Press Releases | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts

Tennessee Supreme Court Holds Defendant Who Enters No Contest Plea Not Entitled to Notice that Refusal to Admit Responsibility in Sex Offender Treatment May Result in Revocation of Probation or Diversion

December 11, 2018

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s revocation of judicial diversion for Westley A. Albright, who entered a no contest guilty plea to one count of solicitation of a minor, for which he was placed on judicial diversion and received a…

Tennessee Supreme Court Clarifies the Standards for Trial Courts to Apply When Ruling on Motions to Reduce Sentences Imposed on Guilty Pleas

December 10, 2018

The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that a defendant who pleads guilty is not required to present proof of post-sentencing changed circumstances to prevail on a motion for reduction of sentence under Rule 35 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal…

Supreme Court Clarifies Release Eligibility for Defendant Convicted of First-Degree Murder Committed on or After July 1, 1995, Sentenced to Life in Prison

December 6, 2018

In a case involving first-degree murder committed by a juvenile, the Tennessee Supreme Court has clarified that a defendant convicted of first-degree murder committed on or after July 1, 1995, and sentenced to life in prison becomes eligible for release after serving a minimum of 51 years in…