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The family of the 6-year-old who was paddled by an elementary school principal is holding out hope for justice ... in the form of yanking the principal's teaching license.

The 6-year-old's mother is devastated the Central Elementary School Principal, Melissa Carter, will NOT face criminal charges for meting out corporal punishment ... this according to the family's attorney, Brent Probinsky. The mother now wants the Dept. of Education to take a hard look at the situation and do what's right ... she says to deny the principal her license.

Probinsky says the family has an ally in the Dept. of Children and Family Services because CFS has recommended Carter be banned from teaching or even being around the children.

CFS interviewed the 6-year-old and her 2 siblings, without the mother's knowledge, about alleged neglect at home.

It's now a waiting game to see what the Dept. of Education concludes in its investigation. We're told once that's complete ... Probinksy and the family will decide whether they want to file a civil lawsuit against Carter, the clerk and the school.

No criminal charges will be filed in the case of the 6-year-old elementary student who got paddled by her principal ... investigators concluded the principal didn't commit a crime, because the child's mother consented to corporal punishment.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... state prosecutors found Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter and her clerk, Cecilia Self, carried out the discipline of the student at the request of the girl's mother.

Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham R. Thornburg explains "the evidence in this case appears clear that the child's mother sanctioned and consented to the spanking of her daughter as discipline for misbehavior."

Thornburg also says there were "significant concerns" about the mother's credibility regarding her statements that she was confused or didn't understand the process ... adding even if she was confused, there was "no reason to believe" the principal was aware of any such confusion at the time of the paddling.

He continues ... "A parent has the right to use corporal punishment to discipline their children, and similarly has the right to consent that others do so on their behalf."

Ben Crump and his legal team also praised the federal indictment, saying it "reinforces the strength and wisdom of the United States Constitution."

The civil rights attorneys claim the constitutional violations Floyd suffered are clear, adding ... "We are encouraged by these charges and eager to see continued justice in this historic case that will impact Black citizens and all Americans for generations to come."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison commends the feds on the indictment of the former officers, calling it "entirely appropriate, particularly now that Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder."

Ellison adds that the State is working hard to present its case against the other 3 defendants later this summer.

A federal grand jury has charged Derek Chauvin and the 3 other former Minneapolis PD officers involved in George Floyd's arrest with violating his civil rights.

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao appeared Friday via video conference in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis following the grand jury indictment. Chauvin was not present.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, all 4 ex-officers have been hit with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law ... meaning they allegedly deprived Floyd of his constitutional right "not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law."

The indictment says the defendants "saw George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd. This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of, George Floyd."

Thao and Kueng face an additional count claiming they "willfully failed to intervene" to stop Chauvin. Chauvin is facing an additional count for "the use of unreasonable force" resulting in Floyd's death. If convicted, all 4 face the stiffest of penalties -- a federal judge could sentence them to life in prison or death.

As you know, Chauvin was convicted of murdering Floyd last month, and is in Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison as he awaits sentencing.

The other 3 ex-cops will go on trial in state court in August, but they're currently free on bond, and will be allowed to remain free after Friday’s federal court appearance.

Bill and Melinda Gates are shifting more of their fortune into Melindas' name ... and new documents show she's gonna be a big fan of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Here's what we know ... the day after Melinda filed her divorce docs, the estranged couple filed docs with the Securities Exchange Commission that show she now owns more than 5 percent of Coca-Cola Femsa  ... which is why they had to notify the SEC.

According to the docs, Melinda acquired 25,793,660 shares of the Coke bottler which is based in Mexico, and Bill has zero shares. Those shares would be valued at around $120 million today.

It appears the shares were transferred from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For reference, the Foundation still retains more than 62 million shares of Coca-Cola Femsa.

Another doc, also filed on May 4, shows Melinda now owns more than 155 million shares of Grupo Televisa ... which is a Mexican multimedia company that produces programs, several of which air on Univision.

For those keeping score ... the Grupo Televisa stock is worth about $386 million.

As we reported, nearly $2 billion in shares of AutoNation and the Canadian National Railway were also transferred to Melinda on May 3 ... the day she filed the divorce docs.

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe's got trouble with the feds again ... but this time he says they're actually hauling animals out of his zoo.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the authorities executed a search and seizure warrant Thursday morning at his Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma and began taking animals away, which he believes is a violation of his constitutional rights.

He says the feds are refusing to tell him exactly what's going on, but according to the warrant ... they're taking animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. We're told the warrant was issued by a federal judge this week in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Jeff sent us video from the scene, where he says the feds are hauling away one of his liligers ... an animal he claims is NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act. BTW, a liliger is the offspring of a male lion and a female liger ... a lion and a tiger.

Jeff's wife Lauren is heard saying the feds are taking all of the zoo's hybrid animals, and she's concerned they are all going to be spayed or neutered.

Jeff tells us, "This is why Lauren and I are moving overseas to take over an animal refuge there. 'Tiger King' made the USDA look so incompetent that they have a vendetta against everyone that was featured on the show."

We broke the story in January that the feds were coming after Lowe's big cats at his park, allegedly over an unauthorized euthanasia of a tiger cub. According to legal docs at the time ... the authorities made it clear they wanted to seize all of Jeff's big cats that were a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

Love County Sheriff William Grisham tells us his office was alerted the feds would be executing a search and seizure warrant, and he was present for it. He says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was the lead agency, but the USDA was also there during the seizure of the animals.

Sheriff Grisham says the warrant was for 8 big cats, but he believes the feds only took 4. However, Jeff tells us they seized 6.

Childish Gambino's "This is America" is a blatant ripoff of a track that sounds similar, has a similar name and was all over the Internet almost 2 years before the rapper's smash hit was released ... so claims a musician in a new lawsuit.

Emelike Nwosuocha, a rapper who performs under the name Kidd Wes, is suing Childish Gambino, AKA Donald Glover, claiming he ripped off his song, "Made in America."

According to Kidd Wes ... he created his track on SoundCloud in September 2016 and released it on YouTube a couple months later, where people could listen to it for free. He says he also registered the song with the U.S Copyright Office in May 2017, and it was set to be the lead single on his upcoming album.

As you likely know ... Gambino's "This is America" was released in 2018, became incredibly popular and went on to win Grammy for Record of the Year.

According to the docs ... Kidd Wes claims the chorus, or hook, of "This is America" is "unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical" to his "Made in America."

Wes claims Gambino's "flow" is also substantially similar to his, and points to key lyrics in "Made in America" being similar to the hook's refrain in "This is America," for example:

"Made in America / Flex on the radio / Made me a terrorist / Pessimistic n***as / You should just cherish this"

Compared to this: "This is America / Guns in my area / I got the strap / I gotta carry 'em"

Kidd Wes claims there are also scientific similarities in the 2 tracks, and alleges it's not a coincidence -- he believes he was intentionally ripped off, and he wants major damages.

He's suing Gambino, the co-writers of "This is America," the record labels that put it out, Roc Nation, and even Young Thug ... who sings backup vocals on the track.

Josh Duggar's friends and family told law enforcement he's dealing with a porn addiction ... according to the feds, who claim his computer was chock full of disturbing images.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star appeared over Zoom for a court hearing Wednesday in his child pornography case. During the hearing, an agent from the Dept. of Homeland Security said Josh's computer had more than 200 images involving naked minors and child sex abuse material. The agent said some of the children were as young as 5.

The feds say witnesses, including friends and family, brought up Josh's alleged addiction to porn in interviews with law enforcement.

However, Josh's defense asked the agent if there's evidence Duggar had looked at the alleged images, and the agent said he hadn't "directly" seen Josh checking out child porn.

TMZ broke the story ... Josh was hit with charges of receiving and possessing child porn following last month's arrest by federal agents in Arkansas. He's pled not guilty.

In Wednesday's court hearing, the feds claimed authorities identified a computer with videos and photos of child porn in May 2019 -- a few months later they claim they connected Josh to the computer using the IP address.

Remember, the Springdale, Arkansas car dealership where Josh works was raided by the feds in November 2019.

DHS agents seized a computer from Josh's office, plus his iPhone and a MacBook from inside an RV during that raid, and the feds say child porn was on the HP computer.

Josh, who is facing up to 20 years behind bars and fines of up to $250k on each count, wants to be released from jail, on bond, pending a trial ... claiming he's too famous to be a flight risk. The judge has yet to rule on that request.

Trey Songz walloped a bartender with his fist at a concert, then went right back to watching the show ... so the bartender claims in a new lawsuit.

The singer's being sued for battery by a man who says he was tending bar around midnight at the Hollywood Palladium on May 9, 2019 ... and claims Songz was part of the crowd.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the bartender says Songz jumped on the bar to sit and watch the show ... which the bartender insists is against the venue's policy.

The bartender claims Songz ignored his warning that he wasn't allowed on the bar ... so he put his hand on Songz' back to get his attention, and tell him to get down.

That's when Songz allegedly turned around and struck the bartender in the head with a closed fist, looked at the other bartenders blankly, then continued watching the show ... according to the docs.

We did some digging and it seems like Songz was at the Palladium that evening for a Cardi B concert put on by Fashion Nova.

The bartender claims he suffered physical pain and emotional and psychological injury as a result of the alleged attack, and he's suing for damages. We reached out to Trey ... no word back yet.

Chauvin's defense attorney is going to have a harder time of convincing a judge a new trial is warranted than he may think ... so says a noted law professor, Tamara Rice Lave.

Lave -- who teaches at the University of Miami School of Law -- came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and explained why Brandon Mitchell going to the MLK rally in August actually wouldn't be grounds for a restart ... saying the devil is in the details on this one.

Watch ... she tells us the MLK event was NOT advertised as an anti-police demonstration, but simply a commemoration on Dr. King's historic March on Washington. The fact he was wearing a shirt that sympathizes with BLM is a footnote in her view, and one that wouldn't necessarily persuade an appellate judge to buck the trial court's ruling.

She also makes a good point about Mitchell's POV being communicated early and often -- he relayed that he supported BLM during questioning, and still wasn't ruled out at the time. And, as Lave notes, you can't just boot someone from a jury because of the color of their skin ... so, Chauvin's team might have their work cut out for them here.

The Derek Chauvin trial juror who was photographed at an MLK rally last year -- wearing a shirt with the words "Get your knee off our necks" -- will absolutely be a key factor in Chauvin's attempt to get a new trial ... TMZ has learned.

As you know, Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson filed a motion Tuesday requesting a new trial. The docs made no specific mention of the juror, Brandon Mitchell, but did use the words "jury misconduct."

Sources familiar tell us the Mitchell issue is on the table and WILL be addressed during arguments in court to support the motion for a new trial.

If you missed it, Mitchell -- one of the only jurors from the trial who has since spoken out about the guilty verdict -- went to a BLM-organized rally last August in D.C. to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington. Mitchell was photographed there wearing a shirt with MLK's photo and the words ... a pretty clear reference to George Floyd's killing.

Also highly relevant is the fact George's family members spoke at the rally. Now, here's why this could be problematic.

Mitchell told the Star Tribune he answered "no" on the early jury questionnaire when asked 2 questions about attending demonstrations against police brutality -- one specific to Minneapolis, and one asking generally.

Now, Mitchell defended his answers, saying the rally was NOT a protest against police brutality, per se, or even in support of George Floyd, but more so geared toward MLK.

He told the Star Tribune, "I'd never been to D.C. The opportunity to go to D.C., the opportunity to be around thousands and thousands of Black people; I just thought it was a good opportunity to be a part of something."

That's his side of the story, but Chauvin's defense will certainly see it differently -- that Mitchell was an activist who had very clear bias when he became a juror.

Remember ... Mitchell has been very outspoken since the all-guilty verdict came in -- a verdict he says that he and his fellow jurors reached fairly easily ... once they sorted through some legal jargon in the instructions. He also said there was no pressure to vote guilty.

Britney Spears is itching to talk to the judge in her conservatorship case next month, but not to end the conservatorship ... it's all about giving her dad his walking papers.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney does not feel trapped in the 13-year-old conservatorship. As one source put it, "She has 99% of the freedom she'd have if she weren't in a conservatorship, and the only thing she's prevented from doing are crazy things, like buying 3 cars at a time [something she tried to do back in the day]."

Our sources say Britney has been free to travel -- she goes to Hawaii fairly often -- and lives her life in L.A. without real restrictions.

We're also told Britney is aware her life was out of control before the conservatorship was put in place, and it created a structure and also replenished her dwindling assets. As one source put it, "She's taken care of and she knows it."

Britney's problem is Jamie. We're told the two don't even speak anymore, and she's been angry at him for a long time over business issues and certain people Jamie embraced on the team ... people Britney doesn't like because she feels they were motivated not by her self-interest but theirs.

We're told Britney wants Jamie out as the co-conservator of her estate, managing her business affairs, and that's what she wants to talk to the judge about. She has no problem with the current conservatorship of her person. As we reported, Jodi Montgomery is now the permanent personal conservator of Britney, and the two get along.

Britney has said she will not perform again as long as Jamie is part of the conservatorship. That said, she's given no indication she wants to go back on stage and, in fact, has said she has other priorities.

Peloton is urging customers who bought its Tread+ and Tread machines to stop using the equipment and contact the company for a refund -- a move that comes after several reported injuries, and the alleged death of a child.

Peloton, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced the voluntary recall Wednesday, and the company's CEO John Foley apologized for not cooperating with the CPSC sooner.

The CPSC had previously warned about the Tread+ being unsafe for children and pets in mid-April, and Foley says, "I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+."

He adds ... "We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize."

Along with that mea culpa, Peloton has halted the sale and distribution of the Tread+ and is working on modifications to improve safety.

We broke the story ... Peloton was sued by a customer last month who claimed the treadmill's design made it "extremely susceptible" to children and pets getting trapped underneath the machine. The lawsuit alleged one kid had died in an incident involving the machine.

Donald Trump's Facebook ban has been upheld, but it may not be forever.

The Facebook oversight board has said the former Prez is persona non grata on its platform. Now here's the caveat ... the board decided Facebook -- i.e., Mark Zuckerberg -- can lift the suspension 6 months from the date of suspension.

Trump was banned from Facebook January 7 ... the day after the Capitol insurrection. Facebook determined Trump's incendiary comments contributed to the riot. Zuckerberg posted that there was too great a risk to America if Trump stayed on the platform.

That means Trump could hop back on the platform within 6 months.

The oversight board was appointed with members who are not affiliated with Facebook, including the former Prime Minister of Denmark. But, come 6 months from now, the ball will be in Zuckerberg's court and he can make the decision to reinstate Trump.

Trump has been relatively silent since he left office, largely because he's been banned from numerous platforms.

Silento insists he has a constitutional right to a reasonable bond in his felony murder case ... insisting he's not a flight risk.

The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper filed legal docs in DeKalb County, GA requesting the court set his bond at $25k. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Silento says he's “not an extraordinary bail risk and will not jeopardize the safety of the community if released on bail.”

He also assures the court that if the judge lets him out he won't flee or go into hiding. He promises to obey all court orders. Silento says denying him bond is not only unjust -- it's unconstitutional.

We'll soon know if the judge agrees with Silento ... a bond hearing's been set for later this month.

As we reported ... the rapper was arrested on February 1 for his alleged role in the death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. Silento was charged with felony murder.

Cops said they found Rooks shot to death in the street on Jan. 21 ... and found 8 bullet casings at the scene. Silento's rep asked for positive thoughts for the rapper ... claiming he's been suffering from various mental health issues for several years.

Derek Chauvin's attorney says he deserves a new trial after the former Minneapolis police officer got convicted for murdering George Floyd.

Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, filed legal docs Tuesday asking for the jury verdict in his murder trial to be thrown out, claiming there were numerous errors pertaining to the jury and prosecution.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Chauvin's defense claims he didn't get a fair shake ... alleging the court abused its discretion by disagreeing with defense requests to sequester the jury and change venue.

As we reported ... the judge presiding over Chauvin's murder trial said Rep. Maxine Waters may have given Chauvin additional arguments to make on appeal. Remember, the congresswoman from California had said protesters were banking on a guilty verdict. She encouraged people to take to the streets and get more confrontational if that didn't happen.

Of course, some took that as an incitement of violence. Chauvin's attorney brought up Waters' remarks after closing arguments and said her comments could have possibly influenced the jury.

Nelson had asked for a mistrial but Judge Cahill didn't bite ... but the judge did say Waters opened the door for Chauvin to appeal the verdict. The judge told Nelson he had faith jurors followed his directive to avoid the news and talk of the case.

Chauvin's defense claims the jury should have been sequestered or at least warned to avoid all media related to the case. Nelson claims jurors could have felt intimidated.

Chauvin, who pressed his knee on George Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes back on May 25, 2020, was found guilty on all 3 counts, including 2nd-degree murder.

The maximum penalty for 2nd-degree unintentional murder is 40 years in prison. Chauvin, who will be sentenced in June, remains in custody.

Josh Duggar wants to be released from jail pending a trial in his child porn case ... claiming in new legal docs he's not a flight risk because, among other things, his face is way too recognizable.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "19 Kids and Counting" star claims he should be let out of jail and released to his home so he can take care of his pregnant wife. He says he'll abide by any bail conditions the court puts in place to assure his appearance in court for any hearings in his case.

In docs, Duggar says he's not a flight risk ... and he can prove it. He claims he "has no criminal convictions, and has known about this federal criminal investigation since November 2019 when Homeland Security Investigations executed a search of Duggar’s prior workplace."

What's more ... he claims he's maintained an open dialogue with the U.S. Attorney's Office in connection with this probe. And, get this ... Duggar argues he's not a flight risk because he "has a widely-recognizable face and has spent the majority of his life in the public spotlight — making any concern that he is a risk of flight all the more unwarranted." Duggar's lawyers, Travis Story and Justin Gelfand, make note he and his family were in a hit reality show.

And, in trying to drive home the point... Duggar points to the feds allowing him to voluntarily self-surrender ... and says he complied as directed.

Paul Phillips, the former lead guitarist for Puddle of Mudd, claims he could have trouble making music and making a living ... due to some shoddy care he allegedly got at a hospital.

Paul is suing Florida's Baptist Medical Center of the Beaches and a couple doctors for medical malpractice ... claiming their treatments left him with a brain injury and serious seizure condition that might affect his ability to rock out.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Paul claims his brain hasn't been the same since he was admitted to the hospital back in November 2019 after complaining about an altered mental status and possible seizure.

Paul, who played in the band from 2001 to 2005 and 2009 to 2011, claims initial tests showed he was suffering from low sodium levels, but he says doctors did a poor job monitoring the situation and gradually bringing the levels back to normal, claiming the levels rose too quickly during his time at the hospital.

In the docs, Paul claims he was discharged from the hospital before being rushed back 3 days later due to a seizure. He says MRI exams on his brain showed brain damage, which he claims was caused by the treatment he received during his prior hospital stay.

Paul, who is being repped by Morgan & Morgan, claims he's still having seizures and other neurological issues, which he says are requiring treatment at the Mayo Clinic. He claims the brain issues will continue indefinitely and says it's hurting his ability to make a living.