Judges across the county continue to rule on challenges to presidential executive orders. A federal judge in Washington state has blocked the Trump administration from suspending the U.S. refugee program. By contrast, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to reinstate refugee funding in a case brought by Catholic bishops, The Hill reports. In another case, a federal judge in Maryland blocked immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations in houses of worship for a handful of religious groups, according to the Associated Press. With regard to the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal judge in Washington, D.C. blocked the administration’s freeze of federal aid and a judge in Maryland blocked DOGE access to the Department of Education and Office of Personnel Management. The administration lays out its arguments for these changes in the orders, which are available on the White House website.

In a recent press release, the ABA outlined the status of its efforts to revise law school accreditation standards. For the last year, the association has been considering changes to Standard 206, which currently outlines the steps law schools must take to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion. At its last meeting, the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar considered comments submitted in response to proposed changes, as well as other potential changes. It says it is continuing to review the standard to “ensure compliance with the recent executive orders and [direction from] the U.S. Department of Education” and intends to submit its recommendation to the ABA House of Delegates in August. Last week, the ABA decided to suspend the standard until Aug. 31, when adoption of a revised standard is anticipated. The council also said that “literal compliance” with Standard 205 will not be required. That standard prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability or military status.

General Sessions Court Judge Sheila Bruce-Renfroe is seeking $800,000 in additional funding to expand the Shelby County Mental Health Court, which provides an alternative to incarceration for individuals with mental health diagnoses. According to Action News 5, Renfroe says the court has struggled to reorganize and re-energize since the pandemic, although it has continued to admit participants. In 2023, the Tennessee legislature allocated $5.7 million to mental health courts statewide, with Shelby County receiving $367,000. Additional local funding was redirected to jail repairs. With just 48 admissions in Fiscal Year 2023, Renfroe aims to increase capacity to 120 participants and improve program outcomes. She plans to request the additional funding from Shelby County commissioners according to the news station. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris expressed qualified support, saying, “I would love to invest more money in our mental health court and for me and the public it’s just function. Can we get more cases turned? Because I’m all for the investment, but I’m also for accountability.”

Fatal drug overdoses are declining in Tennessee and nationwide after years of rising deaths, offering a potential turning point in the opioid crisis. According to the Axios, Tennessee’s overdose death rate fell 6.6% from 56 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 52.3 per 100,000 in 2023, while the national rate dropped 4%. Tennessee has invested tens of millions of dollars from opioid lawsuit settlements into overdose prevention efforts, including expanding access to naloxone, a medication that can reverse  overdoses. Since 2017, overdose prevention specialists have distributed more than 678,000 units of naloxone, documenting over 82,000 lives saved, according to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Despite the decline, the state’s overdose death rate remains significantly higher than the national average, with more than 3,800 reported deaths in 2023.

Last week, Dumaka Shabazz was sworn in as the first African American federal public defender for the Middle District of Tennessee at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building & Courthouse in Nashville, WKRN reports. A seasoned attorney and advocate for marginalized communities, Shabazz has served as an assistant public defender in Nashville since 2010, representing clients in complex cases involving fraud, homicide and large-scale narcotics offenses. Before joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Shabazz worked in private practice. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office. He also has taught trial advocacy at Vanderbilt Law School and trained newly hired federal public defenders at the New Defender College in New Mexico. The Office of the Federal Public Defender was established in 1978 under the Criminal Justice Act. It provides legal representation to individuals who cannot afford private counsel, ensuring their Sixth Amendment right to a legal defense.

The City of Memphis has appointed a nine-member team to monitor the Memphis Police Department (MPD), including former law enforcement officials, religious leaders, health experts, professors, and a community organizer. Led by former federal Judge Bernice Donald, the team was formed after the city refused to enter a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding civil rights violations by MPD, the Commercial Appeal reports. Additionally, the city has again moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Tyre Nichols’ family, arguing that the officers involved acted independently of any official policy and that the allegations are insufficient to establish liability against the city.

A significant aspect of the indigent representation proposal from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), on behalf of the Tennessee Supreme Court, is the establishment of an “Indigent Representation Commission.” This commission would provide oversight and management for the indigent representation system, including the proposed "Office of Indigent Conflicts and Civil Counsel." The commission would be governed by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule, like existing supreme court boards and commissions, and would manage indigent representation tasks presently handled largely with the courts. The commission also would work closely with other stakeholders to review and implement policies to improve the system. Learn more about the plan and indigent representation in Tennessee. Watch for more details about the plan in upcoming issues of TBA Today.

President Donald Trump has appointed Alice Marie Johnson, a Memphis woman previously pardoned by Trump, to work on clemency issues, The Daily Memphian reports. Johnson is being referred to as the administration’s new “pardon czar,” though her exact duties have not been specified. She was convicted in 1996 of a first-time, nonviolent drug offense and sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2018, reality television star Kim Kardashian advocated for her release, and Trump granted her executive clemency. Initially placed on a five-year probation, Johnson received a full pardon in 2020.

Former Tennessee state senator Brian Kelsey has reported to federal prison after exhausting all appeals in his case, the Daily Memphian reports. He will be housed at a minimum-security satellite camp at FCI Ashland in Kentucky. Kelsey pleaded guilty in 2022 to an illegal campaign finance scheme but then tried unsuccessfully to change his plea. He had argued that his guilty plea was entered into with an “unsure heart and a confused mind” due to events in his personal life. He later argued that he had ineffective legal counsel, and that his claim of innocence was supported by two key witnesses. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville denied the final appeal a few days ago.

TBA YLD members will be voting on one contested election this year. Ballots were sent by email yesterday and are due back by March 9. Two candidates are running for District 9 representative on the YLD Board: Nashville lawyer Ginny Blake and Hendersonville lawyer Kaley Bonett. The email was sent from Intelliscan Inc. Those who did not receive the email in their inbox should check their spam folder. If it still was not received, members should contact elections@tnbar.org to request that it be resent. Learn more about the candidates.