A Chattanooga man on Wednesday was sentenced to 24 months in prison for transmitting interstate threats. In 2024, Garry Lebron Hayes, 45, left voicemails that included death threats and violent language directed at two members of Congress. Hayes pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier in Chattanooga, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Collier also ordered Hayes to serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence allowed under the guidelines, stressing the need to protect public officials from threats of violence.

Judge Emily Abbott was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to serve on the 6th Judicial District Criminal Court on Aug. 15 and was sworn in just three days later. “I wanted to go ahead and get sworn in immediately to be able to start hearing cases because Knox County had been without a judge since March,” Abbott said. She fills a vacancy created by Judge Steven Sword’s appointment to the appellate bench. Reflecting on her first days, Abbott said, “It was overwhelming, the welcome I received. Judge Sword swore me in. Judge Sanchez robed me. Justice Sharon Lee brought me her robe to wear on the bench until I can get mine ordered. She was at my swearing in, and it was amazing.” Abbott is just the second woman to serve in the Knox County Criminal Court. She previously was district attorney for the 7th Judicial District. Read more in a profile by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

One of the former Memphis police officers convicted federally in connection with the 2023 death of Tyré Nichols will be released from custody pending a retrial on those charges, the Daily Memphian reports. Demetrius Haley, who has been in federal custody since his conviction in October 2024, will now be free until the new trial is completed, as long as he continues to comply with his bond conditions. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman granted the new trial last month for Haley and his co-defendants, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith. Lipman’s decision came after U.S. District Judge Mark Norris recused himself for making comments about the Memphis Police Department.

U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson this week threw out three charges against former House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren and postponed sentencing on their remaining fraud and kickback convictions to Sept. 16. But the pair’s request for a new trial was denied. Tennessee Lookout reports that Richardson found that the inadvertent playing of an unredacted interview with Casada by FBI agents was not enough to merit a new trial. Defense attorneys had argued the tape incriminated Cothren and prejudiced the jury. With regard to the charges thrown out, Richardson said prosecutors failed to prove the men operated as agents of the government. He did not make a decision on whether to hear from an alternate juror who wrote a letter saying she would have voted to acquit the pair.

The Shelby County Commission has approved a resolution that rules out the New Chicago area of North Memphis from being the site of any new jail. Commissioner Henri Brooks proposed the resolution, which passed on an 8-3-1 vote, the Daily Memphian reports. A real estate coalition that owns the land had proposed it as the best site for a new jail and criminal justice center. Commissioner Shante Avant announced she is appointing an ad hoc committee to research and make recommendations on how the process should work to request proposals for other sites. Commissioner Mickell Lowery will chair the group, which will include citizens and experts.

Lawyers presented their cases at the first hearing in a federal lawsuit challenging a recent Tennessee law making it illegal to “harbor” undocumented immigrants, the Nashville Post reports. The lawsuit argues that the law is unconstitutional and that its broad language could criminalize landlords, churches and nonprofits that house undocumented immigrants. It also contends that enforcement of immigration law should be the purview of the federal government, not the states. Attorneys with the state argued that churches and other groups would not be liable under the law, noting its intention is to crack down on “professional smugglers” who transport or harbor undocumented immigrants for a profit. The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the law while the case works its way through the court system.

Attorneys for Byron Black, the man executed by the state of Tennessee last month, say an autopsy confirmed that he suffered from pulmonary edema before his death. But they also say other questions about what he experienced during his execution remain unanswered. “The autopsy report itself fails to document the condition of the veins, which leaves unanswered questions. It also fails to document the EKG results. TDOC [Tennessee Department of Corrections] has indicated that it will not even begin to answer our public records request until Dec. 3 ... As we move through discovery in chancery court, we will obtain further information as to what went wrong," Black's lawyers said according to the Nashville Banner newsletter. Media witnesses, including the Banner, reported that Black lifted his head, groaned and said “oh, it’s hurting so bad” during his Aug. 5 lethal injection.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced his office has filed a lawsuit against the former owners of Dynamic Therapy Center, a now-defunct Mt. Juliet clinic, accusing them of defrauding TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program. The lawsuit, filed in Wilson County Circuit Court, alleges the defendants knowingly submitted false claims between 2020 and 2023 by billing TennCare for individual physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions while providing group therapy to children in “camps.” Because TennCare reimburses individual therapy sessions at higher rates than group sessions, the scheme allegedly resulted in more than $300,000 in overpayments, according to a press release. The state is seeking recovery of the funds, treble damages, civil penalties of $14,308 to $28,619 per violation, and other remedies allowed under the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act.

Crime in Memphis continued to fall through the first eight months of 2025, according to new data from the Memphis Police Department. The Daily Memphian reported this week that there were 28,660 overall incidents from January through August, a 23% decrease from 2024 and a 37% decrease from 2023. MPD’s data represent the number of reported incidents, which may involve more than one victim. The department reported declines across all major categories, with the largest drops in property crimes. Larceny, burglary and robbery are all at 25-year lows. In July, MPD reported overall crime was down 20% compared to the same point in 2024. The news comes amid reports from The Daily Memphian that the White House, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office and Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s administration have discussed a possible deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis.

The TBA is now accepting applications for its award-winning Public Service Academy, a nonpartisan, statewide effort to encourage attorneys to run for office and take on public service leadership roles in their communities. Those selected for the academy will take part in the program on Nov. 14-15 in Nashville. The program will feature top political and campaign experts who will provide attorneys with the tools they need to run for local public offices such as school board, city council and county commission. Applications are due by Oct. 6. Access the application form here.