Police records show that 20 people were shot and killed in Memphis over a two-week span in a surge of gun violence, The Daily Memphian reports. That brings the number of homicides in the city to at least 29 so far this month, according to Memphis Police Department records through April 26. Mayor Paul Young and MPD Chief C.J. Davis addressed the violence during a news conference on Friday afternoon. Young outlined actions his administration and the department are taking to reduce crime, including the city’s violence-reduction strategy, efforts to arrest individuals with active warrants, and the installation of surveillance cameras across Memphis. “We are not going to accept this anymore in our community,” Young said. In related news,the Commercial Appeal reports that the police department has opened a new Downtown Real Time Crime Center with the goal of improving crime rates in the downtown area.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill that will change how bail decisions are made in Tennessee. HB854/SB856 allows judges to consider “reliable hearsay” when determining whether a defendant should be granted bail. This could include documents such as police database printouts, rap sheets and probation violation reports, even if no witness is present to testify about them, Fox Chattanooga reports. Supporters say the bill gives judges more context to assess whether a defendant poses a risk to the community and could help prevent repeat offenders from being released too easily. Critics argue the measure could lead to unfair detentions, particularly for defendants without legal representation.

Five Vanderbilt Law School faculty members, including both full-time and adjunct professors, have been honored with Hall-Hartman Awards for Outstanding Teaching from the Vanderbilt Bar Association. The annual awards recognize exceptional instruction in both first-year and upper-level courses. One professor is selected from each of the law school’s three first-year sections, along with two professors who teach upper-level classes. This year’s recipients include Vice Dean Lisa Bressman; Terry Maroney, professor of medicine, health and society; Farhang Heydari, assistant professor of law, for his upper-level criminal procedure class; and Matthew Shaw, assistant professor of law, who was recognized for his education law course. Mark Schein also was honored for his outstanding contributions as an adjunct professor.

The FBI is warning Tennesseans to be on high alert for a wave of fraudulent text messages posing as toll collection agencies like E-ZPass, despite Tennessee having no toll roads. These "smishing" scams, which combine phishing tactics with SMS texting, are convincing enough that even savvy residents — including journalists — have admitted to second-guessing their legitimacy, News Channel 5 reports. Many of the scam messages originate from international numbers and threaten penalties for unpaid tolls. With Tennessee’s Department of Transportation preparing to roll out its first optional toll lanes on I-24, officials emphasize that they do not request payments via text. In 2024, tech scams cost Tennesseans more than $190 million, with seniors accounting for one-third of those losses, according to the FBI. A similar warning was issued by the Tennessee Attorney General's Office on May 5.

An inmate at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility was stabbed 60 times in an open dayroom while guards failed to respond, despite the fatal attack being captured on multiple security cameras, a federal lawsuit filed against CoreCivic claims. The suit alleges the December 2024 attack was carried out by rival gang members for more than 30 minutes before guards intervened. The inmate was dead by the time staff arrived, The Tennessean reports. In a statement, CoreCivic said the "safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care and our dedicated staff is our top priority." The private prison operator faces multiple wrongful death lawsuits and millions of dollars in state fines. The U.S. Department of Justice last year launched a civil rights investigation into the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, CoreCivic’s largest facility in Tennessee.

Some immigrants who previously were required to check in at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Knoxville must now travel to Nashville, Knox News reports. The appointments are part of the process for immigrants who were released into the U.S. or are awaiting the result of their asylum claim. Some individuals who had scheduled appointments with the office on April 23 were told to report to the Nashville office, while others checked in as normal and were given their next appointment time. One man was detained on a removal order. The previous week, 13 were detained. The Knoxville ICE office oversees immigrants living in 23 counties. The office has been closed for routine check-ins since last month. The paper reports that multiple calls and emails to the office have gone unanswered.

The American Bar Association (ABA) sued the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) last week claiming the department illegally terminated federal grants in retaliation for the organization’s public criticism of the administration. It is seeking a temporary restraining order to block the government from terminating the funds. According to Reuters, on April 10, DOJ terminated $3.2 million in grants used to train lawyers to represent victims of domestic and sexual violence. The ABA says it has received grant funding for that purpose since 1995. The suit also notes that the group has lost a total of $69 million in federal grants since the new administration took office, which has led it to lay off 300 employees. In separate reporting, Reuters says DOJ is terminating another $811 million in grant programs, including those for victim services and police training.

Several national events and activities are being planned for this year's Law Day, which has been observed in the United States since 1958. This year’s Law Day theme, “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One,” celebrates what unites Americans as a country and a people. Tomorrow, the American Bar Association (ABA) will release results from the seventh annual Survey of Civic Literacy, which measures the public’s civics knowledge. On Thursday, the group will hold a virtual Law Day event with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and multiple panelists. Register here to receive the link. Finally, a special edition of the Civics 101 podcast, recorded live this month, is now available to stream. The program was sponsored by Civics 101, Discovering Justice, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the ABA Division for Public Education. Learn more about each of these programs, get resources for planning a Law Day event, or watch the Law Day launch program, which is now available to stream.

The TBA will host its 29th Annual Labor and Employment Law Forum this Friday at the Tennessee Bankers Association's Bradley L. Barrett Training Center in Nashville from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT. The forum will provide insights into current labor and employment law issues. Topics include a case law update, arbitrating employment disputes, workplace privacy, values-based professionalism and an update on DEI initiatives. More information about speakers and an agenda for the day is available on the TBA website.

Members of the newly appointed 2025-2026 Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board met in Chattanooga to plan for the upcoming bar year. County Mayor Weston Wamp and District Attorney Coty Wamp welcomed the group to Chattanooga while Ross Smith provided updates from the Tennessee legislature during Friday's opening session. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Collier joined the YLD on Saturday morning for a presentation on civility. The group also got to know one another better with a dinner at Feed Table and Tavern and a morning wellness walk through the arts district led by Health & Wellness Coordinator Patrick Morrison. President-elect Alex McVeagh, who will be sworn in as president at the TBA Convention in June, provided an overview of the upcoming bar year as well as the expectations for all board members. He also introduced his initiatives for the year: Recovery Court and Leadership & Law Academy. District 7 Representative Alyssa Fox, a new board member, was presented with the disco gavel for being the most enthusiastic participant at the meeting. See photos from the event.