Closer to home: Hamilton County tests out its own injunctions,

Hamilton County prosecutors filed a petition against 31 men in September 2016, saying they belonged to two Chattanooga street gangs that brought trouble to the East Lake Courts neighborhood.

Defense attorneys fired back that a “gang injunction” in that neighborhood would curtail the men’s First Amendment right to freedom of association and increase the potential for illegal police searches.

Though a judge approved a temporary version, authorities haven’t been enforcing the injunction, which carries a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail for violating 11 listed activities.

Regardless, prosecutors said in April, falling crime rates in East Lake Courts show the message of the injunction is working.

The next step is to determine whether a permanent injunction goes into place. A judge heard proof in April and is still working on his ruling in the matter.