This is no ordinary 4th of July holiday weekend---it’s our nation’s 250th. On this special occasion, I’m both grateful for the blessings of liberty we inherited from the Founding, and conscious of what we still need to do toward that “more perfect union.”
I was honored to be invited to make some remarks earlier this week at a Shelby County event commemorating our Semiquincentennial. I share them below.
A happy Independence Day to all.
We’re lucky enough to be sitting in the world’s first constitutional democracy, the first colony to break off from the mother stem in the history of the world. People today use the cliché’ “American Experiment,” but at the time of our Founding, it was very much that, and most people around the world predicted it would fail. Yet here we are, a quarter of a millennium later, still standing. For that alone, at least, we can be grateful.
As a strictly legal matter, it’s the Constitution that controls. But the Declaration made the Constitution possible. It established 3 basic principles for the next quarter-millennium.
- All men are created equal – Equality
- They all have rights which come from God and Nature, not from a King – Inalienable Rights
- Government derives its just power from the consent of the governed – Democracy
These are a good start in theory, even if imperfectly done in practice. Here’s what I mean.
- Equality didn’t include Blacks, women, or Indians – that came much later. At first, it didn’t even fully include white men without property – that got fixed pretty quickly.
- The rights weren’t spelled out very clearly until the Bill of Rights in 1791. And the courts weren’t able to enforce those rights until the Supreme Court in 1803 ruled that courts have the power to declare things unconstitutional. That was another invention of ours, a good one, and to this day not even all modern democracies have it.
- True democracy wasn’t always in the cards, and it isn’t even today. We couldn’t directly elect US Senators until the 20th Even today, we don’t directly elect our President, we elect Electors to the Electoral College.
Dr. King said the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice. We’ve done some good bending over the last 250 years, improvements to be proud of. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t had some backsliding too. The Civil War granted freedom to Blacks, but Reconstruction collapsed within 10 years, paving the way for Jim Crow. The various civil rights movements of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s showed great promise, but today we’re seeing scapegoating and fearmongering around immigrants and the transgendered; racial, and political gerrymandering run amok; and autocracy creeping in. It can seem like an odd time to be celebrating our country.
Don’t fret. ‘Twas ever thus. The Centennial, 1876, saw a disputed presidential election, the end of Reconstruction, and unjust wars against Indians. We celebrated anyway. The Sesquicentennial, 1926, saw Jim Crow, the revival of the Klan, and anti-immigrant backlash. We celebrated what we could. The Bicentennial, 1976, came after Watergate, Vietnam, and a loss of faith in the federal government. Ditto. And our Semiquincentennial, 2026, features – well, who wants to get depressed, anyway?
The point is not that the US is perfect, but it is perfectible. And at this Semiquincentennial moment, true patriotism means we dedicate ourselves to that project of perfecting with full devotion. In the closing words of the Declaration, with “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
Defendant Sentenced to 150 Years Following Jury Conviction in 2022 Double Homicide: Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush and Assistant District Attorney JD Hamblen successfully prosecuted Joshua Gossett, who was sentenced Wednesday to 150 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Earlier this year, a Shelby County jury found Gossett guilty on two counts of First-Degree Murder and related firearm charges for the 2022 killings of Shunish Baggett and Richard Skelskey.
Bush and Hamblen secured guilty verdicts after presenting extensive evidence, including witness testimony, surveillance footage, forensic analysis, and Gossett’s own recorded statement to police. Prior to sentencing, members of both victims’ families delivered victim impact statements.
The case stems from an October 30, 2022 incident in which prosecutors proved Gossett used the Lyft app to travel to Baggett’s home, where he fatally shot her. He then requested another Lyft ride, and after 80-year-old driver Richard Skelskey picked him up, Gossett shot him, stole his vehicle, and fled. Prosecutors used Gossett’s digital footprint and other evidence to establish his identity and secure convictions on all charges.
Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush & ADA JD Hamblen handled the case.
Probable Cause Found in First-Degree Murder Case; Case Proceeds to Grand Jury: Assistant District Attorney Susan Taylor successfully handled the preliminary hearing for Jemarrion Kerr, who is charged with First-Degree Murder. Following testimony and evidence presented by the State, the court found probable cause as charged, and the case now proceeds to the Grand Jury. Kerr remains in custody on a $1,000,000 bond.
Taylor presented the State’s proof supporting the First-Degree Murder charge and successfully opposed any reduction in bond. The court left Kerr’s $1,000,000 bond in place.
The case stems from a fatal stabbing in Whitehaven. Prosecutors allege Kerr and the victim were involved in an argument during which the victim struck Kerr. According to the State’s proof, Kerr then returned to his apartment, retrieved a knife, came back to the scene, and stabbed the victim multiple times, resulting in his death. Prosecutors argued the defendant’s actions demonstrated premeditation.
ADA Susan Taylor handled the hearing.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Battery and Attempted Second-Degree Murder: Assistant District Attorney Fredricka Brown successfully handled the case of Jamie Martinez, who pleaded guilty to Aggravated Sexual Battery and Criminal Attempt: Second-Degree Murder. Martinez received a sentence of 12 years at 100%, will be required to register as a violent sex offender, and will be subject to community supervision for life.
Brown secured the guilty plea, ensuring Martinez will serve his sentence at 100% and remain subject to lifetime sex offender registration and community supervision upon release.
By pleading guilty, Martinez accepted responsibility for the charged offenses and agreed to the State’s recommended sentence, as well as the requirements of violent sex offender registration and community supervision for life.
ADA Fredricka Brown handled the case.
DA Mulroy Helps Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary
 DA Mulroy joined Shelby County Government in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, delivering remarks recognizing the significance of the occasion and reflecting on the nation’s history and founding ideals. He closed the program with his signature patriotic limerick.
Watch DA Mulroy’s speech and limerick here: https://www.facebook.com/ShelbyCountyDA/posts/pfbid02SDu7FSa6GoXixP8dUY7jC6bUoyAkQnmoLA3dfNePmQJqy4bDyfm22rcKoQThB2srl
Happy Fourth of July: DA’s Office Participates in “1776” Screening Celebrating Nation’s 250th Anniversary
 As the community celebrates the Fourth of July, members of the District Attorney’s Office recently attended a special screening of the 1972 film 1776 at Malco Studio on the Square. DA Mulroy and his wife Amy sponsored the special screening for friends and members of the public to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The film is based on the Tony-award-winning Broadway musical about the making of the Declaration of Independence. It both celebrates the courage of the Founders and explores the contradictions at the heart of our Founding.
Among others, the event brought local elected officials and members of the Memphis theater community, some of whom performed with DA Mulroy in two different local productions of the play.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday.
In January, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that Hayes was wrongfully convicted. He's been locked up since being sentenced to life in prison in 2010. |Court hearing set for man convicted in 2007 Cordova murder| via Fox 13
“Using Gossett’s digital footprint, surveillance footage, forensic analysis of electronic evidence, and his own statement to police, prosecutors established his identity and actions, leading to guilty verdicts on all counts,” the DA’s Office said in a statement. |Man sentenced to 150 years for 2022 double homicide| via WMC 5
Steve Mulroy, District Attorney of Shelby County: “We were the first constitutional republic, and the first colony to become independent, in the history of the world. And we’re still here, a quarter of a millennium later. That’s worth celebrating—especially by local government, the heart of small-d democracy.” |Shelby County Government Commemorates 250th Anniversary of United States Independence| via EIN PressWire
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