Category Archives: Law News

Reckless driving in Tennessee

Reckless driving in Tennessee

Tennessee has been making many efforts in recent years to crack down on reckless and aggressive driving on our roadways. Tennessee’s roadways are some of the most dangerous ones in the country – see the state’s traffic fatality tracker to learn more about how accidents affect our state. Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a new […]

Tennessee Bill to Regulate Manufacture and Sale of Delta-8

Tennessee Bill to Regulate Manufacture and Sale of Delta-8

After last year’s failed attempt by the legislature to enact an outright ban on the new delta-8 and delta-10 THC products, Rep. Lamberth and Sen. Briggs have recently proposed HB 0403 / SB 0378, which seeks to regulate their production and sale instead. The bill was filed just last week, and would treat products containing “hemp-derived […]

The “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” Laws, Self Defense in Tennessee

The “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” Laws, Self Defense in Tennessee

Self-defense as a general defense against prosecution varies widely from state to state. And even when states might recognize the same general principles, they still have their own unique code of laws and specific elements necessary to qualify for a self-defense argument. When researching legal principles like self-defense, you’ll often come across different doctrines, broad theories […]

Biden to Pardon Federal Offenses for Simple Possession of Marijuana

Biden to Pardon Federal Offenses for Simple Possession of Marijuana

On October 6th, 2022, President Biden released a proclamation pardoning those who have been charged/convicted for the offense of simple possession of marijuana under federal or D.C. law. Notice that this is only for misdemeanor marijuana convictions. Other convictions for marijuana related offenses are not subject to this pardon which could include convictions for sale […]

2022 Update to Tennessee’s ‘Unlawful Photography’ Law

2022 Update to Tennessee’s ‘Unlawful Photography’ Law

Another criminal charge amended during the state legislature’s past session is the prohibition of “Unlawful Photography,” found under TCA § 39-16-605. The law previously criminalized the action of photographing someone only if 1) the person in the photograph would be offended/embarrassed and 2) the person who took the photo did so for the purpose of “sexual arousal […]

2021 TBI Crime State Report

2021 TBI Crime State Report

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the 2021 publication of its annual “Crime in Tennessee” report. This report is a collection of data gathered from every “incident” reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the state. As is described in the opening letter, the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS) tracks every reported crime, including […]

Tennessee Updates Law Providing Victims’ Restitution and Compensation

Tennessee Updates Law Providing Victims’ Restitution and Compensation

Prior to 2022, TCA § 40-25-105 did not address restitution paid to the victim of a crime in its ordered schedule of payments from a convicted defendant. HB 870/SB 893 sought to change this. Passed in 2021, and in effect as of January 1, 2022, § 40-25-105(a) now places a victim’s right to restitution as […]