The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) has cleared Davidson County District Attorney (DA) Glenn Funk of an ethics complaint filed by Comptroller Jason Mumpower, the Nashville Banner reports. The complaint related to the use of video cameras in the DA’s office and campaigning by staff. Following a September 2024 report by Mumpower’s office, the BPR launched a nine-month inquiry and found that the “complaint was without merit.” This follows Funk being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last year. “The summary dismissal of Comptroller Mumpower's complaint by the Board of Professional Responsibility and the clearance letter from the State Attorney General were the obvious conclusions to these investigations as General Funk's Office operates at the highest levels of professionalism and integrity,” said Greg Reed, who represented Funk.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) will host a free suicide prevention training using the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) method on Sept. 10 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.

University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd said Tuesday the school has hired a national law firm to provide guidance on meeting federal diversity, equity and inclusion standards set by the Trump administration, Knox News reports. UT has faced accusations from federal officials that it failed to comply with DEI regulations. In July, the school initiated an independent, systemwide review of all access and engagement activities and mandated compliance training for employees. The national law firm Saul Ewing will assess the school's policies and activities to ensure they meet the administration’s requirements. Boyd also asked employees to familiarize themselves with the federal rules and respond promptly to compliance auditors and attorneys if contacted. The move comes after other Tennessee universities, including Belmont University and Vanderbilt University, have launched similar investigations.

Officials in Mason voted Tuesday to approve reopening the West Tennessee Detention Facility as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) site operated by private prison company CoreCivic. The 600-bed Tipton County facility, which closed in 2021 after the Biden administration ended Justice Department contracts with private prisons, was previously used by the U.S. Marshals Service, News Channel 9 reports. Residents shared mixed views, with some opposing the reopening and others supporting potential job growth. CoreCivic said the project could create nearly 240 jobs and generate more than $500,000 annually for local government, though no timeline has been set for reopening.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is using phone-hacking technology to unlock and extract data from smartphones, according to the Nashville Scene. Digital investigation software provider Magnet Forensics said last year that the department uses a suite of its products, including GrayKey, to access data from suspects’ devices. GrayKey can retrieve text messages, call logs, app data, location history and even deleted files. Murfreesboro, Smyrna and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also have licenses with Magnet Forensics. An MNPD spokesperson said about 90% of all department investigations now involve digital evidence. Digital privacy advocates warn the technology allows law enforcement to access more data than necessary for an investigation and could be abused without proper oversight.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced the launch of Operation Robocall Roundup, a bipartisan, multistate effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to crack down on robocalls nationwide. Skrmetti and 50 attorneys general are sending warning letters to 37 telecommunications companies demanding they stop routing illegal robocalls through their networks. “These companies failed to meet the most basic requirements to prevent illegal robocalls, essentially rolling out the red carpet for bad actors. Our bipartisan coalition is demanding that they clean up their networks and stop facilitating these scams,” Skrmetti said in a news release. The task force also is notifying 99 other telecommunications companies that accept call traffic from the 37 noncompliant companies, alerting them they are doing business with bad actors unwilling to follow federal anti-robocall rules.

Tennessee-licensed attorney Steven Ray Minor died July 15 at age 60. Minor, from Virginia, earned his law degree from the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1989 and passed the bar exam that same year. He became a partner at Elliott, Lawson & Minor, where he distinguished himself in business and commercial law, civil rights law, constitutional law, employment law, litigation, personal injury defense, state and local law, municipal law, and warranty and products claims. A reception will be held at Abingdon Baptist Church, 361 W Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210 on Aug. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT.

A man accused of carrying out a 2022 shooting spree in Memphis pleaded guilty Wednesday, concluding the case. Ezekiel Kelly pleaded guilty to all 28 charges he faced, including three counts of first-degree murder and commission of an act of terrorism. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. sentenced Kelly to three consecutive life sentences without parole for the murder charges, plus an additional 221 years for the other charges, The Daily Memphian reports. Kelly had been facing the death penalty and was set to go to trial Feb. 9, 2026. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Kelly’s plea spares the victims and their families from waiting years for closure.

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Davidson County lawyer Sornavidya Saba Sankar was transferred to disability inactive status on Aug. 8 for an indefinite period of time and until further order from the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court also suspended all disciplinary proceedings pending against Sankar and closed all records relating to the disability proceeding.