TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Aug 10, 2021

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were back in court this week, sparring over an ongoing lawsuit surrounding COVID-19 precautions at the Shelby County Jail, the Daily Memphian reports. The sheriff’s office moved to terminate a consent decree that both parties agreed to in April that offered guidelines for protecting inmates from infection, as well as how to administer the jail’s vaccination program. Nathan Tilly, who represents the sheriff’s office, argued that the jail has satisfied the three points needed to fulfill the decree: a 14-day vaccination benchmark, adequate educational materials and the implementation of non-punitive incentives. Attorneys for the ACLU, and other civil rights groups like Memphis’ Just City, called expert witness, Michael Brady, who was hired by the court in 2020 to give inspections. Brady cited several issues of “great concern,” and said the jail’s vaccination rate is “dramatically lower” than other jails.