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Amendment 1
Amendment 1
Tennessee · November 3, 2026
What this measure does
Remove the right to bail for specified criminal offenses
A yes vote means
Judges lose the ability to grant bail for certain serious crimes, and accused people would remain in jail until their trial.
A no vote means
The current bail system stays in place, allowing judges to decide on a case-by-case basis whether someone can be released before trial.
Simple explanation
Right now, when someone is arrested for certain crimes, a judge can decide whether to let them go home while waiting for trial if they promise to show up—or if they pay bail as a guarantee. This amendment would remove that option for some specific crimes, meaning judges couldn't offer bail at all for those offenses and people would have to stay in jail while waiting for their court date.
Who's for it, who's against it
Support
Opposition
- Jeffrey Clayton of the American Bail Coalition
- Just City Memphis
- Just City Memphis Executive Director Josh Spickler
- State Rep. Justin Pearson (D)
- State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-86)
- State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D)
- State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-20)
- State Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D)
- State Sen. London Lamar (D)
- State Sen. London Lamar (D-33)
- Tennessee Association of Professional Bail Agents
Source: Ballotpedia