The Shelby County District Attorney's Office says it will release footage from fatal police shootings faster following a change to the office's practices, reports the Commercial Appeal. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said his office will complete "an internal checklist" before releasing footage and will provide context for shorter videos. In cases where the shooting was not fatal, the discretion to release footage will fall to law enforcement agencies. The shooting of 21-year-old Jarveon Hudspeth during a traffic stop by a Shelby County Sheriff's Office deputy in June could be the first shortened video to be released later this week.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free live webinar Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. CDT to discuss the taxation of short-term rental and vacation units. Go here to register.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is joining Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general in urging the Supreme Court to rule in favor of James Rudisill in Rudisill v. McDonough. Rudisill, a decorated army veteran, had used the GI Bill to complete his undergraduate degree. After being accepted into the Yale Divinity School, Rudisill was denied further benefits, even though veterans with multiple requisite periods of service can earn up to 48 months of educational benefits. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the decision. You can read the brief here.

A group that led the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to affirmative action in college admissions has sued two major U.S. law firms over their minority fellowships, reports Reuters. The American Alliance for Equal Rights, founded by conservative activist Edward Blum, has accused the firms Perkins Coie and Morrison & Foerster of unlawfully discriminating against white candidates by limiting which law students could be considered for paid fellowships geared toward promoting diversity. The lawsuits allege the fellowships violate the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a federal law adopted after the Civil War that bars racial bias in private contracts.

U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr says he would not enforce his recent ruling requiring lawyers for Southwest Airlines to attend "religious liberty training,” Reuters reports. Starr will decide whether to pause the ruling pending a misconduct complaint filed last week by Fix the Court, a judicial reform advocacy group. Starr is accused of violating the judicial code of conduct by assigning Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group not involved in the case, to carry out attorney sanctions related to a religious bias case brought by a flight attendant against the airline.

President Biden has named former federal prosecutor and Chicago lawyer Ed Siskel as the new top White House lawyer, replacing Stuart Delery. Reuters reports Siskel will begin his post next month. Siskel previously served in the White House counsel's office under President Obama, where he helped manage the legal response to Republican congressional investigations into Solyndra and Benghazi, CNN reports. Siskel also served in the Department of Justice as senior counsel to the deputy attorney general and associate deputy attorney general.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2023 Administrative Law Forum on Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. Thanks to Jonathan Fly, administrative judge for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, for producing this program. Watch for program topics and speakers coming soon.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy has dropped up to 40 cases because they involved the five police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death. Mulroy also has reduced charges in about 10 cases that involved the same officers, the Daily Memphian reports. The DA's office said the decision followed a review of about 100 cases. He cited a “lack of credibility” from the officers. All five officers have pleaded not guilty to a number of criminal charges, including second-degree murder.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett has named Bledsoe County native and Chattanooga resident Christina Temple as the department’s new chief of staff. Temple will serve as a senior adviser to Hargett and handle legislative affairs. Additionally, Temple will play a critical role in strengthening the department’s relationships within state government. Temple served as the New Hampshire state director for the Republication National Committee during the 2022 election cycle. Before that, she worked as coordinator on the delegates and party organization team on former President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign. As a political consultant at Hill City Strategies, Temple has worked on various political campaigns.

U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Julia Smith Gibbons plans to take senior status, Bloomberg Law reports. Gibbons was appointed to the court by President George W. Bush in 2002. She previously had served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, having been appointed to that court in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. She was the youngest district judge in the country at the time. Gibbons' decision to take a reduced workload will allow President Joe Biden to appoint a new judge. It will be the fourth opening on the court he has filled.