Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed into law legislation that will establish a publicly accessible registry — much like existing sex offender registries — for individuals convicted multiple times of domestic violence offenses. Known as Savanna's Law, the measure is named in honor of Savanna Puckett, a Robertson County sheriff’s deputy who was killed in 2022 by a man with a known history of domestic assault. The registry, which will be overseen by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, will include offenders’ names, dates of birth, conviction dates and counties of conviction, according to Fox Chattanooga.

One day after the Department of Justice (DOJ) closed its investigation into the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and possible civil rights violations, Stand for Children Tennessee and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) submitted public records requests for "response to resistance" forms and internal investigation documents created since the DOJ report was released. The groups also are asking for policies that were in effect prior to Tyre Nichols being beaten by police in 2023. Community advocates say that a task force formed in lieu of federal oversight lacks transparency, and that collected data could inform legal action and continued advocacy for police reform. The Commercial Appeal reports that the effort is part of a broader campaign across seven states where DOJ findings were made but no consent decrees were signed.

Past TBA President and University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) graduate Jim Emison has devoted much of his retirement to finding justice for Elbert Williams, the first known NAACP member to be racially terrorized and slain. In 1939, Williams helped found the Brownsville chapter of the NAACP, which sought to regain voting rights for Haywood County African Americans. The next year, police and one civilian forcibly removed Williams from his home. Williams’ body was pulled out of the Hatchie River three days later with two bullet holes in his chest. Emison says, “Pursuing justice for Williams’ murder has taught me so much. I’m grateful to Vanderbilt because what perhaps is even better than good grades is a yearning to keep learning. My professors certainly instilled that in me.” Read more about Emison's work in this profile in Vanderbilt Magazine. Emison received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt.

U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., on Friday permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting law firm Jenner & Block, ruling it an unconstitutional abuse of the president’s power, according to Bloomberg News. The firm sued the administration on March 28 in response to a March 25 executive order that sanctioned the firm for its pro bono work and ties to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election. Bates initially imposed a temporary halt on the order. In Friday's ruling, he said, “This order, like the others, seeks to chill legal representation the administration doesn’t like, thereby insulating the Executive Branch from the judicial check fundamental to the separation of powers.” In a second case,  U.S. District Judge Richard Leon today ruled in favor of WilmerHale’s request to strike down a similar executive order targeting it from March 27. Leon also found that order unconstitutional and granted summary judgement to the firm in lieu of proceeding to a full trial.

Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword on May 21 dismissed the attempted murder convictions against Ahmad Gatlin, who had been sentenced to 31 years in prison when he was a teenager. Now 20, Gatlin will be granted a new trial due to recently discovered cell phone data that corroborates his claim that he was across town when the crime was committed. Knox News reports that Gatlin was convicted in 2023 after police and prosecutors argued he was in a car when shots were fired into another car near Austin-East Magnet High School in 2021. Knoxville defense attorney Stephen Ross Johnson helped Gatlin's defense team with the challenge and says he is now formally joining the team to represent Gatlin pro bono should the state seek a new trial. According to WBIR, law students from the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law also joined the defense team. Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor of Law Joy Radice said, “Lawyers representing the poor whose life or liberty are at stake in a criminal case are overworked, chronically underfunded, and often unable to research and obtain critical and effective expert assistance to meet the awesome power of the state or federal government. I am honored that the [clinic] could be a part of helping to fill that gap in Ahmad’s case, as [it] has for over 75 years for so many others."

The reporting staff of the Nashville Banner will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2025 Fourth Estate Award for its reporting last year on the Nashville criminal court system. The award will be presented at the 2025 Lawyers Luncheon set for June 13 as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention in Franklin. Throughout 2024, the Nashville Banner published a series of stories designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. Among the issues covered was the court’s decision to remove computers that previously had provided public access to court records, and subsequent changes in the process of how to access those records. In announcing the award, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said, “Nashville Banner news staff demonstrated tenacious and courageous reporting last year as they worked to bring visibility to issues impacting the operations of the Nashville criminal court system. We thank them and honor them for that important contribution.” Read more in the TBA’s press release.

The Trump administration will allow the sale of forced-reset triggers, a gun accessory that enables semiautomatic rifles to fire more rapidly, following a settlement announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). According to News Channel 5, the agreement resolves multiple lawsuits and marks a reversal of the federal ban on the devices, which the government had previously classified as illegal machine gun conversion tools. As part of the settlement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) must return seized or voluntarily surrendered triggers. The deal was between the DOJ and Rare Breed Triggers who argued that the ATF was wrong in its classification of forced-reset triggers, and ignored demands to stop selling the triggers before being sued by the Biden administration. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the decision affirms that “the Second Amendment is not a second-class right.” Gun control advocates said the settlement would worsen gun violence.

Stand for Children Tennessee and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) submitted public records requests following the U.S. Department of Justice’s closure of its investigation into the Memphis Police Department earlier this week. According to The Commercial Appeal, the move is part of an effort underway in seven states where the DOJ previously found patterns of civil rights violations but did not secure consent decrees. The public records requests from Stand for Children and the ACLU seek response-to-resistance forms and internal investigation documents dating back to the release of the DOJ’s report. The groups are also requesting policies that were in effect prior to the beating of Tyre Nichols. Similar requests have been filed in Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, Mississippi, Minnesota and Kentucky.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed Tennessee’s $59.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 into law. The spending plan passed with bipartisan support and includes the reallocation of approximately $180 million from the governor’s proposed budget amendment to fund legislative priorities. It also provides an additional $17 million to support the state’s new Plan for Indigent Representation, aimed at improving the legal defense system for Tennesseans who cannot afford an attorney.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications to fill vacancies in the 30th Judicial District for a circuit court judge and a criminal court judge, following the elevation of Judge Valerie L. Smith to the appellate bench and the retirement of Judge Paula L. Skahan on June 30. Applicants must be licensed to practice law in Tennessee, be at least 30 years old, have been a state resident for at least five years and reside in the judicial district. Public hearings for the positions will be held July 16 and 17 at 9 a.m. CDT in the Historic Courtroom, Room 325, at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, 1 N. Front St., Memphis 38103. Applications must be received by the Administrative Office of the Courts by June 13 at noon. For more information, contact Assistant General Counsel John Jefferson.