'Not a High Bar': The Supreme Court's Invitation to Charge the Innocent with Crimes - Articles

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Posted by: Laura Labenberg on Nov 2, 2025

In this edition of Voices of the YLD, Kyle Mothershead urges readers to keep harmful assumptions in check. Rather than wonder what someone who was charged with a crime did, we should be wondering "why did they accuse that innocent man?" In "'Not a High Bar': The Supreme Court's Invitation to Charge the Innocent," he asks readers to raise the standards of proof before formally charging someone with a crime as the ramifications of being charged can severely impact a person's life. Kyle Mothershead is a Vanderbilt Law School graduate and former clerk for Judge Aleta A. Trauger, federal judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He is the founder of Relentless Advocacy, a boutique civil rights firm located in Brentwood. Relentless is focused on holding the justice system accountable to the Constitution. If you are interested in submitting a piece for Voices of the YLD, contact Brian Mounce, YLD's Publications Committee chair.