NEWS
December 4, 2023
WSMV4 Investigates Tennessee's Indigent Defense Crisis
Learn more about Tennessee's indigent defense system's failures and the shortage of court-appointed attorneys called a "crisis" by judges. Hear from CJI's Dawn Deaner, Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, and Davidson County Public Defender Martesha Johnson Moore.
Read the article here
September 27, 2023
Tennessee Lookout article
Coffee County judge denies Georgia man right to release full bodycam video in family’s traffic stop.
Learn more about the Coffee County case where Deonte Williams, whose five children were put in foster care after the stop, argued his First Amendment right to disseminate body camera footage of the incident.
Read the full article by Anita Wadhwani here.
September 25, 2023
The Tennessean article
”Why Tennessee's system appointing lawyers for poor defendants is at 'breaking point'"
Learn more about Tennessee's indigent defense crisis in Melissa Brown's article, including the quotes from Dawn Deaner, CJI's Executive Director & founder, as well as Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, attorney Ryan Davis, retired Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn, and David Carroll, Executive Director of the Sixth Amendment Center. Tennessee pays court appointed lawyers $50 per hour, the lowest rate in the country.
Read the full article here.
June 15, 2022 / March 13, 2023
Dawn Deaner on “This Is Nashville,” WPLN/NPR’s live one-hour talk show, about Tennessee's 51-Year Life Sentence
Listen to Dawn Deaner on This Is Nashville episode about the impact of “Tennessee’s 51-Year Life Sentences” for juveniles – the harshest sentence of any US state. The episode focuses on Fault Lines’ documentary “51 Years Behind Bars” about Almeer Nance, convicted in Knox County, TN at 16 years old and sentenced to 51 years.
Thanks to the American Bar Endowment’s Opportunity Grant, CJI has created a Right to Counsel Toolkit as a self-help guide for people concerned that their court-appointed lawyer is not providing adequate representation. See the Tennessee Scene article to learn what led to the development of the toolkit and check back soon for more information!
March 2, 2021 - CJI Signs Onto Two Petitions to Amend Tenn. Supreme Court Rule 13
On March 2, 2021, CJI; Bass, Barry & Sims; Knox Defense Law Firm; the Office of the Post Conviction Defender; the Justice Initiative; and the Working Law Firm filed two petitions in the Tennessee Supreme Court to amend Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 13.
The first petition seeks to amend Rule 13, § 5(a)(1) and (d)(1). Section (a)(1) permits presiding courts to authorize expert or investigative services for indigent defendants, paid by the state, when proven necessary for the defense. The AOC Director and Chief Justice vacate these orders when lower courts authorize services at rates that exceed the state caps because § 5(d)(1) does not permit rate cap exceptions – even if no expert is available or willing to provide services at rates below the market value. Read the full petition here.
The second petition seeks to amend Tenn. S. Ct. Rule 13 § 5(e)(4)-(5), which permits the AOC Director and Chief Justice to overrule lower courts’ orders authorizing expert or investigator funding for indigent defendants. This results in the denial of resources proven to be necessary to the indigent defendants’ case. Read the full petition here.
December 22, 2020 - CJI Files to Renew Emergency Petition in TN Supreme Court
CJI, Just City, Disability Rights Tennessee, & TACDL, filed to renew an Emergency Petition in the Tennessee Supreme Court. The petition seeks to minimize the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks by reducing the number of individuals incarcerated in Tennessee jails and juvenile detention centers. The initial Petition filed in March was denied, and can be read here.
Read more in from Nashville Public Radio or read the full Petition.
December 9, 2020 - Lawsuit Results in Finding that Local Bail Rule is Unconstitutional
Cash bail deposits filed by a third party may no longer be garnished to pay court fines, costs, and restitution in Davidson County, TN as a result of lawsuit filed on behalf of the Nashville Community Bail Fund against against Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry. The full Order can be read here.
October 1, 2020 - CJI Requests Public Access Davidson County Courts
CJI signed on to a letter to the Presiding Judges of Davidson County Circuit, General Sessions, & Criminal Courts requesting the public be granted access to court proceedings. Although Davidson County Courts have resumed almost normal operation since previous changes because of COVID-19, recently individuals have been denied access to the courthouse. The letter was sent by the Nashville Community Bail Fund, No Exceptions Prison Collective, Vanderbilt Prison Project, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, & Free Hearts.
Read the full letter here.
September 1, 2020 - CJI Files Lawsuit to Protect Free Speech
CJI and its founder and Executive Director, Dawn Deaner, filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the unconstitutional suppression of their speech by a local judge and the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. They are represented by Civil Rights Corps, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Read the full press release here.
June 1, 2020 - CJI Signs onto Petition to Protect the Public's Right to Access Court Proceedings
CJI, and 54 additional organizations, signed onto a Joint Petition asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to protect the public’s Constitutional and common law right of access to court proceedings. The Joint Petition was filed by Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) on June 1, 2020. Read the full Petition here.
May 31, 2020 - Free legal representation for those arrested protesting police brutality in Nashville
If you or someone you know was arrested while protesting police brutality in Nashville between May 29-30, 2020, call us at 615-431-3746 for information on how to get free legal representation.
March 30, 2020 - Meaningful Life-Sentence Reform Opinion Piece Published
Dawn Deaner, along with Jeannie Alexander, Rahim Buford, Ashlee Sellers, Josh Spickler, and Janet Wolf published an opinion piece that highlights how Tennessee’s life-sentence laws are in need of meaningful reform for youthful offenders.
March 26, 2020 - CJI Writes Letter to Nashville's Judges
CJI wrote a letter to the Presiding Judges in Nashville providing suggestions on how the local jail population could be reduced to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These suggestions were based on the Emergency Petition CJI filed with the Tennessee Supreme Court.
March 24, 2020 - CJI Files Emergency Petition in TN Supreme Court
CJI, along with over 40 criminal justice advocacy organizations, filed an Emergency Petition in the Tennessee Supreme Court with directives to reduce the number of individuals incarcerated in Tennessee. The Petition seeks to protect the health and safety of those in-custody and the community to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Tennessee’s jails, juvenile detention facilities, and prisons.
Read more in the Nashville Scene or read the full Petition.
March 19, 2020 - Preliminary Injunction Ordered in Federal Lawsuit for Nashville Community Bail Fund
The federal court granted a preliminary injunction preventing Davidson County Courts from garnishing any cash bail the Nashville Community Bail Fund posts. The preliminary injunction only applies to cash bail posted by the Nashville Community Bail Fund. Read the Order here.
March 1, 2020 - CJI on 92Q Let's Talk Nashville
CJI and Nashville Community Bail Fund went on Let’s Talk Nashville 92Q to discuss the work each organization is doing and the justice system.
You can list to Part 1 and Part 2 on Facebook!
February 5, 2020 - CJI Files Lawsuit Over Davidson County Local Bail Rule
CJI, ACLU, ACLU-TN, and Civil Rights Corps filed a lawsuit against Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry on behalf of the Nashville Community Bail Fund. The lawsuit challenges a local rule that allows the court to garnish cash bail deposits and requests a preliminary injunction to stop this practice until the lawsuit is concluded. Read the full complaint here.