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
Will a Criminal Charge Show Up on a Background Check?
A dismissal does not clear itself. What records exist, and how they come off at no cost.
What Happens If You Violate Probation in Tennessee?
The warrant or summons, the preponderance standard at the hearing, and the caps on technical violations.
What to Do After a DUI Arrest in Nashville
The first 72 hours, the evidence that disappears first, and how your license is actually decided.
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.
What to Do After a DUI Arrest in Nashville
A 72 hour checklist, what the State has to prove, and the two separate ways a license is lost.
Is It Worth Hiring a DUI Attorney in Tennessee?
Mandatory minimums, no judicial diversion, and what a lawyer can actually test.
How to Choose a DUI Lawyer in Nashville
What to ask before you hire, how DUI fees are structured, and which promises are not allowed.
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.
Penalties for Domestic Assault in Tennessee
Who counts as a domestic abuse victim, jail and fines by conviction, and the firearms order that follows.
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.
Criminal Charges and Background Checks in Tennessee
Dismissals, expunction waiting periods, and the offenses the statute excludes.
What Happens If You Violate Probation in Tennessee?
How a violation starts, what the judge decides, and the statutory caps on technical violations.
Public Defender vs Private Attorney in Tennessee
The indigency hearing, the $50 fee, and what retained counsel adds that appointed counsel cannot.
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.