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 TBA will host the 2026 Construction Law Forum on Jan. 23, 2026, at the Tennessee Bankers Association’s Bradley L. Barrett Training Center in Nashville. The full-day continuing legal education program, offering 6.5 hours of CLE credit, will offer two learning tracks: introductory sessions in the morning covering lien rights, case law updates and common construction law mistakes, followed by advanced sessions in the afternoon focused on the Prompt Pay Act, delay claims, ethics and artificial intelligence in construction law. Participants may register for morning, afternoon or full-day sessions, with programming designed to benefit both new and seasoned construction law practitioners. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 10 issued an order amending Rule 21 to make changes designed to improve processes for attorneys, support an overhaul of the regulations of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and properly align the rule and regulations. The court solicited comments on amendments, which were requested by the commission.  The court now reports that it received comments from the Knoxville Bar Association and the Board of Professional Responsibility. After consideration of the comments, the court has deleted Rule 21 sections 2.03(e), (f), (g) and (h); 3.02; 4.08(f); and 10.01(c)(7). It also has amended sections 1.05; 1.09; 2.03(b), (c) and (d); 4.05; 4.06; 4.08(b), (c), (d) and (e); 5.01(g); 12.; 5.05(c); 7.06; 10.01(c)(5) and (6); and 11.06 as set out in Appendix A. In addition, it also amended the regulations of the commission as set out in Appendix C. The amendments will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will host an in-person continuing legal education program tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. CDT at the MBA office in the BankTennessee Building, 145 Court Ave., STE 301, Memphis 38103. The event, which will focus on how to handle pro bono cases, is free for lawyers who agree to take on a pro bono case for Memphis Area Legal Services, West Tennessee Legal Services or the Community Legal Center. For more information and to register visit the MBA website.

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.

Murfreesboro attorney John “Jock” Richardson Rucker died Oct. 8 at age 72. After earning his law degree from the then Memphis State University, Rucker returned to his hometown to join his family’s law practice, first established in 1860. For 43 years, Rucker practiced law alongside several family members, including his father and son. He served as president of the local bar association and was honored as a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Visitation with the family will be Oct. 19 from 2 to 6 p.m. CDT at One Church Calvary, 431 Dejarnette Lane, Murfreesboro 37130. The funeral service will be Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. at the church, with burial to follow at Evergreen Cemetery. Donations in Rucker’s honor may be made to Alive Hospice, 1629 Williams Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 or One Church Calvary, 431 Dejarnette Lane, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

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.