On the Ballot: Marsy’s Law
Tennessee Today

As Tennesseans prepare to head to the polls in just under two months, we face a variety of choices, from who we will elect as our next governor to what changes we may make to our Constitution. On the Ballot seeks to highlight some of these choices, with this edition’s focus being Constitutional Amendment #3.

Constitutional Amendment #3 would establish constitutional rights and protections for crime victims and their families in Tennessee.

The proposed amendment, commonly known as Marsy’s Law, would provide victims with clearly defined and enforceable rights throughout the criminal justice process, including:

• The requirement to be informed of their rights and the actions they can take following a crime.
• The opportunity to be heard during court proceedings.
• The ability to receive information about significant developments in their cases, including updates to court proceedings and notifications regarding the release of an offender back into the community.

Supporters of the amendment argue that while individuals accused of crimes have numerous constitutional protections, crime victims currently have no enforceable rights explicitly guaranteed in the Tennessee Constitution. They believe that these protections would give victims and their families a more meaningful role in the criminal justice process and ensure their interests are considered throughout a case, rather than only after a verdict has been reached.

Tennessee voters will decide whether to approve Constitutional Amendment #3 during the November election. A “Yes” vote would add the proposed victims’ rights provisions to the Tennessee Constitution.

To read the full text of the amendment, see HERE.