The U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed that police need to obtain a warrant to search the premises around someone’s home, even if they think they have spotted stolen property there. They aren’t allowed to take a quick peek and initiate a search based on what they see. The case involved a stolen black and orange motorcycle. […]

Being arrested on a criminal charge is a frightening experience. If you’ve been arrested and then convicted it is considerably worse. When your time in court is said and done, and the judge has rendered a guilty verdict, it may be time for you to make an appeal. When you’ve been found guilty of a […]

When you’re driving in your own car, the police can’t just pull you over for no reason — they need reasonable suspicion that you’ve committed an offense. Once they’ve stopped you, they need probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed before they can perform a full search of your vehicle. This is […]

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits “excessive bail.” Over time, courts have made numerous rulings on what constitutes “excessive,” but our country still finds itself in the midst of a bail crisis. By some estimates, as many as 70 percent of that jail population in the United States are behind bars because they […]

Nashville has more than 180 music venues in addition to the venerable Grand Ole Opry House and Ryman Auditorium. The Music City hosts concerts, festivals and events year-round that attract both Tennessee residents and visitors. Unfortunately, visitors to Tennessee sometimes make costly, inconvenient mistakes such as using drugs, driving drunk or breaking the law in […]

What is ineffective assistance of counsel in a criminal case? Thanks to the Sixth Amendment and associated court rulings, criminal defendants are entitled to the assistance of counsel — and that counsel is to be effective. However, the standards for determining when counsel has been constitutionally ineffective are hard to meet. First, the attorney must […]