The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said significantly fewer individuals being held on state charges are being housed in the downtown Memphis jail, a move officials said could help free up taxpayer dollars. Local Memphis reports that it costs the county roughly $100 per day to hold one person at the jail and the state reimburses just $39 of that amount, leaving the county to cover the rest. According to the sheriff’s office, 113 incarcerated individuals have already been transferred to the Tennessee Department of Corrections and another 92 are scheduled to be moved this week. Officials said the process has been in the works for more than a month.

Crime reduction efforts under the Memphis Safe Task Force will begin this week and provide a “generational opportunity” to improve safety in the city, Gov. Bill Lee told reporters during a press conference in Memphis on Friday. The effort includes the deployment of the National Guard and an infusion of state money, the Daily Memphian reports. The federally led crime reduction effort coordinates 13 federal agencies with a range of state and local law enforcement. Lee said that all 13 agencies will have personnel on the ground in Memphis and the task force will expand in the city in phases over the next weeks and months. The Tennessee National Guard personnel, who will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service, will not make arrests or be armed unless requested by local officials. Tennessee has committed an additional $100 million in state funds explicitly for the task force, which will be coupled with federally funded resources. President Trump announced the Memphis Safe Task Force initiative during a Sept. 15 press conference in the Oval Office.

A Tennessee woman whose parents were killed in floodwaters after Hurricane Helene is suing the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday. Maureen Obrist alleges her parents would still be alive if the federal utility had given more warning to residents downstream of Nolichucky Dam near Greeneville, which it owns and operates, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Obrist is suing TVA on three counts of negligence, one count of negligent infliction of emotional distress and one count of negligent undertaking related to the utility’s responsibility to coordinate warnings with local and state agencies during emergencies. The lawsuit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

TBA's Young Lawyers Division District Representative Jack Wagster held an Essential Documents for Essential Workers (EDEW) clinic in Dickson County last week. Three attorneys and two paralegals from Eden Firm PLLC and Ramsey Thornton Barrett Osborn PLC provided wills, living wills and powers of attorney to multiple members of the Dickson Fire Department and their families. See a photo from the event. 

The White House on last week announced several changes to the H-1B visa program including a requirement of a $100,000 payment for new H-1B applications. The Trump administration said it made the change to curb abuses that displace U.S. workers and undermine national security. Supporters of the visa program say it elevates the competitiveness of American businesses. The one-time fee will not apply to renewals or existing visa holders, but is expected to significantly affect employers in technology, health care and other industries that rely heavily on foreign workers, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The Nashville Banner looks at the impact on Tennessee universities. The changes also call for federal agencies to begin revising prevailing wage levels and direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prioritize high-skilled, high-paid applicants.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr.’s trial on bribery and tax evasion charges has been delayed two months. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled Thursday that the trial, originally set for January 2026, will now begin March 2, 2026. The ruling followed a request from Ford’s attorney, who cited a busy trial schedule, and federal prosecutors did not object according to the Daily Memphian. Ford was indicted in February after a years-long investigation into his alleged handling of grants as a Memphis City Council member and county commissioner.

Marc Harwell, a trial lawyer, mediator and founding member of Harwell & Hurst in Chattanooga has been elected president of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), an invitation-only organization of leading civil defense litigators, corporate counsel and insurance industry executives founded in 1936. “I am humbled to join a long line of dedicated leaders and eager to work with my fellow members to strengthen our profession, uphold the highest standards of advocacy, and continue the FDCC’s tradition of service to its members and the communities we serve," Harwell said. Harwell is only the fifth president from Tennessee in the FDCC’s nearly 90-year history, WJHL reports. His one-year term began Aug. 1.

In the most recent episode of BarBuzz, TBA staff sit down with representatives from Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) to discuss the positive impact the TBA Young Lawyers Division's statewide mock trial program has on high school students. MBA not only has won the Tennessee statewide competition for a number of years but in May won the National High School Mock Trial Competition, besting 47 other state champions. The Tennessee mock trial program is marking its 45th anniversary this year. Interested in getting involved? Visit the program webpage for more information and contact information for the 2026 leadership. Missed a past episode? Check them out in the BarBuzz archive.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order today that approves a deal to keep TikTok available in the United States after months of uncertainty about the future of the social media platform. Under the deal, TikTok will be spun off into a separate U.S. entity to comply with a 2024 law requiring the app’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest or face a U.S. ban. The deal comes nine months after the law was originally set to go into effect and after several delays of the ban by the president. Administration officials revealed last week that the U.S. had a framework for a deal following trade talks with China. The Hill has more on the latest development.

Phishing scams are a common challenge faced by many organizations, and the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is providing members with resources to stay aware and protected. The TBA is continuously monitoring for fraudulent emails, also known as phishing attempts, in which malefactors have impersonated TBA officers and staff members through deceptive messages designed to steal personal information and financial data or to gain unauthorized access to professional accounts. We recently have added a “phishing scams” webpage to the TBA website to provide helpful tips on how to identify and address suspicious emails.