U.S. Rep Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., praised Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and former Rep. Bob Clement for their leadership in acquiring funds for the new federal courthouse in Nashville. The Nashville Post reports Congress included the funding for the $182 million project in its appropriations bill. "For safety reasons, Nashville has to have a new courthouse, and we've needed one for more than 20 years. This is a huge win for our city,” Cooper said.

TBA President Bill Harbison and Executive Director Allan Ramsaur together today released the following comment: “We join Rep. Cooper who has been generous with his praise for Senator Alexander and Rep. Fleishman for their leadership in making this project a reality. Jim also deserves a great deal of appreciation for helping to assure the safety and security of those who will use then new courthouse.”

Circuit Court Judge Michael W. Binkley is defending a request by Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, in which he asked for leniency for a former pastor convicted of child porn possession, The Tennessean reports. Binkley said in a Facebook post that the decision showed “moral courage” and “guts.” The post has since been deleted.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey predicts Ted Cruz will win the the Republican nomination for presidency, Nashville Scene reports. While he admits that the race will likely come down to two candidates, Cruz and Donald Trump, Ramsey says he is unsure if the primary season will produce a clear winner. “I could see a case where nobody gets a majority and it goes to a brokered convention for the first time in years. I think that’s a real possibility. It’ll be interesting. I suppose I’ll be there.” 

The Tennessean reports Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn, earned millions more from investments than he previously disclosed. Corker’s office outlined “technical errors” in a letter sent Friday to the secretary of the Senate. The amended financial disclosures include new sources of income and higher minimum amounts for the potential value of the senator’s income and transactions. “I am extremely disappointed in the filing errors that were made in earlier financial disclosure reports, and after completing a full, third-party review, we have corrected this oversight,” Corker said in a statement.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey told reporters Friday he believes Department of Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield should no longer hold his position, The Times Free Press reports. Schofield has been criticized for prison staff schedules and legal definitions of officer-on-guard assaults. Ramsey noted it was ultimately up to Gov. Bill Haslam to decide if Schofield will remain commissioner but said, "There are times that come in every department where a change at the top would help.”

The FBI will overhaul its system for counting the number of deaths caused by police officers in the United States, The Guardian reports. The new system, which will remain voluntary, will publish a wider range of data including information about deadly encounters involving the use of Tasers and fatal shootings.

Bloomberg View highlights unlikely political pairings committed to a sweeping overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system. The effort is led by the U.S. Justice Action Network, which contains groups of opposite political ideology like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “This is a once in a generation chance to bring together this coalition,” says Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The network is pushing to reform some of the mandatory sentencing laws enacted in the 1970s.

The Tennessee Department of Correction is asking Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration to fund a 5 percent pay increase for all correctional officers, probation and parole officers and inmate relations coordinators. The Tennessean estimates an $8.3 million price tag for the pay increase. "If we were funded for this, this would push us up to about number three with the surrounding states," said Department Commissioner Derrick Schofield.

U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, describes a recent holiday party advisory at the University of Tennessee as “ridiculously overboard," the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The advisory, posted on the website for the university’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, warns holiday parties should have “no emphasis on culture or religion," such as Secret Santa. “People all over the country are sick and tired of all this political correctness,” Duncan said.

The Associated Press highlights how criminal justice issues are “intruding” on the 2016 presidential race. Policing, drug crimes, sentencing changes and prison costs are among topics on which candidates are seeking to differentiate themselves. "You don't have everyone saying they're tough on crime," Inimai Chettiar of the Brennan Center for Justice in New York said. "Instead, you have people offering different policy solutions."