The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) launched its fall visits to Tennessee law schools this week with a session at Vanderbilt University Law School. Thanks to YLD members Lorne Hiller, John Murphy, Jennifer Safstrom, Darius Walker Jr. and Kristen Walker for their contributions to this kickoff event. See photos from the day. During this year's visits, YLD leaders will speak with students about their entry into the profession and share information about TBA member benefits. Membership, which is free to law students, provides access to continuing legal education that can increase students' professional knowledge, opportunities to network, and savings on school supplies and insurance. Students also will be encouraged to apply for the 2026 Rural Judicial Fellowship program and the Class of 2026 DLI program.

The TBA Immigration Law Section will host the “Immigration Law Basics: Overview” webcast on Sept. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will offer a high-level overview of various areas of immigration law, including employment-based, humanitarian and family-based immigration. More details will be announced soon on the TBA website. Discounted registration is available for Immigration Law Section members. Not a member? Join today!

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) presented its annual Access to Justice Awards to five legal community leaders from across the state at the Equal Justice University in Murfreesboro. Chay Sengkhounmany, lead immigration attorney at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS), received the B. Riney Green Access to Justice Award for her commitment to promoting successful inter-program cooperation across the state. Scott County Family Justice Center Executive Director Christy Harness was recognized with the Janice M. Holder Access to Justice Award for her contributions to advancing the quality of justice statewide by ensuring the legal system is open and available to all. Finally, TALS recognized three attorneys as New Advocates of the Year. They are: Michael Davis, managing attorney of the Knoxville Eviction Prevention Program at Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Jake Old, who serves as West Tennessee Legal Services' Consumer Unit manager; and Patricia Sellers, a staff attorney with LAS. The new advocate award recognizes those who use their legal skills in active and creative ways that produce outstanding benefits for individual clients and the communities in which they live. Read more about the annual awards on the TALS' website. 

Nashville’s jail system has been over capacity for more than a year, raising concerns about violence, unsafe conditions and strained resources, the Nashville Banner reports. Data show the men’s Correctional Development Center has exceeded its 768-bed capacity since May 2024, with two other facilities overcrowded for at least five months. Sheriff Daron Hall said the problem stems from a combination of pandemic-era policy changes, longer jail stays and the closure of the former CoreCivic-run Metro Detention Facility, which has sat empty since 2020. On Aug. 18, the city’s jails held 2,644 people — nearly 300 over capacity. Metro Public Defender Martesha Johnson said the overcrowding has already contributed to violence, citing the June assault of one of her clients who later died, as well as a fatal overdose at the Harding Place jail. Both Hall and Johnson agreed that the overcrowding creates unsafe conditions for incarcerated people and staff and must be addressed soon.

Immigration policies promoted by Tennessee lawmakers this year have faced setbacks since the legislature recessed in April, the Nashville Banner reports. In the latest news, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced last week that his office will not defend a provision threatening local elected officials with felony charges if they vote in favor of sanctuary city policies. Skrmetti called it legally indefensible. The ACLU of Tennessee sued the state over the law. News reports from a few weeks ago indicated that the state might be open to a settlement with the group. House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, who sponsored the bill that included the provision, said he trusts Skrmetti’s judgment but noted that the rest of the law will remain intact, even if the provision is ruled unconstitutional, due to a severability clause in the law.

A recently obtained police report sheds additional light on a 2024 shooting that ultimately led U.S. District Court Judge Mark Norris to recuse himself from several cases, including those involving former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the death of Tyré Nichols. According to The Daily Memphian, the report reveals that police responded to a shooting at 2:23 a.m. CDT on Oct. 7, 2024 — four days after the former officers were convicted. Police were told that four unknown people entered a home and shot Norris' former clerk in the abdomen. A witness told police they saw two people run toward the clerk’s driveway and later flee the scene. According to police, one 14-year-old suspect has been charged in connection to the crime. Following the shooting, Norris pushed for federal charges in the case and reportedly expressed frustration over the local police department’s investigation. Comments allegedly made about the investigation led Norris to recuse himself from the cases and a new trial for the former officers, according to the paper.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) will host a free suicide prevention training using the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) method this Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. Participants will learn to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help, similar to how CPR or the Heimlich Maneuver can save lives. The free session, limited to 20 participants, will include lunch and provide guidance on identifying common causes of suicidal behavior, helping someone in crisis and accessing support for oneself. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

Advocates for Immigrant Rights (AIR), a Memphis-based legal nonprofit, is partnering with clergy members to create an immigration court "watch program" aimed at supporting immigrants and increasing transparency in court proceedings, Tennessee Lookout reports. AIR Executive Director Casey Bryant said the effort comes as federal prosecutors push for faster deportations and immigrants risk arrest at hearings, often without legal representation. Catholic priests Juan Antonio “Tony” Romo and Valentine Handwerker have already begun attending hearings, offering what Romo described as solidarity for immigrants facing a daunting process. Bryant said the goal is to establish a formal program with trained volunteers in each courtroom, providing a “friendly face” in the system.

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have introduced bills to end cashless bail policies, which they say allow criminals to reoffend, WSMV reports. The "Ending Cashless Bail in Our Nation’s Capital Act" would ban cashless bail in Washington, D.C., while the "Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act" would bar certain federal funds from going to states and localities that limit the use of cash bail. Blackburn’s office said the bills are aimed at stopping “soft-on-crime” officials from releasing “countless violent criminals who have demonstrated a clear risk to society back into their communities without bail, which incentivizes and rewards criminal acts.” Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting cashless bail and threatening to revoke federal funding from jurisdictions that use it. Another order directed police in the District of Columbia to charge suspects with federal crimes and hold them in federal custody to avoid cashless bail.

Tennessee Rep. Monty Fritts announced his candidacy for governor Friday night at the “Trump Day Dinner” hosted by the Washington County Republican party, WJHL reports. Fritts joins the race alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Rep. John Rose. “What will help me be most successful? Because I do think we’ll win, and I think it will be folks like us that say ‘I’ve had enough with an establishment, politics in Nashville that thinks they don’t have to listen to me,’” Fritts said. “I think there’s a lot of frustration with that, and I think it’s important for us that we reestablish the confidence of the Republican voter.” The primary election is set for Aug. 6, 2026, with the general election to follow on Nov. 3, 2026.