Earlier today a story ran in TBA Today based on an early 2024 Axios article regarding the governor’s budget for FY 2024-2025. To clarify, that budget is not the 2025-2026 budget, which is currently under development and has not been released. We regret the error and any confusion this may have caused.

An inmate died in intake at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center on Friday morning, the Daily Memphian reports. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner on Friday announced in a news conference that the inmate was found unconscious and medical aid was rendered but the man could not be saved. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the inmate's death. This is the “fifth or sixth” in-custody death at the jail this year so far, most related to medical reasons, according to the sheriff, the paper reports.

Around 60% of Tennessee third graders didn't meet the state’s reading standards last school year with less than 1% actually held back, as required under a state reading law that took effect last year, according to the Tennessean. The majority of students moved on to fourth grade because of exemptions to the law, including students who are English language learners or have learning disabilities. The law primarily determines children's reading proficiency by their English Language Arts scores on the standardized Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test. Of the students that didn’t qualify for exemptions, most of them agreed to an alternative plan that included either summer school or tutoring and allowed them to move on to the next grade.

A Tennessee man involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot has been convicted of planning to kill federal investigators. Edward Kelley, of Maryville, was found guilty of multiple counts after prosecutors outlined how the man created a “kill list” of FBI agents and others. He was arrested based on videos from the capitol and had his home searched by the FBI. According to WPLN news, an acquaintance helped investigators by recording phone calls in which Kelley discussed three dozen targets and how many weapons he’d have access to for an attack on the FBI office in Knoxville. Kelley faces up to life in prison and will be sentenced in May.

A new grant program aimed at lowering the cost of private adoptions and helping recruit more foster families in Tennessee was announced by Gov. Bill Lee and the state’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS). Starting Jan. 1, 2025, DCS will launch the Home Study Reimbursement Grant Program, which will reimburse families up to $1,000 for the cost of a home study for private adoptions. The state already covers home studies for foster families, according to WSMV news. DCS said there are currently more than 8,000 children in its care, with about 5,000 approved foster homes across the state.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be open Monday and Tuesday this week, but closed Wednesday through Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. TBA Today will be published Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Visit the TBA website at any time to access CLE offerings and contact information for individual staff members. The office will reopen Dec. 2 at 8 a.m. CST. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments received only three applications to fill a vacancy on the Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Section. As a result, the council will not hold a meeting as previously announced and will forward the applications directly to the governor. The applicants are Sevierville lawyer Bryce William McKenzie, Greenville lawyer Willie Santana and Knoxville lawyer Steven W. Sword. Feedback on any applicant can be submitted to the governor’s legal office at 615-734-8314 or emailed to Katelin.Brown@tn.gov. The deadline for submitting feedback is Jan. 3, 2025. More information about the applicants can be viewed on the Administrative Office of the Court's website.

The Justice Department (DOJ) on Wednesday asked a federal judge overseeing the antitrust case against Google to order the company to sell its popular Chrome browser, National Public Radio reports. In its filing, the agency also called for Google to stop making third-party payments to phone makers to secure its default search position, allow websites to opt out of having their data used to train Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) models, and either divest from its Android phone business or have the court oversee its Android division to prevent potential anticompetitive practices. DOJ officials argue that requiring Google to sell Chrome would separate its browser from its search engine, increasing competition in the online search market. A federal judge in the District of Columbia will now decide whether pushing Google to offload Chrome is the best way to foster more competition.

Local leaders gathered Thursday night to discuss two ordinances being considered by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners aimed at supporting justice-involved youth. According to the Daily Memphian, one ordinance would require the Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk’s Office to provide families of justice-involved youth with information on how to expunge their records after their cases are completed. The other ordinance would mandate legal representation for youth during questioning by law enforcement and require that those interrogations be recorded. The commission is also requesting the office accept additional forms of identification, beyond licenses and state IDs, to streamline the process for children. According to the Memphis-Shelby County Crime Commission, youth charged with delinquent offenses in Memphis increased by 3.7% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

More than 2,000 U.S. law school faculty members said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their current position, according to a new national study by the Association of American Law Schools. Women and faculty of color reported slightly lower satisfaction rates. Flexibility for family matters, teaching loads and leave policies were among the top factors law professors cited as reasons they enjoy their work. The study was one of the most comprehensive analyses of law professors in recent years, Reuters reports.