Tennessee State Laws

Tennessee Law

The state of Tennessee gave birth to many well-know people who left their mark on the rest of the world. This state also has large industries in tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing. Soybeans, cotton, and tobacco are the largest crops to leave the state. Electrical equipment, chemicals, and transportation equipment also come from this Southern state.

Tennessee is governed by state laws as well as four specialized entities that are single only to Tennessee: the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee State Parks Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The state government is responsible for maintaining the peace and safety of its citizens. By creating laws Tennessee is able to provide this with ease. Some of these laws include bankruptcy laws, divorce laws, labor laws, expungement laws, felony convictions, drunken driving laws, and gun laws.

Wages

The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act requires that all those living within the United States be paid a minimum wage. Under this act employers cannot lawfully pay their employees less than this amount. In 2009 the federal government raised its minimum wage to seven dollars and twenty-five cents. Like many other states, Tennessee chose to raise its minimum wage to this standard, rather than exceed it.

It is fully legal to pay employees who are regularly tipped less than this amount. The tipped minimum wage for Tennessee stands at two dollars and thirteen cents an hour. This system is designed to have any acquired tips compensate for the decrease in hourly wages. An hourly tipped wage can only be constituted if an employee earns more than thirty dollars in tips per month. When employees acquire tips in mass, they are required to divide the tips at the end of the shift.

Self-defense

Tennessee law states that the use of a deadly weapon is fully legal when used in self-defense, but only under certain circumstances. These circumstances include being threatened with the necessity to defend the life of another individual or the self. The location must be one where the individual has full right to be and not trespassing. Self-defense is lawful when an aggressor had forcefully entered a place of business, a motor vehicle, a place of residency, and other place of dwelling.

Felony Sentencing

Those who are charged with felony offenses will be tried by either a jury or a judge. Once a verdict has been reached of guilty, a sentence will be arranged. Depending on the number of charges against an individual, as well as past criminal history, an individual can serve prison time, be placed on probation, be required to pay a fine, or have several consequences combined.

Tennessee law allows individuals to be charged with more than one crime at a time, such as two misdemeanor offenses and a felony offense in the same case. When prison sentences are distributed the sentences can be added together for one large sentence. For instance an individual may have three convictions for crime. One of these may sentence three years of prison, another five years, and the last two years. The individual will then serve the sentences together for ten years of incarceration.


Tennessee Law Articles

Tennessee Class A Misdemeanor

Class A Misdemeanor Tennessee

Consequences of Class A Misdemeanor in Tennessee Legal trouble is never something anyone wants to go through. Whether it’s a traffic violation or something more severe, it can be a…

Tennessee Class E Felony

What is a Class E Felony in Tennessee

Tennessee Class E Felony In Tennessee, Class E felonies are the lowest-level felonies defined by law. These offenses can carry a prison sentence of up to six years and/or a…

Tennessee Misdemeanor

A misdemeanor in Tennessee is defined as a crime that is less serious than a felony. The distinction is based on the gravity of the crime committed. If you are…

Tennessee Expungement

Arrests and convictions are typically not automatically expunged or sealed after a number of years in the case of individuals over the age of eighteen. A written application for expungement…

Tennessee Felony

Felonies in Tennessee Tennessee offenses are distinguished by the gravity of each offense. These range from capital offenses to misdemeanors. The most serious offenses are felonies. Capital crimes rank just…

Tennessee Lemon Laws

Lemon Law in Tennessee If you’ve recently purchased a vehicle in Tennessee that has turned out to be a lemon, you may have heard of a law called the Tennessee…

Tennessee Marijuana Laws

In the classic film “Cool Hand Luke,” the prison warden bemoaned the fact that, “Some men you just can’t reach.” He was referring to Luke who never stopped breaking the…

Tennessee Labor Laws

Tennessee Labor Law – Meal Breaks Neither United States law nor Tennessee state law requires employers to provide individuals with meal breaks. Companies and businesses can legally require that employees…

Tennessee DUI Laws

Tennessee DUI Basics In most states, driving under the influence offenses have varying degrees of penalties and are considered misdemeanors in most cases. In Tennessee, driving under the influence offenses…

Tennessee Bankruptcy Laws

Tennessee Bankruptcy Eligibility Tennessee law states that an individual must reside in the state of Tennessee for a minimum of six months before he or she can file for bankruptcy…