Middle Tennessee’s federal public defender is asking Gov. Bill Lee to halt all executions until an independent group can review the state’s protocols. The defense attorneys sent a letter to the governor Thursday morning, one week after he granted a last-minute reprieve for Oscar Smith.
Samantha Max, Criminal Justice Reporter
Samantha Max is a criminal justice reporter at WPLN News — Nashville Public Radio, where she investigates systemic issues within policing, prisons, jails and the courts. She is also the host of WPLN’s podcast, Deadly Force, which delves into the Metro Nashville Police Department’s use of force policies and training, as well as the relationship between the city’s predominantly white police department and its Black residents. Samantha was a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that supports journalists in local newsrooms across the country. She spent her first year with the program as a health and inequity reporter at The Telegraph in Macon, GA. In college, Samantha interned at her hometown public radio station, WYPR. She also spent a summer investigating a potentially wrongful murder conviction as an intern at the Medill Justice Project and reported on Chicago's undocumented immigrants while interning at Hoy, the Chicago Tribune's former Spanish-language newspaper. Samantha is a proud alum of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she graduated magna cum laude with majors in journalism and Spanish.
Conoce a Veronica Salcedo, la nativa de México que trae noticias, abrazos y ayuda a la comunidad hispano-hablante de Tennessee
Read in English. Son las nueve por la mañana el lunes y Veronica Salcedo acaba de entrar en su camino de entrada en Antioch. Ella justo ha llegado del salón, y su cabello largo y rubio está rizado perfectamente en rizos sueltos que caen por su espalda. Ella parece como una estrella de televisión, en […]
Meet Veronica Salcedo, the Mexico native bringing news, hugs and help to Middle Tennessee’s Spanish-speaking community
If you don’t already know Veronica Salcedo, here’s the abridged version: Salcedo runs the local Spanish-language news channel Nashville Noticias, which started about seven years ago with just herself, her husband and a laptop.
Tennessee lawmakers pass ‘truth in sentencing’ bill, following months of heated debate
The debate about a controversial criminal sentencing measure is over. After months of back and forth, Tennessee lawmakers voted to pass a bill last week that would require many people to spend much longer in prison.
Tennessee lawmakers pass a bill that could target people experiencing homelessness
It’s already illegal to camp on both state and private property at night. Now, a bill that’s close to becoming law would add serious criminal charges for camping on city and county property, too.
Tennessee governor postpones first scheduled execution since the pandemic, citing concerns about lethal injection protocol
Oscar Smith was not killed by the state of Tennessee as planned Thursday night.
Gov. Bill Lee granted Smith a temporary reprieve barely an hour before the execution was scheduled to take place, citing “an oversight in preparation for lethal injection.”
Nashville Sen. Brenda Gilmore’s last-minute withdrawal means other candidates can now get into the race
The ballot is back open for a Tennessee Senate seat to represent parts of Nashville.
Nashville will spend $600K on more support services for mental health court
Nashville is investing in a program that aims to prevent people with mental illness or cognitive delays from cycling through the criminal justice system.
Davidson County DA candidate accuses incumbent of breaking campaign rules
Early voting is underway for Nashville’s spring primary, and the race for top prosecutor is heating up. One candidate accused the incumbent district attorney of violating state campaign law on This Is Nashville Wednesday.
Hundreds of Tennesseans who received lengthy prison sentences for selling drugs near schools could go home early
Decades ago, Tennessee created drug-free school zone laws to deter people from selling drugs in places where children are likely to be. But now, the state is making adjustments for cases that don’t involve kids.
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