Criminal Charges

Tennessee state law requires that schools create zero-tolerance policies for students. Zero-tolerance, in essence, means that schools will not permit students to bring or use any drugs or weapons to their schools or on school busses. The zero-tolerance law also applies to the “battery” of the teachers and staff. Students who violate their school’s zero-tolerance…

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) made many public rulings this June, as it does every year. In a somewhat surprising decision, the Court narrowly interpreted the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act overturning a police officer’s conviction. In a 6-3 split, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case back to the…

Many states have approved the use of recreational and/or medical marijuana. While there are advocates for approving these marijuana uses in Tennessee, the State currently does not permit anyone to possess, manufacture, distribute, or sell marijuana for any reason. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is derived from the hemp plant; unlike marijuana, it does not cause a…

Criminal cases generally require that the defendant be arraigned after he/she is arrested. Defendants usually have the right to a preliminary hearing after they are arraigned. It is critical that defendants have legal counsel at both the arraignment and the preliminary hearing. Experienced defense lawyers can explain what happens at each court proceeding and explain…

Trials are risky. The judge in your case can affect the outcome. Juries can be fickle. Sometimes, one or a few jurors can dominate other jurors and persuade other jurors to reach an unjust verdict. While defendants are presumed innocent in criminal cases, juries often find police officers the most credible witnesses. In effect, at…

The ideal for every criminal defendant is to have the criminal charges dismissed before trial. While a jury may acquit you, jury trials carry serious risks. For starters, the jury pool in Tennessee is drawn from registered voters. Voters in this state typically are conservative and often believe a police officer over a person charged…

In criminal cases, when the government seizes any evidence, the government must show that it properly stored the evidence. Properly storing evidence means that there was no opportunity to tamper with the evidence. Chain of custody refers to the methods the prosecution uses to preserve the evidence. In particular, the chain of custody refers to…

In American law, there are two types of juries: grand juries and petit juries. A petit jury decides guilt or innocence after a criminal trial (or the money damages in a civil trial). For some criminal matters, however, there is a grand jury. Generally, but not always, a person is arrested, is arraigned, has a…

Television shows and movies about the law and attorneys often take liberties about how the legal process works. Trials happen quickly, verdicts are returned after a commercial break, and in TV and movie land, justice comes easily. Dramatizations and the media don’t focus on the small details that make up most of civil or criminal…