TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Barry Kolar on Jun 11, 2021

NASHVILLE, June 11, 2021—The Tennessee Bar Association will next week honor Marc Perrusquia with its Fourth Estate Award for his reporting on complaints of excessive use of force by the Memphis Police Department (MPD). The award will be presented June 18 during the Tennessee Bar Association’s annual convention in Memphis.

Following months of reporting by Perrusquia in the Daily Memphian, the MPD adopted critical reforms affecting use of force. Under those reforms, cases will be referred to the Shelby County District Attorney to weigh criminal charges instead of simply being treated as policy violations. In a second development aimed at improving transparency, MPD unveiled a new online dashboard offering a range of statistical data on police misconduct.

A long-time reporter at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Perrusquia is currently the director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis, where graduate students learn investigative and explanatory journalism skills working alongside professionals. He has won numerous state and national awards for government watchdog, social justice and political reporting.

The TBA's Fourth Estate Award was established to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and improvements in our system of justice through their vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights. Previous winners include the Bristol Herald, the Nashville Scene’s Steven Hale and WSMV Channel 4’s I-Team.

The Tennessee Bar Association was founded in 1881. Its membership represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond. The TBA is open to all licensed attorneys in good standing, and it is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.