One prominent advocate of a law enforcement program that targets illegal immigrants lauds its alleged upsides, which he says include the positive results it will bring by lessening overcrowded jails and reducing outlays that local governments spend in crime-fighting...
Seasoned and Aggressive Legal Representation
Criminal Defense
An age-old problem in criminal law: shaky eyewitness testimony
The witness -- a seemingly solid citizen with no overt reason to fabricate or otherwise manipulate material fact -- swears to tell the truth and then points squarely at the seated defendant, telling a jury panel and crowded courtroom that he personally witnessed that...
Senator: AG’s pronouncement on criminal sentencing out of touch
It goes without saying that the political reality that daily plays out on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country is marked far more by partisanship and rancor these days than it is by any shared sense of purpose or camaraderie. Still, there are a...
How should Nashville police have responded to judge’s request?
When the below-cited incident occurred last year, those involved likely never considered that it would blow up to writ-large proportions, result in the resignation of a Nashville General Sessions judge and bring about a fair amount of criticism for the city's police...
By numerous measuring sticks, this criminal law program is abysmal
A recent national news focus on the federal government's civil asset forfeiture program states that its main objective "is to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises." By all indications, though, what special IRS agents seem to be most excelling as is not...
Viewpoint: White collar crime sentencing often misses the mark
The writer of a recent opinion letter inked for a national media publication would likely nod in instant agreement with comments we prominently make on our criminal defense website at the long-established Law Offices of Thomas T. Overton in Nashville. We note therein...
Do you care if law enforcers know where you bank and shop?
Historically, Americans have collectively been more than a bit protective in safeguarding what they regard as fundamental personal liberties. Put this way: It's not the state's business where you go to church -- or even if you go at all. No law enforcer should ever...
Juvenile offenders: a singular demographic in criminal law
Under the following scenario, who is more likely to be looked at in disapproving fashion by a judge or jury: a well-seasoned adult with a long string of criminal convictions who is now facing charges relating to a stolen car or a hasn't-shaved-yet teen offender with...
A tale of restraint: unproblematic or troublesome?
"A shadow is falling" over Americans, says one law professor who recently penned an article chronicling his frustration and fear in the wake of a news report he found particularly unsettling. The genesis of his concern was this: people were searched. That happens...
The often-alleged crime spike: Does evidence support the claim?
FBI-authored data point to Tennessee as being a state that has a comparatively outsized problem when it comes to incidents linked with violent crime, at least in one recent year. Does that mean in and of itself that Tennessee has deep-seated and significant concerns...