The city of Johnson City agreed last week to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by multiple anonymous women who accused the city police department of failing to investigate a man who allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women between 2018 and 2021. The department has denied allegations of corruption or bribery in the handling of the cases, according to WPLN News. The accused assailant, Sean Williams, is currently in jail on charges of producing child sexual abuse images and escaping police custody, though he has not yet been charged in connection with the women's allegations. The lawsuit is one of three accusing the police department of mishandling evidence that Williams was drugging and assaulting women for years. The city said it has since improved department practices, including adopting a new sexual assault investigation protocol and creating a "comfortable space" for victim interviews.

Those interested in an appointed position on the TBA Young Lawyers Division's 2025-2026 Board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. Get details on positions and a link to the application on the YLD's webpage.

About 30 religious organizations sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in federal court Tuesday, challenging its recent decision to conduct immigration raids in places of worship. According to Bloomberg Law, the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claims the revocation of a previous DHS policy that restricted immigration enforcement in or near places of worship violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion protections and other federal laws. The new lawsuit echoes and expands on arguments made in a similar lawsuit filed Jan. 27 by five Quaker congregations, which is currently pending in U.S. District Court in Maryland. A memorandum filed last week by the Department of Justice, opposing the thrust of the Quaker lawsuit, outlined further arguments that may also apply to the new lawsuit, AP News reports. The memo suggests that the plaintiffs' request to block the new enforcement policy is based on speculation of hypothetical future harm, making it insufficient grounds for issuing an injunction.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and key Republican senators are deflecting calls to impeach judges who have temporarily sided with challenges to halt White House initiatives. “That will not happen now,” Bondi said at a Justice Department news conference on Wednesday. “We’re going to follow the law right now. We’re going to follow the process. These are federal judges with lifetime appointments.” Bloomberg Law also reports that key Senate Republicans defended the power of the courts to rule against the president. “We’ve got a system of checks and balances, and that’s what I see working. I learned in 8th grade civics about checks and balances and I expect the process to work its way out,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley told reporters. The response comes as some legislators and members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have called on Congress to impeach judges who rule against the president.

TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast features attorneys and lobbyists Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC and Brad Lampley of Adams and Reese. In the most recent episode, they discuss key topics including Gov. Bill Lee's State of the State address, SB1052 and HB1355 on token financial support by a biological father, SB541/HB906 on claims of creditors filed against an estate, and SB540 and HB492 on custody determinations related to the failure to pay child support. Listeners can tune in on the TBA website at or directly through this link.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a federal lawsuit Thursday seeking to strike down a Memphis suburb's ordinance dictating when and how residents can display holiday decorations, the organization reports. FIRE also defended Alexis Luttrell in municipal court after the Germantown resident was cited for celebrating Christmas with decorative skeletons and violating a local ordinance on the length of time holiday decorations can be displayed. With FIRE's support, Luttrell is challenging the ordinance as unconstitutional. “City governments can impose reasonable restrictions on yard displays that address concerns like safety, noise or light pollution, but Alexis’s decorations aren’t harming anyone,” said FIRE attorney Colin McDonell.

The Metro Nashville Public Schools board unanimously approved the installation of Evolv, a concealed weapon detection system, in all district high schools, the Tennessean reports. A pilot of the system was installed at Antioch High School as students returned to campus six days after a student fatally shot another on Jan. 22. Evolv uses artificial intelligence to detect concealed weapons as people enter the school and is more specialized than traditional metal detectors. The board's approval expands the district's existing contract with System Integrations, with the initial cost estimated at around $1.25 million annually. Depending on the rollout at high schools, MNPS may seek additional funding to install Evolv in middle and elementary schools. Evolv Technologies has had setbacks: the company settled a case with the the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in November after the FTC said the company made "misleading claims" that its AI screening system was more effective than traditional metal detectors.

U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson today blocked parts of two presidential executive orders that sought to restrict federal funding for transgender activities, The Hill reports. The orders banned federal funds from being used to “promote gender ideology” or provide gender-transition treatments for minors. The Hill reports that the Maryland-based judge found that a group of transgender teens and LGBTQ organizations represented by the ACLU were likely to prevail on their claims. The groups argued that the orders amounted to illegal and unconstitutional discrimination. The government argued that the challenge was premature because regulations have not yet been written to implement the executive orders. A second suit challenging the orders is expected to be heard by a judge in Seattle tomorrow.

The Daily Memphian reports that 15 people have applied to fill the General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Division 7 position being vacated by Bill Anderson, who will retire at the end of the month. They are: Mischelle Alexander-Best, Taylor Bachelor, Zach Bair, Reagan Taylor Fondren, Lora Fowler, Serena Gray, Rhonda Harris, Loyce Lambert-Ryan, Omar Malik, John Marshall, Brian Mounce, Kathryn Mozingo, Caleb Sanders, Dewun Settle and Ryan Wiley. The Shelby County Commission will interview all applicants on Feb. 19 and make an appointment on Feb. 24. The successful candidate will serve through a special election in 2026, which will fill the remainder of Anderson’s eight-year term. Anderson last won reelection in 2022.

In its annual report, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is touting new initiatives that have led to a drop in crime. In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, DA Steve Mulroy described new crime-fighting initiatives, including the V11 program, which aims to expedite the prosecution of violent crimes, a 60% increase in trials, and a focus on shuttering or remediating nuisance properties. According to statistics from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, crime in Memphis was significantly lower than 2023's near-record highs. "The decreases are pretty significant," Mulroy said. "It's coming down from an unacceptably high level, and it's still too high, and we all have to acknowledge that, but five consecutive quarters of downward trends is a positive sign." Looking ahead, Mulroy says his office needs more paralegals as well as prosecutors in the Domestic Violence Unit, the Special Victims Unit and the Crime Strategies and Narcotics Prosecution Unit.