Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen on Monday announced that two Knoxville police officers were justified in the shooting of Christopher Arons in late 2024 after Arons charged at them holding an axe. According to KnoxNews, Allen wrote that she had reviewed evidence collected by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the "force utilized in this incident amounted to a necessary response to thwart the threat involved." Arons survived the shooting and is charged with aggravated assault, domestic assault and vandalism.

Anthony M. Standifer (“Defendant”) filed an application for judicial diversion and entered a guilty plea to Class C felony2 possession of a Schedule I controlled substance in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-17-417. On December 10, 2015, the trial court entered a probation order deferring entry of judgment pending Defendant’s successful completion of one year of supervised probation and three years of unsupervised probation. Following a June 28, 2023 probation revocation hearing, the trial court found that Defendant violated the conditions of probation. The trial court revoked probation, terminated judicial diversion, and without a sentencing hearing sentenced Defendant. The court then entered a judgment of conviction finding Defendant guilty of Class C felony “attempt poss. Sch. I controlled with intent to” and sentenced Defendant to serve three years in confinement. Upon review, we affirm the termination of judicial diversion but reverse the judgment finding Defendant guilty of attempted possession of a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell; an offense to which Defendant did not plead guilty. We remand the case to the trial court for entry of a corrected judgment finding Defendant guilty of Class A misdemeanor possession of controlled substance and for sentencing of Defendant for that offense.

Defendant, Christopher Hinson, appeals the trial court’s revocation of his probation and reinstatement of his original sentence in confinement. Defendant argues that the trial court erred when it ordered him to serve his sentence because it failed to consider any consequences other than a full revocation and placed no findings or reasons for its decision on the record. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

A Campbell County jury convicted Defendant, Anthony Wayne Foust, of theft of property valued at $2,500 or more, and the trial court sentenced him to twelve years of incarceration to be served as a career offender at 60 percent service. On appeal, Defendant contends that (1) the State failed to disclose evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963); (2) the State failed to preserve evidence in violation State v. Ferguson, 2 S.W.3d 912 (Tenn. 1999); and (3) the trial court erred in limiting Defendant’s closing argument. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Defendant, Timothy Ronald Cunningham, appeals his convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault while under an order of protection, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and domestic assault. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of ten years of confinement. On appeal, Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The Davidson County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant, William Darnell Britton, for one count of first-degree premeditated murder. Thereafter, a jury convicted the Defendant of the lesser included offense of second-degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to eighteen years at one hundred percent in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court committed reversible error (1) in allowing the prosecutor to cross-examine him about his inflammatory rap lyrics and videos and (2) in its jury instructions. After review, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of the Defendant’s rap lyrics/videos and that this error was not harmless. We also conclude that the trial court erred in failing to instruct on “first aggressor proof” in conjunction with the self-defense instruction and that this error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we reverse the Defendant’s conviction for second-degree murder and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.

Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin on Monday ruled that Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transit plan could go forward. Voters approved the $3.1 billion plan nearly two-to-one in November. The Tennessean reports that the plan outlines major changes to the city’s bus systems, sidewalks and traffic signals over several years, funded by a sales tax increase from 9.25% to 9.75% and other sources like grants. Former Metro Council member Emily Evans and the opposition group she formed, Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax, had filed the lawsuit to block the plan and its accompanying half-cent-per-dollar sales tax before the tax increase goes into effect Feb. 1.

The Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth recently released its 2024 annual report, which finds the average cost of infant child care centers in Tennessee — at just over $13,000 per year — is now higher than in-state tuition at almost all of the state's public universities. That figure has steadily increased over the past five years, as has Tennessee's child poverty rate, despite a slight decline in child poverty nationwide. The study also found that more than half of Tennessee’s children are covered by TennCare; that since 2017, all measures of suicidal ideation have increased among Tennessee high school students; and that from April 2023 to March 2024, Tennessee had 5,026 children enter foster care, a rate of 3.20 per 1,000. Access the full report and data highlights here.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that Tennessee's new age verification law — which requires websites with content deemed "harmful to minors" to verify the age of each user — can take effect while a legal challenge to it continues. The decision overturns Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman's decision in early January to block the law, citing free speech protections. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti released a statement in response, saying, “We’re glad that the unanimously-passed Protect Tennessee Minors Act remains in effect while this case proceeds ... [T]his law seeks to stem the flow of toxic content to kids and keep adult websites adults-only.” The Associated Press has the story.

The 114th Tennessee General Assembly has been gaveled into session with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, being reelected speaker of the Senate and Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, reelected speaker of the House. The Tennessean reports that the House Select Committee on Rules convened later to discuss proposed changes to the rules. Ahead of the meeting, proposed rules changes included limiting the number of bills each member may introduce to 10 (down from 15), and a “three-strikes” rule proposing to permanently ban members of the public found to be disruptive from the gallery. In other organizational moves, the Senate is expected to name committee assignments on Thursday.