Defendant, Servadio M. Boyd, was convicted on a plea of guilty of possession of .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell before the Davidson County Criminal Court in 2014. As part of his plea agreement with the State, Defendant agreed to an eight-year sentence with the manner of service to be decided by the trial court at a sentencing hearing. Prior to his sentencing hearing, however, Defendant left the jurisdiction. He was then arrested and convicted of dealing in cocaine and conspiracy to commit dealing in cocaine in the Vanderburgh Circuit Court of Indiana, for which he received a sentence of thirteen years’ incarceration. Based upon his failure to appear at his sentencing hearing in Davidson County, the trial court issued an arrest warrant and lodged a detainer against Defendant. In 2019, Defendant filed, in the Davidson County Criminal Court, a motion to dismiss the detainer, arguing that the charges against him should be dismissed with prejudice based on an alleged violation of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers. Following a hearing and briefing by the parties, the trial court granted Defendant’s motion and dismissed the case against Defendant. The State appealed. Following a thorough review, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand for further proceedings.

A tenured teacher sought judicial review of her reprimand and one-day suspension. The chancery court modified the discipline imposed by the director of schools. Because we conclude that the teacher did not timely petition for judicial review, we vacate the judgment with instructions to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is threatening to sue the state of Tennessee over letters sent to 14,000 registered voters this month questioning their citizenship. In a letter sent to state officials, the group alleges violations of federal voter registration laws, including sending the letters too close to the Aug. 1 election, singling out likely new citizens, and likely engaging in voter intimidation. Several local and federal organizations that support voting rights and immigration, including the League of Women Voters, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and the Equity Alliance, joined the ACLU in sending the letter, which demands the state stop any effort to remove registered voters ahead of the August election, the Nashville Banner reports. Read more in a press release from the groups.

Hamilton County lawyer Kent Thomas Jones has been reinstated to the active practice of law. He had been suspended for 90 days on Feb. 26. Jones filed a petition for reinstatement on June 5. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that the petition was satisfactory but directed Jones to pay half of the costs of the disciplinary hearing within 30 days and the remaining amount within 60 days.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended Knox County lawyer Jonathan William Doolan from the practice of law for nine months, with one month to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation with conditions. According to the court’s order, Doolan must contract with the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and comply with any of its recommendations. The action was taken based on two complaints that Doolan failed to reasonably communicate with his clients, act in a diligent manner, expedite litigation, respond to discovery requests in a timely manner, properly withdraw from representation, work within the scope of his representation, take reasonable steps to protect the client’s interest after terminating representation, and comply with requests for information from disciplinary counsel. Doolan agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.1.

Law school graduates four years into their careers earn a median $72,000 after subtracting their debt payments — but that figure varies widely depending on which law school graduates attended, Reuters reports. "When it comes to law schools, the best returns are concentrated among a small number of institutions, educating approximately 20% of law students," said lead author of the study Jeff Strohl, who is the center's director. Columbia Law School offers the highest return on investment at the four-year mark, the report found. Read more about where other schools landed here.

The U.S. Supreme Court today formally issued a decision allowing emergency abortions in Idaho while that case makes its way through the courts, The Hill reports. The court issued an unsigned order dismissing an appeal over Idaho’s strict abortion ban, blocking enforcement of the state’s law where it conflicts with federal law. The ruling prevents the state from denying an emergency abortion to a pregnant person whose health is in danger, at least while the case makes its way through the courts. The order did not indicate why the justices had dismissed the case, but a series of concurring and dissenting opinions provided more insight into the justices’ thinking. The Hill has more on the individual opinions. On Wednesday, a draft opinion in the case was "inadvertently and briefly" uploaded to the court's website. SCOTUSblog has more on today's rulings, including overturning a Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that contained billions of dollars to help address the nation’s opioid crisis in exchange for protecting the family that owns the company from future lawsuits. The court also blocked an Environmental Protection Agency air-quality initiative while appeals continue.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has sent a letter to three of the nation’s leading credit card financial institutions warning them of the need to comply with the “Tennessee Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act,” by July 1. The letter, sent to American Express, Mastercard and Visa, asks them to outline how they will comply with the law, which prohibits the use of merchant category codes to target firearms dealers. In other action this week, Skrmetti and Secretary of State Tre Hargett urged Tennesseans to remain vigilant against the rising threat of celebrity scams, whereby the name or likeness of a celebrity is used to scam consumers.

The U.S. Supreme Court indicated it will take the unusual step of extending its term into July as it finishes work on about a dozen cases. The court updated its website with June 28 and July 1 listed as possible days for opinion announcements. The court has yet to hand down decisions in some key argued cases, including former President Trump’s immunity claims, the legality of banning homeless encampments, the power of federal agencies and two cases related to social media, according to The Hill.

Celeste Murphy, the former police chief of the Chattanooga Police Department faces felony and misdemeanor criminal charges following an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Chattanoogan.com reports. The arrest comes one day after Murphy stepped down from her role. TBI agents began investigating Murphy’s residency in April. This week, the Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a 17-count indictment, charging her with one count of illegal voter registration, one count of false entries on official registration or election documents, three counts of false entries in governmental records, three counts of forgery, three counts of perjury, and six counts of official misconduct. She was released on a $19,000 bond after booking.