Sign in

Evan Mealins

@evanmealins.bsky.social
631 followers 362 following 223 posts

Justice reporter at The Tennessean. Email tips to emealins@tennessean.com | One of Wikipedia's most impactful supporters

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thomas Clardy let me and photographer Nicole Hester follow him around on the first day he was out of prison. Gov. Lee recently commuted his life sentence to parole after a majority of the parole board found he was innocent of the murder charge that put him behind bars.
tennessean.com
Released from prison, Thomas Clardy welcomed back to Nashville
Thomas Clardy spent nearly two decades behind bars for a 2005 Nashville murder most say he didn't commit. This week, he returned to his community.
001
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thomas Clardy let me and photographer Nicole Hester follow him around on the first day he was out of prison. Gov. Lee recently commuted his life sentence to parole after a majority of the parole board found he was innocent of the murder charge that put him behind bars.
tennessean.com
Released from prison, Thomas Clardy welcomed back to Nashville
Thomas Clardy spent nearly two decades behind bars for a 2005 Nashville murder most say he didn't commit. This week, he returned to his community.
001
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Wrote a story about how most lawyers are using AI now:
tennessean.com
Your attorney probably uses AI. How the tech is reshaping law practice
“I'm both thrilled ... and terrified," one Vanderbilt Law School professor said.
000
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tennessee has settled its lawsuit against Meta, along with 46 other states
tennessean.com
Meta trial has settled in Tennessee, elsewhere
The Meta trial has settled
001
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
We confirmed that a government contractor is considering putting an ICE call center in at an office building on Royal Parkway near the Nashville airport. www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...
tennessean.com
Contractor eyes office space by Nashville airport for ICE call center
The government contractor is considering occupying an office building near the Nashville airport but plans have not been finalized.
000
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
A federal contract database lists Nashville as the site of a planned ICE support center
tennessean.com
Federal contract lists Nashville for planned ICE support center
The Donelson area is listed as the site of a planned support center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
123
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“I doubt they’re really going to investigate because of what we do — because of where we are,” she said. “It’s just one less problem for them … But we’re still somebody’s mother or sister or daughter.”
nashvillebanner.com
Friends mourn unhoused Nashvillian killed by semi-truck - Nashville Banner
A 46-year-old unhoused Nashville woman was fatally run over by a semi-truck while sleeping under its trailer Monday. Friends recall her life, struggles.
011
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
An unlicensed daycare run out a home in Antioch was shut down after DHS found that a man convicted of assaulting a 4-year-old lived at the home. From me:
tennessean.com
Antioch daycare shut down after state links home to criminal
State employees learned a man convicted of assault against a 4-year-old was married to the woman running the operation and lived at the residence.
020
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
JUST NOW: Former Titans scout Blaise Taylor has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the poisoning death of the mother of his unborn child.
tennessean.com
Jurors deliberating whether former Titans scout guilty of murder
Jurors heard arguments for and against convicting Blaise Taylor of murder in the death of Jade Benning and her unborn child.
0212
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Trousdale County sees the prison as a burden, and there's nearly no way to get out of its deal with CoreCivic. So this week, the county extended its contract with TDOC. From me yesterday: Why Trousdale County is locked into prison deal with no clear exit
tennessean.com
Why Trousdale County is locked into prison deal with no clear exit
Trousdale Turner prison places strain on first responders and the local jail, but there's no expiration date on the county's CoreCivic contract.
122
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
The Trousdale County Commission took an important vote to keep the prison running last night. Here's my story on it, "Why Trousdale County is locked into prison deal with no clear exit"
tennessean.com
Why Trousdale County is locked into prison deal with no clear exit
Trousdale Turner prison places strain on first responders and the local jail, but there's no expiration date on the county's CoreCivic contract.
000
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 23/06/2026
The free speech absolutist is at it again
1056085
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The trial of former Titans scout Blaise Taylor, accused of fatally poisoning his pregnant girlfriend, is about to start. Lawyers began the lengthy jury selection process this morning and will probably finish that later today. In the meantime, you can read my trial preview:
tennessean.com
Former Titans scout accused of poisoning unborn child's mother to face trial
Police say Blaise Taylor killed Jade Benning with a fatal dose of cocaine in early 2023, when she was five months pregnant with his child.
010
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
it actually brings me great pleasure to know that billionaires are so afraid of journalists that they’re trying to build whole new systems for justice to diminish our power. despite corporate consolidation, we continue to do something they can’t fully buy and it drives them mad. stay mad, assholes.
hollywoodreporter.com
A Peter Thiel-Backed Tribunal Is Putting Journalists on Trial. I’m Its First Target
The billionaire has reteamed with the legal strategist who helped him bring down Gawker to start an AI-powered appeals court for the rich and aggrieved.
8844171214
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
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...
tennessean.com
Voters fought for state, local majority Black districts now at risk
Over the years, Tennesseans sued to create majority Black districts at the state and local levels. Those districts are now at risk.
001
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
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:
tennessean.com
Voters fought for state, local majority Black districts now at risk
Over the years, Tennesseans sued to create majority Black districts at the state and local levels. Those districts are now at risk.
130
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Tennessee Republican lawmakers are expected to consider state-level redistricting next legislative session.
tennessean.com
Republicans expected to consider redistricting TN legislature in 2027
A spokesperson for Tennessee Senate Republicans confirmed lawmakers are likely to consider legislation related to redistricting the state legislature.
111
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Man with no teeth dies after TN jail denied him soft food: lawsuit
Rutherford County jail guards and medical staff were too slow to respond to save Joseph Adam Denton, the lawsuit states.
011
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Trial set in Waverly flood lawsuit. What it means for residents
A jury will determine what responsibility railroad giant CSX Transportation may have had in exacerbating the effects of the flood.
010
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
An unknown investment firm has signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase Uncle Nearest:
tennessean.com
Black-owned firm signs letter of intent to buy Uncle Nearest
An African American-owned investment firm has signed a letter of intent to purchase troubled Tennessee whiskey brand Uncle Nearest.
000
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The story about the Eli Lilly lawsuit, which @evanmealins.bsky.social led the charge on: www.tennessean.com/story/news/c...
tennessean.com
Pastor, ex-council member sued by Eli Lilly. Maynard denies claims
Jerry Maynard II denied the claim he participated in a drug rebate fraud scheme after he was sued by drug manufacturer Eli Lilly.
111
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Tennessee Lookout @tennesseelookout.com · 29/05/2026
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.
tennesseelookout.com
Community air monitoring project finds South Memphis is regularly exposed to unsafe air pollution • Tennessee Lookout
South Memphis neighborhoods are being exposed to air pollution levels that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for public health.
01712
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Troubled Tennessee whiskey brand Uncle Nearest is under federal investigation, a court filing shows:
100
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Lawyers raise alarm on Tennessee executioners' medical qualifications
Tony Carruthers’ attorneys are criticizing the qualifications of the doctor who participated in his failed execution
001
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
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...
tennessean.com
Federal judge dismisses Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal charges
A federal judge dismissed the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The charges stemmed from a traffic stop in Cookeville, Tennessee.
051
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Track the lawsuits trying to block Tennessee's redistricting
See what has happened and what is next in the four lawsuits trying to block Tennessee Republicans' congressional redistricting.
011
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
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.
01012
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
BREAKING: Tony Carruthers attorneys say executioners cannot find a vein for lethal injection and have asked for a stay of his execution.
commercialappeal.com
Tony Carruthers' attorneys say executioners cannot find vein, ask for stay
Carruthers' attorneys filed an emergency motion for a stay of execution to the Tennessee Supreme Court at about 11:40 a.m.
133
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
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.
000
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
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."
aclu.org
SCOTUS Tony Von Carruthers v. State of Tennessee Cert. Petition | American Civil Liberties Union
111
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
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."
011
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
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.
tennessean.com
10 years later, murder trial begins for Bell Road killing
Algernon Cross' daughter, who was feet away when her dad was killed, listened as footage from the night of the shooting replayed in court.
000
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
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...
tennessean.com
Frank Gibson, journalist and fighter for open government, dies at 79
Frank Gibson, a former Tennessean journalist and founder of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, has died.
021
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
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...
tennessean.com
New ACLU lawsuit says TN redistricting is racial discrimination
According to a federal lawsuit by the ACLU, Tennessee's new congressional map is discriminatory and violates Black Memphians' First Amendment rights.
021
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
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.
tennessean.com
New ACLU lawsuit says TN redistricting is racial discrimination
According to a federal lawsuit by the ACLU, Tennessee's new congressional map is discriminatory and violates Black Memphians' First Amendment rights.
010
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
After months of churning in the rumor mill, CoreCivic has finally announced that a new warden is coming to South Central Correctional Facility.
tennessean.com
New warden starts at CoreCivic's South Central Correctional Facility
Christopher Gomez, a former high-ranking federal prisons official, took over for Grady Perry at South Central Correctional Facility.
000
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
A YouTuber is suing the family of Sebastian Rogers, the Sumner County teenager who went missing two years ago.
tennessean.com
YouTuber sues family of Sebastian Rogers, sheriff over 2024 arrest
The YouTuber was arrested in 2024 and accused of violating orders of protection the missing teenager's family had against her. The case was dropped.
010
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Dawn Deaner, others win tight Nashville elections
Nashville had contested Democratic primaries in three judge races, county clerk and circuit court clerk.
010
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Liam Adams @liamsadams.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
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...
tennessean.com
From war scars to hope, a Kurdish woman becomes a U.S. citizen
From translating ISIS survivors to learning engineering at Nashville State, Lolav Arman's journey to American citizenship took many turns.
001
Reposted by Evan Mealins
onion person @junlper.beer · 10/04/2026
easily one of the funniest guys america has had in decades
396124081443
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
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.
tennessean.com
Her mother's last words were on a tablet. TDOC took it. Now she's suing
Incarcerated women have sued after prison officials took tablets holding thousands of dollars’ worth of songs and games, and letters from family.
030
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
“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.
182114982743
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
God help us.
A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!
48761371174
Reposted by Evan Mealins
vineyille @vineyille.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Until we start charging $7.99 a month to look at it, we will never unlock the full potential of The Moon
262021299
Reposted by Evan Mealins
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 04/04/2026
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 76, saw a doctor after feeling ill while attending a recent event, the court confirmed.
bit.ly
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently treated after feeling ill
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 76, saw a doctor after feeling ill while attending a recent event, the court confirmed.
4103
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
"...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
tennessean.com
Nashville man hopes for freedom: ‘Bring me a pair of sprinting shoes’
After the board of parole recommended Thomas Clardy be exonerated, he slept better than he ever had. He was still sleeping in a prison cell.
000
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
@mikeiereiland.bsky.social with a nice story on Deir Cafe and why we all need to slow down and stop worrying
nashvillebanner.com
Deir Café in Nashville: A cultural hub for Muslims - Nashville Banner
Deir Café, a unique coffeehouse in Antioch, offers a taste of Middle Eastern culture through its menu, late-night conversations and a sense of community.
010
Reposted by Evan Mealins
David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
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
A Kalshi ad that says "We don't do death markets"
190105862073
Evan Mealins @evanmealins.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
"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
nashvillescene.com
What the Story of Salem Mason Tells Us About Nashville
A man once owned by our city has a small street named for him in North Nashville
000
Reposted by Evan Mealins
Anita Wadhwani @anitawadhwani.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Jackson, Tenn. No Kings. Photos: @cstephenson.bsky.social @tennesseelookout.com
15515