Tennessee General Sessions Court
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Most people with a first offense DUI in Tennessee will find themselves with a court date in a General Sessions Court in Tennessee. The first court date will generally be a date to only get a second court date, sometimes called an arraignment date, in many jurisdictions there will be no Assistant District Attorney, nor will there be a police officer present. You will give the judge your name, and he or she will give you or your attorney a return court date.
Your second court date will be for either a hearing, this is called your preliminary hearing or it will be for your plea. In General Session these are your only two options, and if you are charged with a Felony DUI in Tennessee you will not be permitted to plea to that in General Sessions, you will have to proceed to Criminal Court for a Felony Plea. You might ask, what happens if I have a preliminary hearing in General Session?
A hearing in General Sessions Court most of the time results in your case being bound over to the Grand Jury of your district, it is at the Grandy Jury that you are usually indicted. If your case is dismissed by the Judge at preliminary hearing you can still be indicted by the Grand Jury, if the Assistant District Attorney presents it, that is because jeopardy does not attach, meaning you can be tried for this crime again.
General Sessions Court is a good place to resolve many alleged crimes such as a DUI, Marijuana Possession, Theft, and many others. However when a case cannot be settled it is also a good place to discover information that the State has in regards to your case, it allows you to see what probable cause they have to send your case to the Grand Jury.
Should you need representation in your DUI or other alleged criminal act, please feel free to call the office at toll free 1 (877) 271-2633.
Daniel L. McMurtry, Esq.
