Meth has come roaring back in the state of Tennessee. In 2019, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported that meth outpaced marijuana as the most frequently filed drug in its crime laboratory. In 2020, the picture is the same. A significant 10% increase in methamphetamine abuse has occurred in the state between July of last year and June of this year, according to the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, [...]

The criminal justice system in the United States utilizes two types of juries – trial juries and grand juries. Many people are familiar with trial juries, either through their own participation or from the depiction on popular TV programs. A grand jury and a trial jury consist of randomly selected U.S. citizens, given the great responsibility to hear and consider evidence and arrive at a binding legal decision. However, there are certain distinct differences between the [...]

What exactly is an arraignment?  An arraignment is generally the first step in the criminal process. Sometimes you'll hear it referred to as an initial appearance. It is where you're brought before a neutral, detached magistrate and apprised of your Constitutional rights. That is the right to remain silent and the right to have counsel of your choice, and/or counsel appointed for you. When we talk about counsel, we're talking about folks like me, T. [...]