Tennessee Supreme Court: Bail is not absolute right
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that the state constitution guarantees the right to bail, but it’s not absolute.
In a unanimous opinion released Tuesday, the state’s highest court said the right to pretrial bail can be revoked if someone is alleged to have committed a crime after bailing out of jail.
The court, however, said that a defendant is entitled to a hearing before bail can be revoked.
The court said defendants must be given written notice of the date, time and place of the hearing, as well as the reason why bail may be forfeited. They are also entitled to know the evidence against them, have the opportunity to be heard, present their own witnesses, confront and cross-examine witnesses and argue in their own defense.
