Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier continues to evaluate whether or not to join a compact with the Trump administration that would give the university priority access to federal funding, but multiple campus groups have weighed in on the issue, Tennessee Lookout reports. The faculty senate voted last week to recommend the university reject the deal, as did the Vanderbilt graduate student union and the undergraduate student government. In related news, MIT rejected the same deal on Friday, according to the Nashville Banner.

A female wrestler at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood has filed a Title IX lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education, alleging that the girls' wrestling team was treated as an afterthought to the boys' team and was provided substandard support and opportunities as compared to the school’s other sports teams. Read more about the suit from the Nashville Banner.

Cris Helton, former Chattanooga attorney and East Ridge judge, was arrested in Panama City, Florida, on the felony count of making a written threat to kill or do bodily harm to his wife and her friend. Chattanoogan.com reports that on Sept. 28, Helton texted a death threat and a photo of a knife to his wife, Kimberly Helton. Helton is free on a $50,000 bond and is due back in court on Nov. 3. Helton was suspended from the practice of law in 2024 for five years after he failed to file required federal income tax returns for several years and willfully attempted to avoid his tax liabilities.

A trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit filed by the family of an inmate who died last year at the Shelby County Jail. The case over the death of Ramon McGhee will go to trial Sept. 21, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Mark Norris. McGhee’s death was caused by severe anemia and dehydration, with contributing factors from insect infestation and schizophrenia, according to the Daily Memphian. McGhee’s mother filed the federal lawsuit in January, about a year after Ramon's death. She is represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and local attorneys Brice Timmons and Craig Edgington. The lawsuit alleges severe neglect and improper care by jail staff, withholding of medication for a severe bedbug infestation, lack of a formal process for mental health screenings and non-sharing of court-ordered mental evaluations.

Civil rights attorney and former Shelby County Commissioner Walter Bailey Jr. reflects on his decades-long legal and political career in a profile from Action News 5. A trailblazer in constitutional law, Bailey served as lead counsel in Tennessee v. Garner, the U.S. Supreme Court case that limited police use of deadly force under the Fourth Amendment. His career also included representing Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, leading desegregation efforts in Shelby County Schools and championing the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces. In 2018, the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center was renamed to honor him. Bailey tells the news station he remains concerned about the nation’s political polarization and racial division, urging continued vigilance in the pursuit of justice and equality.

Families of inmates at South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County are raising alarms over violence, extortion and drug use inside the CoreCivic-operated prison, describing conditions similar to those under federal investigation at the company’s Trousdale Turner facility. Mothers of inmates told the Nashville Banner their sons have been robbed at knifepoint, coerced into paying protection money and forced to move cells by gang members, all amid chronic understaffing and limited response from prison officials. A state audit released in 2023 highlighted South Central’s staffing shortages and some compliance issues similar to those at Trousdale. In an email to the Banner, CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd said “violence in any form and the introduction of contraband are strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court today denied pension benefits to former Chattanooga firefighter Matthew Long, who had applied for job-related disability pension benefits in 2020 due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After a hearing, the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund denied benefits. Long appealed and the Hamilton County Chancery Court reversed the denial and awarded benefits finding there was not sufficient and material evidence to deny benefits. The fund then appealed to the Court of Appeals. That court affirmed the chancery decision after determining that the disability benefits policy was ambiguous and should have been interpreted in favor of Long. On appeal, the Tennessee Supreme Court disagreed and determined that the policy was not ambiguous. It then upheld the initial denial of benefits because it found substantial and material evidence in the record to support the decision.

Tuesday through Friday of this week, the TBA communications team that produces TBA Today will be at the National Association of Bar Professionals (NABE) Communications Workshop, being hosted by the NABE Communications Section in Boise, Idaho. Stacey Shrader Joslin, Julia Canada Wilburn and Azya Thornton will be learning from and networking with other communications professionals from bar associations across the country. Joslin and Wilburn will be serving on a panel focused on “Serving the Whole of Your Membership” while Wilburn will be moderating a panel on “Creating a Communications Plan.” Wilburn also is chairing the section’s award committee, which will be presenting a number of awards at the conference. Additionally, the team will be producing the newsletter from the Mountain Time zone so sending times may be a little different. Thanks to our TBA colleagues who will be pitching in to help this week!

National Guard personnel were seen patrolling around the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and Riverside Drive in downtown Memphis on Friday morning as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, the Daily Memphian reports. The deployment marks the Tennessee National Guard’s first visible presence in the city under President Donald Trump’s multiagency crime reduction initiative. Guard members, some armed, were stationed inside and outside the Pyramid but did not appear to engage with shoppers. In early announcements about the Memphis Safe Task Force, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the Guard would act as “eyes and ears.” Gov. Bill Lee called the Guard a “force multiplier” for local police, and said that personnel would not be making arrests.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could authorize the use of up to 1,000 Tennessee National Guard troops for one year.

A civil rights watchdog agency opened an investigation into how the federal government has responded to allegations of antisemitism on college campuses, Reuters reports. Led by Democratic Chair Rochelle Garza, the bipartisan agency is seeking documents and communications between federal officials and about a dozen universities — including Columbia University and the University of Minnesota — regarding antisemitic incidents and enforcement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The probe will examine government actions dating back to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and is expected to examine the Trump administration’s handling of campus antisemitism complaints and threats to withhold federal funding. The commission plans to hold public hearings in November and issue a report within a year.