program, migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela could apply in advance to enter the United States and receive a two-year work permit, provided they secured a U.S.-based financial sponsor. The justices in the majority did not explain their reasoning, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing the decision ignores the significant harm to migrants now at risk of removal before the legal issues are resolved. The ruling does not affect a separate order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani which protects other types of parole granted under the Biden administration, including for Afghans and Ukrainians. On May 19, the high court issued an emergency order allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to proceed with plans to end protected status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans while a legal challenge to the plan moves through the appeals process.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division continued its Exploration Series today at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer, one of the state’s scenic natural landmarks. TBA members attended presentations from TBA YLD District Representative Mary Frances DeVoe, as well as John Rice, Thomas Shumate and Joanna McCracken, with Patrick Morrison, the YLD board’s health and wellness coordinator, serving as moderator. The event included a ranger-led hike to the falls and a group lunch. The Exploration Series offers members quality CLE programming in an unplugged, outdoor setting while fostering professional networking. Upcoming events in the series are scheduled at Meeman-Shelby Forest and Long Hunter state parks. See photos from the event.

Thank you to our Tennessee Bar Association Patron Members. Patron members show their support for programs that assist in the development of the profession and provide meaningful access to justice initiatives such as the TBA tuition assistance program, mentoring program, practice management center, civics education support and online pro bono development. We are grateful for these members who make a difference for others by choosing this “above and beyond” dues level.

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 13 during the group's Annual Convention in Franklin. The award is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Kidwell is being honored for her article It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule, which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt an order allowing migrants to challenge their deportations to South Sudan. According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts-based U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy ruled that immigrants must get the chance to raise any concerns that being sent to that country could put them in danger. The government had argued that such a requirement would be a major setback to its efforts to deport migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries. The judge also found that the administration sent eight immigrants to South Sudan without giving them the opportunity to present their case, but said it could hold those hearings in Djibouti as long as the men remained in U.S. government custody.

Petitioner, Richard Townsend, appeals the denial of his post-conviction petition, arguing that the post-conviction court erred in denying his claim that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel and that his plea was not knowingly and voluntarily entered. Following our review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Petitioner, Curtis Keller, appeals the Shelby County Criminal Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for writ of error coram nobis as “utterly devoid of accuracy.” Following our review of the entire record, the briefs of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court.

The Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated 72 graduates during the school’s 117th commencement ceremony on May 24. Dean William C. Koch Jr., Board of Trust Chair Aubrey B. Harwell Jr. and commencement speaker Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater shared inspiring and encouraging messages. The school recognized seven students who were inducted into the prestigious Cooper’s Inn Honor Society, reserved for those in the top 10% of their graduating class while nine students were recognized for completing 50 hours of pro bono service during their law school career. Koch also presented the Founder’s Award, which is given to the student with the highest grade-point average, and the Dean’s Certificate of Excellence for recording the most pro-bono hours to Jennifer Burch. Read more about the award recipients in a release from the school. See photos from the event.