The TBA encourages all lawyers to participate in the Foundations 2.0 Survey, which is available via the link below. In 2014, Foundations for Practice identified the skills, competencies and abilities lawyers need to be successful in practice. The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) have launched Foundations 2.0 to ensure the competency framework accurately reflects the present and future needs of the profession. Your participation will provide key data on the abilities lawyers need as they enter and grow in the profession. Please note that while you may receive this survey from different bar organizations, you only need to take the survey once. The survey takes about 15–25 minutes and is open through July 2. Participation is voluntary and confidential. Access the survey here.

The Shelby County Division of Corrections and the mayor's office will take over operations of the Youth Justice and Education Center, where children charged with crimes are detained, by October. In a press release last week, the mayor's office confirmed the change and announced the appointment of Reese Walker to oversee the center on an interim basis. The Commercial Appeal reports that Walker has worked in corrections for 28 years, previously serving as administrator of program services at the Shelby County Division of Corrections. The move comes more than six months after the plan to transfer oversight from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office was announced. Months after the facility opened, the sheriff's office said it could no longer operate the center.

The Metro Nashville Police Department released findings on Friday from a cold case investigation into three unsolved civil rights bombings that occurred in Nashville between 1957 and 1960. Launched at the request of Mayor Freddie O’Connell after reading Betsy Phillips’ 2024 book Dynamite Nashville, the investigation focused on bombings at Hattie Cotton Elementary School, the Jewish Community Center and the home of civil rights attorney J. Alexander Looby. According to WSMV 4, detectives found no living individuals directly connected to the crimes but uncovered a decades-old fire marshal report linking stolen dynamite from a Clarksville business to the Looby bombing. Detectives cited limited records, lack of physical evidence and the age or death of possible witnesses as major obstacles in piecing together what happened in the cases. While the cases remain open, they will be considered inactive unless new, actionable information emerges.

A federal magistrate judge has ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be released ahead of his federal trial in Nashville. On Sunday, Judge Barbara Holmes made the ruling public, stating, “Overall, the Court cannot find from the evidence presented that Abrego’s release clearly and convincingly poses an irremediable danger to other persons or to the community.” According to The Tennessean, prosecutors quickly filed a motion to stay the release order, saying that Garcia could face immediate deportation and might not be present for trial if the order stands. Garcia is currently subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, meaning he could be detained by ICE upon release. Holmes noted that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security must determine whether the government’s priority is to pursue criminal charges or proceed with deportation. No trial date has been set, but a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Nashville to review the conditions of Garcia’s release and address any outstanding issues. Garcia appeared at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee June 13 and pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.

On June 16, Investigative Services Detectives responded to the Hamilton County Courthouse for a report of harassing phone calls. Detectives were provided numerous voicemails that were threatening in nature from an individual identified as Darrell Brackett. The threats were made against multiple judges. Through the course of the investigation, detectives developed probable cause and applied for warrants to arrest Brackett, charging him with four counts each of harassment, aggravated stalking and terrorism, as well as one count of retaliation for past actions against a judge, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (HCSO). Brackett was arrested without incident the next day at his Cleveland residence during a joint operation involving HCSO detectives, SWAT personnel and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office. Brackett was transported to the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center. No further details were released.

Nashville’s Metro Council approved the city spending plan Tuesday night. The $3.8 billion budget marks an increase of roughly 15% over last year’s, which is largely tied to a property tax increase. The adopted plan is an altered version of what the mayor proposed this spring, according to WPLN. Led by Budget Chair Delishia Porterfield, the plan left the total cost and tax rate of the mayor’s proposal untouched, while increasing funds for Metro employee pay. The remaining amount is earmarked for items like maternal health programs, food assistance, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Metro Parks, emergency youth shelters and a museum study.

Last month, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law hosted the investiture of one of its own graduates, the Hon. Valerie Smith, who was sworn in by Gov. Bill Lee. Smith recently was appointed by Lee to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals for the Western Division. She fills a vacancy left by the retirement of fellow Memphis Law graduate Judge Arnold Goldin. See photos of the ceremony on the law school’s Facebook page. 

Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.5% in May and continues to remain below the national rate, according to the latest data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged from April, while the national rate stood at 4.2% in May. Total nonfarm employment in Tennessee decreased by 1,800 jobs between April and May, with the largest declines occurring in the professional and business services sector, followed by financial activities and trade, transportation and utilities.

The Nashville office of Thompson Burton has signed a lease to expand its Midtown office space by approximately 16,000 square feet, adding a full floor to its footprint at 1801 West End Ave., the Nashville Business Journal reports. Founded in 2012 by Walt Burton and Kevin Thompson, the firm has has offices in Franklin, Huntsville, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. The Nashville office opened in 2019 with about 5,000 square feet and now occupies more than six times that amount. “We're bursting at the seams right now. This will add space for hopefully another 25 lawyers,” Burton told the Business Journal. “This will give us runway to grow for the next few years, which we really haven't had in a while because physical space has been a confinement of that.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris was scheduled to sign an executive order today limiting solitary confinement within the Shelby County Division of Corrections during a ceremony at the County Corrections Center. Harris’ order reportedly would cap solitary confinement at 15 days and require that individuals held in isolation be allowed out of their cells for at least two hours per day, The Daily Memphian reports. Harris plans to follow the executive order with a proposed ordinance, which he will present to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners to codify the policy change. The new limits are part of a broader reform package that includes a point system for infractions, incentives for good behavior, rehabilitation programs, and a contract system in which inmates agree to work toward better outcomes.