Plans for a 14-acre juvenile justice campus in Nashville are underway, WKRN reports. Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway says the new facilities, named the “Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment,” will build on the restorative justice practices they’ve been using over the years. The campus will house the county’s Juvenile Court, a pre-trial housing facility and resources and agencies that can get services to families in need. It will include a 24-hour assessment center officials hope will support youth in crisis, a safe exchange facility for custodial visitation, and meeting areas for community partners. Calloway says she hopes to spend less money on the “detention side” of things and more on the “prevention side, to make sure that we’re providing great services to have our service providers right there on the campus with us.” The project is estimated to take about three and a half years to complete, costing  $130 million, but Calloway and others are working with architects to eliminate some aspects and lower that amount. 

Law firm Lewis Thomason has established a new diversity scholarship at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. The Lewis Thomason Diversity Scholarship will be awarded to a student who meets at least one of the following criteria: a first-generation college graduate, a graduate of a historically minority undergraduate institution, a socio-economically disadvantaged student, or a member of a historically under-represented group. Lisa Ramsay Cole, managing shareholder of the firm, says the scholarship will also “support a mentorship program, providing recipients a mutually beneficial relationship and develop well-prepared young attorneys.” This is the second such scholarship Lewis Thomason has offered in recent years. Read the full press release.

Jury selection began Tuesday for the trial of Travis Reinking, who is accused of fatally shooting four people inside a Nashville Waffle House in 2018, the Associated Press reports. Reinking opened fire inside the restaurant with an AR-15 before being tackled to the ground by restaurant patron James Shaw Jr. Reinking then fled on foot, prompting a two-day manhunt. District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office said prosecutors would seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole against Reinking, who has pleaded not guilty. Reinking was ordered to receive treatment for schizophrenia after his arrest, but mental health experts concluded in October 2018 that he was fit to stand trial. The trial is expected to begin early next week. Records in the case have been sealed and attorneys are under a judge’s order to not speak publicly on the case. It is unknown how Reinking plans to defend himself.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer formally announced his retirement during an event with President Joe Biden at the White House today. Quoting from the Gettysburg Address and, at one point, holding up his own personal pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution, Breyer expressed hope for the future of the “experiment” of U.S. democracy. NPR has the full video and transcript of Breyer’s speech. “I’ve made no decision except the one person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity,” Biden said during the event according to the Associated Press. “And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue.”

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III today provided an update on the $26 billion opioid agreement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, for the companies’ roles in the opioid crisis. Last year’s settlement hinged on a “critical mass” of participation from states, who had 30 days to join the deal, and local governments, who had five months. In Tennessee, more than 150 local governments have joined the settlements, including every county and all cities with populations of 25,000 or more. “Today we have every reason to be encouraged: we have impressive participation, nationally and locally, to get this settlement across the finish line,” Slatery said. Read more from the AG’s website.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has temporarily postponed plans to raze 2,000 acres of hardwoods on state-owned land in White County, Fox17 Nashville reports. TWRA had previously announced it would clear the land, gifted to the state by Bridgestone Americas, to create grassland habitat for the Northern bobwhite quail and keep all profits from the sale of the land’s timber. Earlier this month a private citizen filed a 60-day intent to sue letter if the deforestation plan was not stopped, and a bipartisan group of 34 state legislators condemned the plan in a letter, criticizing the TWRA’s “shameful lack of communication and transparency.” A bipartisan bill was also introduced this week that would require TWRA officials to transfer all proceeds from the sale of the state’s natural resources into Tennessee’s general fund. Following those developments, the TWRA yesterday said it "will be suspending any plans to do any cutting until this situation is resolved."

Hamilton County is set to possibly receive millions of dollars in a settlement with a manufacturer and three distributors of opioids, attorney Ronnie Berke told the county commission today. Berke says that defendants have until mid-March to reject details, but that the county should expect to receive $10.8 million from two different funds, paid out over 18 years, Chattanoogan.com reports. Berke said he has estimated that the county will receive $900,000 over the first three years, and then between $500,000 and $600,000 for the next 15 years. Of the total, $7 million must be set aside to treat problems caused by the opioid crisis.

The Legal Services Corporation launched a Rural Justice Task Force last month with the goal of raising awareness of the civil legal needs of rural residents, profiling model programs, recommending strategies for expanding pro bono legal assistance, and identifying opportunities for state and federal legislative assistance. The task force consists of more than 60 members from diverse communities across 29 states and various professional backgrounds. It is expected to release a report on its findings in spring 2023. The agency took the action after the American Bar Association reported on rural “legal deserts” in the country. Research by the ABA showed there are 52 rural areas in the United States that have no lawyers and another 182 that have only one or two lawyers.

The Knoxville Bar Foundation is accepting applications for its 2022 grant cycle through March 4. Funding may be sought for programs that improve the administration of justice, enhance the public’s understanding of and confidence in the legal system, or serve the legal profession. Funding will not be provided for operating costs or endowments. Since 1992, the foundation has awarded approximately $510,000. Last year, the foundation approved 12 requests totaling $25,000. This year, grants will be announced in May. Submit an online application.

Though considered a formality, the Biden administration says it is withdrawing its attempt to enforce a vaccine or testing requirement for businesses with 100 or more employees, Bloomberg Law reports. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Jan. 13 that the administration overstepped its authority in imposing the mandate. In a statement, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration indicates there may be future revisions to the rule. Legal observers say the court left the door open for a refined mandate that does not treat every job as though it presents the same risk of COVID-19 exposure. In related news, a third of employers say they will keep their vaccine requirements in place despite the court’s ruling. Polling by Gartner Inc. shows that only 3% of employers said the court’s decision led them to drop the requirements. Read more about those findings.