Criminal Procedure in Sumner County, Tennessee

Every county has different local rules of court that govern the criminal court process and the procedure of how a criminal case should progress. The rules of criminal procedure are set by the state, but every county has their local rules. Sumner County Criminal Court Judge Dee Gay recently reminded attorneys that practice in his court of the local rules. I thought that I would post some of the key rules for lawyers that don’t practice there often or those facing criminal charges in Sumner County.

• At the arraignment, the court will assign a settlement day 90 days after the arraignment.
• A settlement day is an opportunity to work to a plea bargain agreement with the prosecutor.
• Discovery must be filed within 10 days of the arraignment.
• Discovery must be answered within 21 days of the filing of the discovery request.
• Diversion requests must be filed within 10 days after the discovery response.
• Settlement offers should be made within 60 days from the date of the arraignment.
• Settlement dates will be continued only for good cause shown.

These rules are found in rule 10.02 of the local rules of court for the Criminal Court of Sumner County, Tennessee.

If you have any questions about the criminal court process, feel free to contact our office.