Tennessee Criminal Law, Explained
Most of what gets written about Tennessee criminal law online is either a statute pasted without context or an advertisement wearing a headline. These articles cite the code section, say what the State actually has to prove, and stop there.
Most Recent
Gun Rights After a Conviction in Tennessee
What the prior was matters more than whether it was a felony. Restoration moved into 40-29-101 in 2025.
Probable Cause and Preliminary Hearings
What the judge actually decides at the hearing, what you can demand there, and why a dismissal is not the end.
Tennessee Self-Defense Laws
Two conditions sit ahead of stand your ground, and the castle presumption has four exceptions.
DUI
Challenging Field Sobriety Tests in Tennessee
Three standardized tests, fifteen clues, and an implied consent statute that never mentions any of them.
Prescription Medication DUI in Tennessee
The same statute as alcohol, and a valid prescription is no defense. What the State still has to prove.
For the charge itself rather than the reading, see DUI defense.
Assault and Arrest
Tennessee Self-Defense Laws
Two conditions sit ahead of stand your ground. There is no forcible-felony rule, and the castle presumption has four exceptions.
Tennessee Resisting Arrest Laws
Resisting requires force, not just non-compliance. Running is a separate and higher charge.
Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication in Nashville
Both need more than being loud or drunk, and there is a Broadway charge that lands two grades worse.
For the charge itself, see assault and battery defense.
Drugs and Guns
Simple Possession, Schedule VI and THC
A Class A misdemeanor under 39-17-418. The half-ounce figure is a distribution rule, not a possession limit.
Gun Rights After a Conviction in Tennessee
What the prior was matters more than whether it was a felony. Restoration moved into 40-29-101 in 2025.
For the charges themselves, see drug charges and gun charges.
How a Case Works
Probable Cause and Preliminary Hearings
What the judge actually decides at the hearing, what you can demand there, and why a dismissal is not the end.
General Sessions vs Criminal Court
What each court does, the waiver you sign to be tried in Sessions, and the ten-day appeal window that costs a jury.
New to all of this? Start at criminal defense, or read about options for veterans.
Reading About It Is Not The Same As Being Told Where You Stand.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and no article knows the facts of your case. Call Patriot Law and get a straight read on the one you actually have.