Twenty-seven attorneys general, including Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti, signed onto a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief filed March 18 by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. The Nashville Banner reports in its newsletter that the brief calls for the reversal of U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg’s decision that deportation of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador is unconstitutional. The attorneys general argue in the brief that allowing the temporary restraining order to stand undermines public safety and national security. Read more in a press release from the Georgia AG's office. In imposing the temporary ban on March 15, Boasberg raised concerns over due process and reports of possible misidentification. The Trump administration today acknowledged that a Maryland man was wrongly deported to El Salvador due to an "administrative error," despite his protected status, The Hill reports. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit kept the ban in place last week. On Friday, the administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the case according to the Associated Press.

The TBA Access to Justice Committee is accepting nominations for the 2025 Public Service Awards. The annual awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent, pro bono work performed by a private or corporate attorney, and a strong commitment to pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations and supporting documents will be accepted through April 10. Awards will be presented during the TBA Annual Convention in June.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are accepting nominations for the 2025 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the Middle Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Franklin June 11-14. The deadline for submitting nominations is April 7. Read about past recipients of the award.

Gov. Bill Lee has included $20 million in his amended state budget for victim-serving agencies. According to the Tennessee Lookout, sexual assault centers, domestic violence shelters and child abuse counseling agencies — many of which play key roles in working with law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice — have seen their share of federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding decrease from a peak of $68 million in 2018 to $16 million last year. A coalition of victim advocate groups had requested $25 million in recurring state funding but said the governor's additional funds were an important first step. Earlier this month, a domestic violence agency in Memphis closed its doors due to funding issues. VOCA funding relies on fees and fines collected from individuals prosecuted in federal courts. The fund has seen a drop in collections as prosecutors have made a concerted shift to accept more plea deals.

The FBI confirmed last week it has established a task force to investigate an increase of vandalism and arson incidents targeting Tesla in recent weeks. According to The Hill, the task force, consisting of 10 people, was launched as a joint effort between the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The task force seeks to counter the violent activity targeting Tesla vehicles and charging stations. The FBI has received reports of 48 incidents involving Tesla so far this month, including at least seven it is investigating with local law enforcement.

Metro Nashville Council members and safety advocates have called for increased traffic enforcement in the past. Now new data from the police department shows that officers have stopped 11,496 drivers since the beginning of the year — roughly 3,000 more than at the same point in 2024. The police department says it is committed to focusing efforts on the most dangerous driving behaviors including speeding, reckless driving and impaired driving,” according to the Nashville Banner. The data also shows disparities in the stops. White and Black drivers are being stopped at rates higher than their share of the population. But while less than 0.4% of the stops involving white drivers led to a vehicle search, 2.9% of stops for Black drivers did. Hispanic drivers made up nearly 13% of stops, with 24% of those being arrested — a higher rate than Black or white drivers. Police says that disparity is largely due to arrests for driving without a license.

Veteran federal prosecutor Joe Murphy is returning as interim U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. President Donald Trump announced that Murphy will replace Reagan Fondren, according to The Daily Memphian. “Joe Murphy is a skilled federal prosecutor who has dedicated decades of his career to serving the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis,” Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn said in a statement. Murphy earned his law degree at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Memphis since 1989. He was named the office’s first assistant U.S. attorney in July 2018. Fondren told the paper she was fired as acting U.S. attorney and as a Justice Department employee last Thursday. Read more from the U.S. attorney's office.

Two U.S. judges temporarily blocked key parts of President Trump’s executive orders targeting Jenner & Block and WilmerHale after the law firms challenged the orders in court on Friday, Reuters reports. "Considering the firm-wide effects of the executive order, it threatens the existence of the firm," U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., said of the order targeting Jenner & Block. He blocked provisions that sought to cancel federal contracts held by firm clients and restrict employee access to federal buildings and officials. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, also in D.C., heard WilmerHale's challenge. Calling the order retaliatory, he blocked provisions limiting access to U.S. government buildings and officials, but denied the firm's request to block suspension of employee security clearances.

Shelby County Judge James Jones today ruled that the jury in the state trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols will be brought in from out of town. According to the Daily Memphian, it has not been disclosed where jurors will come from in an effort to prevent tainting the jury pool. The jury will hear the case against Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Demetrius Haley, all of whom face charges, including second-degree murder and kidnapping, in the 2023 death of Nichols. Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said the jury will be selected from somewhere in Tennessee and will include up to 16 members, including alternates. The trial is still scheduled to begin April 28 in Memphis.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) raided the Memphis office of Butler Snow, which was tasked with investigating a complaint by former Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Lieutenant Garet Davidson, The Tennessean reports. In a 61-page complaint, Davidson alleged that high-ranking officials within the department collaborated with state lawmakers to strip Community Oversight Boards of much of their power, including their ability to obtain public records prior to the closure of an officer complaint. In May 2024, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell asked the firm to investigate the allegations. The raid on the law firm follows a September search of Davidson’s home, during which his attorney expressed concern that documents protected by attorney-client privilege may have been seized. TBI said any information related to the investigation would need to come from the court clerk's office, noting that the primary topic in the search warrant on Davidson’s home was related to the Community Review Board. Board members Monday said they learned of the raid through Davidson’s attorney and had not received any updates about the investigation since it began. A spokesperson for O'Connell’s office said the mayor has no role in the investigation and declined to comment on the raid.