State Rep. Johnny Shaw (also a pastor) was the first person elected to a redrawn House district that was created after a lawsuit challenging violations to Section 2 of the VRA. Callais now imperils Shaw's district, @evanmealins.bsky.social reports: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

My story from today on what might lie ahead at the state and local level after the Supreme Court's redistricting decision in Louisiana v. Callais:

Tennessee Republican lawmakers are expected to consider state-level redistricting next legislative session.

A wrongful death suit says a man with no teeth was locked up in the Rutherford County jail, was denied his request for soft food, and then died by choking last May. His grandmother is seeking $5 million.

The catastrophic 2021 flood in Waverly will be examined at trial in August to determine if railroad company CSX should be held liable for its possible role in creating a "man-made tidal wave" that swept through the town.

An unknown investment firm has signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase Uncle Nearest:

The story about the Eli Lilly lawsuit, which @evanmealins.bsky.social led the charge on: www.tennessean.com/story/news/c...

Residents of South Memphis neighborhoods are being regularly exposed to air pollution levels that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for public health, according to a community air monitoring project report released May 21. From @cstephenson.bsky.social.

Troubled Tennessee whiskey brand Uncle Nearest is under federal investigation, a court filing shows:

The doctor who participated in the attempted execution of Tony Carruthers said in October that he had not performed the procedure he attempted in the death chamber since 2013.

BREAKING: A federal judge has dismissed the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. The evidence before the court, the judge wrote, "sadly reflects an abuse of prosecuting power." www.tennessean.com/story/news/c...

Yesterday, The Tennessean published a helpful, simple lawsuit tracker for all the legal challenges against redistricting. I'll be updating it as we get more info.

JUST NOW: Tennessee prison officials say they called off the execution of Tony Carruthers after repeated failures to establish an IV line for lethal injection.

BREAKING: Tony Carruthers attorneys say executioners cannot find a vein for lethal injection and have asked for a stay of his execution.

The high court denied Tony Carruthers' last ditch effort for a stay before his execution. Witnesses were sent back to the death chamber about an hour ago. Carruthers will die by a lethal dose of pentobarbital. DNA and fingerprint evidence from the scene is still untested.

Tony Carruthers has filed to SCOTUS ahead of his execution tomorrow at 10 a.m. It's his last chance to test "untested DNA evidence that could prove (his) long-maintained innocence, undermine his death sentence, and/or identify an alternative suspect."

Inbox: The Public Welfare Foundation is giving an $800,000 grant to a Tennessee youth justice coalition including Youth Law Center, Stand for Children Tennessee, Raphah Institute and Southern Movement Committee. The funding is to "build community-based alternatives to youth incarceration."

I'm a day late to posting this, but a tragic killing -- the victim's daughter was just feet away -- finally went to trial this week, 10 years after Algernon Cross was gunned down on Bell Road in Nashville.

Didn't have the privilege to meet Frank Gibson, but grateful to his many years of contributions to The Tennessean & TN Coalition for Open Government. He sounded like an energetic reporter and fierce warrior for access to information. From @evanmealins.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...

The ACLU is in the 3rd legal challenge to TN's new congressional maps approved May 7 accusing lawmakers of racial discrimination against Memphis "to shut Black voters out of power." The NAACP & TN Dems are also challenging the maps. From @evanmealins.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

New ACLU lawsuit against redistricting, the third of its kind, tries a third legal angle -- saying the new map is (A) racially discriminatory and (B) done in retaliation for Memphians expressing their political views, in violation of 1st Amendment.

After months of churning in the rumor mill, CoreCivic has finally announced that a new warden is coming to South Central Correctional Facility.

A YouTuber is suing the family of Sebastian Rogers, the Sumner County teenager who went missing two years ago.

Dawn Deaner has beat out incumbent Jim Todd in a close race for criminal court Division III judge. Read more about that and the other close races in an election full of surprises for Nashville's courts.

Lolav Arman's story is at the center of Nashville's Kurdish immigrant tradition, history about Iraqi Kurds' plight, and recent debate about lawmakers' remarks about Islam and immigration. @evanmealins.bsky.social walks us through in a naturalization ceremony story: www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...

easily one of the funniest guys america has had in decades

Incarcerated women have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Correction after losing access to tablets holding thousands of dollars’ worth of songs and games, and irreplaceable photographs from family members.

“A whole civilization will die tonight” is the most vile thing a US president has ever said, certainly during the post-1945 era when they’ve had the power to kill civilizations with the dropping of a bomb. I’m staring into the darkness. May this not be one of the most fateful days in human history.

God help us.

Until we start charging $7.99 a month to look at it, we will never unlock the full potential of The Moon

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 76, saw a doctor after feeling ill while attending a recent event, the court confirmed.

"...Bring me a pair of sprinting shoes when you come pick me up. I don’t care about getting in the car. I don’t care about getting in the house. I just want to run, because I’m able to be free now." - Thomas Clardy, on his possible release from prison if he exonerated for murder

@mikeiereiland.bsky.social with a nice story on Deir Cafe and why we all need to slow down and stop worrying

My "We don't allow bets on assassinations and murder" ad campaign has people asking a lot of questions already answered by the ad campaign

"If we want Nashville to be a better place, then we get there not with one sweeping grand gesture, but with little, insufficient steps." - @betsyphillips.bsky.social

Jackson, Tenn. No Kings. Photos: @cstephenson.bsky.social @tennesseelookout.com

The courtroom and business succession battles over Uncle Nearest whiskey intensifies with a legal maneuver from CEO Fawn Weaver to spike the receivership that now runs the business. The receiver called it "beyond the pale," reports @evanmealins.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/money/...

5:35 pm, current sitch. Line of storms is about halfway through Arkansas. We expect this line to continue our way. Arrival time still in the 10:00 pm neighborhood, give or take. Damaging straight-line winds and isolated tornadoes possible. We'll be watching it all the way in.

Following an ICE arrest, 100+ people phone banked legislators to advocate for the release of Nashville Noticias journalist Estefany Rodriguez. The SPJ and other press groups have called for the same. From @angelelatham.bsky.social & @evanmealins.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

Greg Garner ran a church called G.O.D. International, which has an affiliated Bible college, and who was previously indicted for defrauding TN's Medicaid program. Now, women are suing him for sexual trafficking and abuse, @evanmealins.bsky.social reports: www.tennessean.com/story/news/r...

It was a big day for the army of Thomas Clardy's supporters. This afternoon, the board of parole recommended Gov. Lee grant Clardy an exoneration. If you don't remember Clardy: In 2023, his 2007 murder conviction was overturned. Last January, it was reinstated and he had to go back.

With Republican lawmakers upset over certain legal challenges to state laws/actions, GOP leadership is pushing a bill that makes it harder for residents to challenge unconstitutional legislative actions. From @evanmealins.bsky.social & @vivianejones.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

For those with continued interest in the fallout of Uncle Nearest whiskey's financial/business woes, my colleague @evanmealins.bsky.social traveled to Knoxville to interview the founders as they testified in a court case about unpaid taxes and loans. www.tennessean.com/story/money/...

Murder trial for former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor, accused of poisoning his pregnant girlfriend in 2023, has been postponed due to the weather.

A Nashville judge has ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to allow reporters to witness the full execution of prisoners, from the time the condemned person enters the execution chamber until they are pronounced dead.

For once, an issue has bipartisan support: body cameras in Tennessee prisons. Someone opposes it: the department of corrections. Why? They said it will cost millions. But CoreCivic has offered to pay. (and estimates the cost of the pilot $350k). ...

I had a great time digging into this story about a family split on what to do with a 240-year-old plot of land with ties to the Revolutionary War and the founding of Nashville.

Former NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith is suing her past employer and accusing weather forecaster Henry Rothenberg of "sexist verbal abuse." NC5's parent company said Smith's claims "were investigated thoroughly" before she left in January 2025.

Top DOJ officials put pressure on local prosecutors to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia. They called it a "top priority." My story here:

Data from the department of correction shows that Tennessee prison deaths have doubled in the last 20 years. From me today: