TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Feb 14, 2024

A pair of legislative measures that would reshape the bail system in Tennessee moved forward in a state House of Representatives subcommittee Tuesday with near unanimous "aye" votes for both, the Tennessean reports. The first measure, filed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, would enable Tennessee judges to deny bail for a broader set of charges, including acts of terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape and grave torture. The measure was amended to also include any offense that requires the convicted individuals to serve at least 85% of their sentence. The second measure would prohibit judges from considering a defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail and expand the discretion judges currently have to approve or deny bail for the crimes covered by the 2022 “truth in sentencing” law. Both measures now move to a full committee vote.