A draft report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations is recommending that the state build a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) crime lab in Chattanooga to reduce the time needed to examine evidence in criminal cases. According to Chattanoogan.com, for years, law enforcement officers from the Chattanooga area have had to transport evidence primarily to Nashville. The proposed Chattanooga lab would be smaller than the state's other labs in Knoxville, Jackson and Nashville and would focus on drug-related evidence and toxicology. The draft report also finds that all three existing labs are running out of space and need to be expanded. The report calls for expanding lab space, hiring additional analysts and using process improvement methods to keep pace with rising caseloads. Despite recent hirings and investments that have improved some turnaround times at the labs, demand for testing continues to grow, the news source reports.

The Davidson County Jail recently failed a state inspection for the first time in several years due to overcrowding. Sheriff Daron Hall told News Channel 5 that the downtown Nashville facility is experiencing overcrowding and has no way to increase capacity. The current jail was built just five years ago and cost $200 million. Hall also says that the jail's Harding Place campus, south of downtown, must be replaced to increase capacity and for safety. He says the city is "spending over a million dollars a year on band aids on those facilities." Total capacity at the two campuses is about 2,300 inmates. Combined they are currently housing 300 inmates over capacity.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s asylum ban for the southern border, determining it runs afoul of immigration laws protecting the rights of those seeking refuge in the U.S. The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss blocks an executive order that ended asylum for all but those who enter the U.S. at designated ports of entry. Moss found the order violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which lays out guidelines for who qualifies for asylum and how they can seek the protections. Moss also rejected the idea that Trump has inherent presidential authority over decisions of who enters the country. He postponed implementation of the ruling for 14 days to give the administration an opportunity to appeal. The suit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of 13 anonymous asylum seekers, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and the Florence Project. The Hill has more on the decision.

The Chattanooga Bar Foundation Fellows recently held its annual meeting to honor the Fellows Class of 2025, which includes Cameron S. Hill Sr., C. Scott Johnson, Judge Alex McVeagh and Steve Smith. Hill, a shareholder at Baker Donelson, focuses on construction and commercial litigation. Johnson, a shareholder at Spears, Moore, Rebman and Williams, has practiced trial law across Tennessee. Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge McVeagh is president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division. Smith, the public defender for the 11th Judicial District, helped establish the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Mental Health Court and has served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association and the Tennessee Public Defender’s Conference. Read more about the new members in Chattanoogan.com.

The Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) honored Selendy Gay PLLC as its 2025 Pro Bono Firm of Year and Elizabeth Marlowe as Attorney of the Year. The New York City firm was honored for its work on the TennCare redetermination litigation, A.M.C. v. Smith, a class action in federal court. The firm stepped in as pro bono counsel, joining forces with TJC, the National Health Law Program and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, securing a victory in court. Marlowe left the full-time practice of law a few years ago and began volunteering with the Casework Team at the TJC. “I would urge anyone who is considering expanding their pro bono volunteering to consider putting in some time at TJC, even if it is just a few hours a month,” said Marlowe. “Out of everything I've done in my career, that was always the most satisfying, to run into one of my clients out in the wild with their families and see them thriving.” See photos from the awards reception and read more in a press release from the organization.

A Knox County grand jury has indicted University of Tennessee (UT) protesters who took part in on-campus demonstrations more than a year ago against Israeli actions in Gaza, according to records from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Seven of the 12 protesters indicted are scheduled for arraignment July 16 and July 22 in Knox County Criminal Court on charges of criminal trespassing, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine, Tennessee Lookout reports. The others are still awaiting court dates. Attorney Dillon Zinser, who represents one of the defendants, said they plan to fight the charges. The protesters, including university students and community members, were arrested May 2024, during a pro-Palestinian rally at the school. Two of those arrested also filed a federal lawsuit against UT in May 2025, claiming the school violated their First Amendment rights during the demonstration.

Crime continued to decline in the first half of the year, according to data the Memphis Police Department released Tuesday. The department’s data shows overall crime is down 20% through the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, The Daily Memphian reports. Murders are down 15% and aggravated assaults are down 14%. Shooting incidents are down 28% through June 30, and the number of shooting victims has dropped 31%. The department also shared historical data showing overall crime is down 34% compared to the midpoint of 2023 and down 3% compared to 2020. “While the data tells one part of the story, what matters is that people in our neighborhoods are starting to feel the difference in their homes, at work and as they raise their families here in our city,” police chief C.J. Davis said.

The TBA will be closed Friday, July 4, for Independence Day. The office will reopen Monday at 8 a.m. CDT. As always, our TBA.org website has plenty of continuing legal education options and other information available to you 24/7. Reach out to staff directly using contact information posted on our online staff directory.

President Donald Trump has nominated four people to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors. They are Knoxville lawyer and Knoxville Sports Authority Board member Jeff Hagood; Memphian Mitch Graves, the CEO of West Cancer Center and a current member of Memphis Light Gas and Water’s (MLGW) Board of Commissioners; Nashville businessman Lee Beaman; and Randall Jones of Alabama. Three of the vacancies were the result of Trump's firing members earlier this year. The Commercial Appeal and Knox News have more on the nominees, which now must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Senate narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” after intense negotiations and a 27-hour amendment marathon, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Key to the bill’s passage was securing the support of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, whose concerns about deep Medicaid and SNAP cuts were addressed through last-minute changes and a $50 billion rural hospital relief fund. The legislation extends Trump-era tax cuts, boosts military and border security funding, phases out renewable energy credits, and raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. In a near unanimous vote, senators removed the bill's provision limiting states' ability to enact laws regulating artificial intelligence according to the Associated Press. A group of Tennessee state lawmakers had urged the Senate to remove the provision, which could have impacted the state's ELVIS Act, The Tennesse Journal reports. Despite the Senate win, the bill faces serious hurdles as it goes back to the House, The Hill reports.