Storm survey teams have confirmed five tornadoes from storms that swept through Middle Tennessee last Tuesday, with additional damage in some areas caused by straight-line winds and a downburst. The storm downed trees and power poles and produced extremely large hail in and around Williamson County, WPLN News reports.The National Weather Service found the strongest tornado was in southern Cumberland County, where it caused minor structural damage to at least a dozen homes near Crossville. The other, weaker tornadoes were confirmed in North Clarksville, Bedford County, Marshall County and Rutherford County.

Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed into law legislation that will establish a publicly accessible registry — much like existing sex offender registries — for individuals convicted multiple times of domestic violence offenses. Known as Savanna's Law, the measure is named in honor of Savanna Puckett, a Robertson County sheriff’s deputy who was killed in 2022 by a man with a known history of domestic assault. The registry, which will be overseen by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, will include offenders’ names, dates of birth, conviction dates and counties of conviction, according to Fox Chattanooga.

An item in yesterday's TBA Today incorrectly identified former TBA President Jim Emison's law school. Emison received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) in 1968 and his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1965.

This summer marks 100 years since the infamous Scopes Evolution Trial, formally "The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes," that took place in Dayton, north of Chattanooga in July 1925. The case was a challenge to the Butler Act, a law that made the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools illegal. Dubbed “the trial of the century” at the time, noted attorney Clarence Darrow represented Tennessee school teacher John Scopes while three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan prosecution the case for Tennessee. Opening June 24, the Tennessee State Museum will present Eight Days in Dayton: 100 Years of the Scopes Trial, a temporary display featuring artifacts from the museum's collection related to the trial, including the table where town leaders sat in Robinson’s Drug Store when planning the trial, textbooks related to the case, and a significant collection of original press photographs the museum acquired in 2022.

LARSEN, Circuit Judge. A jury convicted Kelli Prather of bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement on a loan application. The district court sentenced her to 84 months’ imprisonment. Prather appeals her conviction and sentence. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM.

The Defendant, Jonnella Risharra Hambrick, was convicted by a Davidson County Criminal Court jury of attempted second degree murder, employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and two counts of aggravated assault and received an effective twenty-year sentence. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred by denying her the right to counsel at the trial and by imposing a sentence without her being present. Because we agree that the Defendant was denied her right to counsel and that she had a constitutional right to be present for sentencing, we reverse the judgments of the trial court and remand for a new trial.

The Defendant, Michael Flamini, Jr., was convicted by a Knox County Criminal Court jury of possession with the intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell one-half gram or more of methamphetamine, a Class B felony; and possession with the intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell less than fifteen grams of fentanyl, a Class C felony. See T.C.A. §§ 39- 17-434 (2018) (possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell methamphetamine); 39-17-417 (Supp. 2020) (subsequently amended) (possession with the intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell fentanyl). The trial court sentenced the Defendant as a Range II offender and imposed concurrent sentences of fifteen years and ten years, respectively. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court (1) erred by denying his motion to suppress, (2) erred by denying his motion for a mistrial, and (3) violated his right to remain silent by admitting evidence related to a civil asset forfeiture proceeding. We conclude that the trial court erred by admitting evidence of an asset forfeiture order. However, we, likewise, conclude that the error was harmless and affirm the judgments of the trial court.

One day after the Department of Justice (DOJ) closed its investigation into the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and possible civil rights violations, Stand for Children Tennessee and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) submitted public records requests for "response to resistance" forms and internal investigation documents created since the DOJ report was released. The groups also are asking for policies that were in effect prior to Tyre Nichols being beaten by police in 2023. Community advocates say that a task force formed in lieu of federal oversight lacks transparency, and that collected data could inform legal action and continued advocacy for police reform. The Commercial Appeal reports that the effort is part of a broader campaign across seven states where DOJ findings were made but no consent decrees were signed.

For the week of May 19, 2025 - May 23, 2025

Past TBA President and University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) graduate Jim Emison has devoted much of his retirement to finding justice for Elbert Williams, the first known NAACP member to be racially terrorized and slain. In 1939, Williams helped found the Brownsville chapter of the NAACP, which sought to regain voting rights for Haywood County African Americans. The next year, police and one civilian forcibly removed Williams from his home. Williams’ body was pulled out of the Hatchie River three days later with two bullet holes in his chest. Emison says, “Pursuing justice for Williams’ murder has taught me so much. I’m grateful to Vanderbilt because what perhaps is even better than good grades is a yearning to keep learning. My professors certainly instilled that in me.” Read more about Emison's work in this profile in Vanderbilt Magazine. Emison received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt.