Retired Knox County Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Brian Bivens took over leadership of the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center this month, launching reforms after longtime superintendent Richard Bean stepped down amid allegations of outdated practices and staff retaliation. According to Knox News, Bivens has begun implementing tighter security, new staff training, a facility management system and mental health screenings, while a temporary oversight board made up of county commissioners monitors operations until the Knox County Sheriff's Office assumes control in January. The facility, operating with a $5 million budget, had been under state scrutiny following investigations that revealed improper use of solitary confinement and inadequate care.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee and attorney Daniel Horwitz have filed a lawsuit challenging the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s denial of a permit requested by the Bartlett Muslim Society to build a mosque. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, the suit alleges the city’s decision violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUPIA), Tennessee’s Preservation of Religious Freedom Act and the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause. According to the ACLU, mosque officials have met permit requirements, including conducting a traffic study that showed no adverse impact. The group is asking the court to find that the city’s actions violate RLUIPA and mandate approval of the permit.

Vanderbilt University has hired the Nashville office of Baker Donelson to conduct an independent review of what the university described as “recent incidents” involving recorded comments by employees on the status of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. According to a statement issued by the university, the firm “will be tasked with reviewing the specific circumstances related to the recordings and identifying steps the university can take to ensure all employees fully understand the university’s policies and consistently act in accordance,” The Nashville Post reports. The review comes as Tennessee lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, examine DEI practices at major state universities, alleging that some institutions merely have renamed DEI programs rather than make meaningful changes. According to WZTV, covert recordings of employees at Belmont University and the University of Tennessee also allegedly indicate that DEI practices have not been eliminated as directed in federal guidance.

The City of Memphis is taking its legal battle against the Memphis police union to the Tennessee Supreme Court, asking the justices to pause court-mandated demotions of officers, The Commercial Appeal reports. The request follows rulings by an arbitrator, Shelby County Circuit Court and the Tennessee Court of Appeals that the city violated its memorandum of understanding with the union by establishing the rank of second lieutenant outside the bargaining agreement. The arbitrator directed to the city to demote all those given the rank and remove the rank from further usage. The city argues the demotions would cause "chaos" on the street and damage public safety initiatives. The Memphis Police Association claims continued use of the rank causes harm to officers excluded from union representation.

Gov. Bill Lee's office is accepting applications to fill the office of district attorney general for the 18th Judicial District following the retirement of Ray Whitley. The appointment will last until the next biennial election in August 2026. Applicants must have been residents of Tennessee for five years and of the judicial district for at least one year. The 18th Judicial District serves Sumner County. Interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter to Erin Merrick, chief counsel to the governor, by emailing her assistant at Katelin.Brown@tn.gov no later than 5 p.m. CDT on Aug. 4. Learn more in the official announcement from the governor's office.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts today issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration's attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporary immigrants, marking the third such ruling since a recent Supreme Court decision limited nationwide injunctions. Reuters reports that the judge ruled the executive order unconstitutional and rejected arguments for a narrower injunction, citing the burden it would place on states and the lack of clarity from the administration. The issue is expected to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, but for now, the order remains blocked nationwide.

The Nashville Bar Association (NBA) on Wednesday released the results of a member poll for applicants being considered to fill the 20th Judicial District, Davidson County, Criminal Court Vacancy that was created by the retirement of Judge Cheryl A. Blackburn. Members were given the names of applicants who are being considered for the position as of July 14, through an online survey ballot, and 289 responses were received by the deadline of July 22. All attorney bar members are polled, and the results are reported as raw ballot results with no attempt to extrapolate results. Download the poll results here.

The TBA hosted its 2025 Elder Law Forum at the Belmont University College of Law’s Randall & Sadie Baskin Center in Nashville. The annual event, designed for attorneys practicing in senior-focused areas of law, featured sessions on topics such as undue influence, Medicaid/TennCare, annuities, VA benefits, ethics, and law firm management. Attendees had the opportunity to earn CLE credit, connect with colleagues, and hear from a range of speakers including Drew Clements, Barbara McGinnis, Amy Bryant, Joshua Bey and others. Thank you to lunch sponsor Krause Financial, break sponsor Vista Points Special Needs Trust, event partners McKinney-Green Insurance and Southeastern Trust Company, and event supporter Cumberland Trust. See photos from the day. 

More than 350 detainees are being held in the intake room of the Shelby County Jail, far exceeding the space and seating available, the Commercial Appeal reports. The number was cited in a spreadsheet shared within the Shelby County criminal justice system and provided to the newspaper by the bail reform nonprofit Just City. As of July 23, the spreadsheet listed a total of 2,908 inmates at the jail, including those in the intake area but excluding those held outside 201 Poplar, such as at the Shelby County Division of Corrections and the Youth Justice and Education Center. The jail’s certified capacity is 2,400 inmates, Chief Deputy Sheriff Anthony Buckner previously told the news outlet. However, he said the facility can accommodate an additional 400 inmates using “uncertified beds.” For months, according to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) jail report card, the inmate population has fluctuated between 2,500 and 2,800. SCSO added that the Memphis Police Department is “booking more people into the jail and many are charged with violent felonies.” The office also pointed to the closing of a criminal court division as a reason for slower case resolution.

The Daily Memphian filed a motion in federal court Wednesday to unseal records that have remained hidden since U.S. District Judge Mark Norris, who presided over the Tyre Nichols case from its inception, recused himself from multiple related cases. His order did not state the reason for his recusal, and he has not publicly addressed the matter or responded to inquiries about it, the news outlet reports. Since the recusal, nearly all new filings in the case have been submitted under seal. The paper is seeking to access to those documents “solely for the purpose of protecting the public’s common law and First Amendment right of access to criminal proceedings,” the motion states. The outlet’s initial attempt to intervene in the case was rejected by the court. On Wednesday afternoon, the clerk’s office opened a new case with the outlet’s filing. U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman discussed the motion Thursday, saying it is one of three issues she expects to rule on by mid-September. The judge also set sentencing hearings for the week of Dec. 15 for the five former Memphis police officers charged in Nichols' death, according to the Associated Press. The men originally were set to be sentenced in June, but the date was postponed after Norris' recusal.