THAPAR, Circuit Judge. In the span of five seconds, a noncompliant suspect drew his gun and turned toward two police officers. The officers fatally shot him. The district court granted the officers qualified immunity, and we affirm.

LARSEN, Circuit Judge. Dr. Mark Stanalajczo was an adjunct professor in a dental school clinic. During the summer of 2022, the school administration required faculty and students who worked in the clinic to wear heavy protective gear as part of its response to COVID-19. At the same time, the school experienced difficulties with its air conditioning system. This combination led Stanalajczo and others to become concerned about overheating. Over the course of the summer, Stanalajczo “replied all” to an administrator’s email about the gear, sent additional emails to administrators, students, faculty, and staff associated with the clinic, filed a health complaint against the dental school, and spoke out against the policy at an all-school meeting in a manner school authorities deemed unprofessional. The school later terminated him after he failed to watch several videos on unprofessional behavior. Stanalajczo then sued for First Amendment retaliation. The district court granted summary judgment to the Defendants. We AFFIRM.

In 2016, a Davidson County jury convicted the Petitioner, Earnest Costosteno Woodley, of four counts of attempted first degree premeditated murder. The trial court sentenced him as a repeat violent offender to four concurrent terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Nine years later, the Petitioner applied for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging that his criminal history did not qualify him as a repeat violent offender. The habeas corpus court summarily dismissed the application, concluding that the petition failed to state a cognizable claim for relief. The Petitioner appealed. Upon our review, we respectfully affirm the judgment of the habeas corpus court.

Defendant, William Lloyd Smith, III, pled guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell and received an agreed sentence of eight years as a Range I offender, to be served on probation. Following a hearing on a warrant for violation of his probation, the trial court revoked Defendant’s probation and ordered him to serve the balance of his original sentence incarcerated. Defendant appeals, arguing that the trial court erred in revoking probation rather than allowing him furlough to a residential treatment facility previously approved by his probation officer. Following a review of the entire record, the briefs of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Christopher Michael Fiedler, appeals his Henry County Circuit Court conviction of driving on a suspended license, for which he received a sentence of 180 days’ incarceration. On appeal, the Defendant argues that he is entitled to a new trial because the trial court erred by finding that he knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to the assistance of counsel. He also argues that he is entitled to a new sentencing hearing because the trial court failed to consider the purposes and principles of sentencing or to make the requisite findings pursuant to State v. Hooper, 29 S.W.3d 1, 13 (Tenn. 2000), in support of its determination that confinement was particularly suited to provide an effective deterrence to others likely to commit similar offenses. The State responds that the Defendant knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to counsel and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in imposing a within range sentence. Following our review, we reverse the Defendant’s conviction and remand for a new trial.

April 27, 2026 - May 1, 2026.

Late Friday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to begin Tuesday to consider redrawing the state’s congressional districts. According to the Nashville Banner, the move follows calls from President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to revisit the maps after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Lee said the legislature has a responsibility to ensure districts remain “fair, legal and defensible.” The proposal could target Tennessee’s Memphis-based 9th Congressional District, the state’s only remaining Democratic-controlled district, and would come after the qualifying deadline for congressional primaries has already passed. In a separate 2022 case, the Tennessee Supreme Court warned that delaying election timelines to accommodate redistricting could risk voter confusion and undermine the integrity of state elections, according to the paper.

A man accused of killing Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig pleaded guilty Monday ahead of trial, the Tennessean reports. Shaquille Taylor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and to five counts of aggravated assault in a separate case and will serve a total sentence of 38 years. Ludwig was fatally struck by a stray bullet near campus in November 2023. Taylor had initially faced felony murder and evidence tampering charges, and questions about his competency to stand trial had been raised prior to the plea. Ludwig’s death later prompted the passage of a 2024 state law requiring defendants found incompetent to stand trial for a felony to be committed to a mental health facility for treatment and prohibiting them from possessing firearms.

A $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, has taken effect, resolving years of litigation over their role in the opioid crisis and directing funds to states, communities and victims nationwide. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced in a press release that Tennessee is expected to receive approximately $122.4 million as part of the agreement, which follows a multistate investigation launched in 2016 and Tennessee’s 2018 lawsuit against Purdue. The settlement, reached after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key provisions of a prior deal in 2024, permanently bars the Sacklers from selling opioids in the United States and provides funding for addiction treatment, prevention and recovery efforts over the next 15 years. It also requires the release of millions of documents related to Purdue’s opioid business and transfers the company’s operations to a new entity, Knoa Pharma LLC, which will be subject to independent oversight.

Lawmakers are seeking to fill the late state Rep. G.A. Hardaway’s vacant seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives before the legislature returns for a special session Tuesday, the Daily Memphian reports. Hardaway, D-Memphis, died April 24, but his District 93 seat is not officially vacant unless Gov. Bill Lee issues a writ of election. Under normal circumstances, that action would trigger a special election if the next general election were at least 12 months away; however, because the next general election is in November, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners would instead vote to appoint a replacement per the state constitution, according to the paper. Hardaway represented approximately 71,000 Tennesseans in the state House.