TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 10, 2025

A bipartisan bill in the state legislature aims to make it easier for Tennesseans convicted of crimes to present new evidence of their innocence in court, the Nashville Banner reports. The proposed reform, backed by the Tennessee Innocence Project, is sponsored by Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville, and Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. The HB601/SB256 seeks to expand and simplify access to court for convicted individuals and prosecutors who have often struggled to get a hearing on compelling new evidence. It would close the gap between the treatment of scientific and non-scientific evidence and establish a process for district attorneys to present courts with new evidence of a wrongful conviction. Under current law, prosecutors are obligated to act on such evidence but have "little way to do so," the bill sponsors argue.