Bonnie Brezina, who serves as the state director of Marsy’s Law for Tennessee, said the proposed constitutional amendment is on track to be presented to voters on next year’s general election ballot as it makes its final push through the Tennessee General Assembly.
Marsy’s Law, which passed the Tennessee House unanimously and the State Senate by a 27-3 vote last year, must again pass both chambers by a two-thirds majority this current legislative session in order to be presented to voters in 2026.
Last month, the Senate passed Marsy’s Law (SJR 9/HJR 48) by a 27-5 vote. The measure is currently scheduled to be discussed in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee on Wednesday.
If approved by voters in 2026, Marsy’s Law would amend Article I, Section 35 of the Constitution of Tennessee to expand the rights of crime victims.
On Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Brezina explained that Marsy’s Law is named after Marsalee Ann Nicholas, a young California woman who was stalked and murdered by her ex-boyfriend and whose family continued to be stalked by the boyfriend after his release from prison.
“Marsy was a young woman who was stalked and murdered by her boyfriend and the following morning after the court date, he was set free on bail and Marsy’s family received zero notification. He stalked her family at the grocery store. That’s when Marsy’s Law became a thing,” Brezina said.
Brezina (pictured above) said Marsy’s Law, as a constitutional amendment, enshrines the list of rights for crime victims into the state’s constitution instead of amending a state statute, which could be chosen not to be upheld.
“It’s enshrined in the Constitution. If it’s just a statute, it doesn’t have to be upheld…Marsy’s Law is permanent. This is a guarantee. It’s not a statute…In Marsy’s law, there’s recourse and restitution for victims,” Brezina said.
If passed in 2026, Brezina said Tennessee would be the thirteenth state where Marsy’s Law is in effect.
“Here in Tennessee, we haven’t had legislation like this in over 25 years for crime victims,” Brezina said.
Marsy’s Law would specifically grant victims of crime in the state the following thirteen rights:
The right to be treated with fairness for the victim’s safety and dignity;
The right, upon request, to reasonable notice of all criminal public proceedings and all juvenile delinquency proceedings involving the accused;
The right to be present at all public criminal proceedings and all public juvenile delinquency proceedings involving the accused;
The right upon request to be heard in any proceeding involving release, plea, sentencing, disposition, and parole, as well as any public proceeding when relevant during which a right of the victim is implicated;
The right to be heard and informed of all parole procedures, to participate in the parole process, to provide information to the parole authority to be considered before the parole of the offender, and to be notified, upon request, of the parole or other release of the offender;
The right to be free from harassment, intimidation, and abuse throughout the criminal justice system, including reasonable protection, as defined by the General Assembly, from the accused or any person acting on behalf of the accused;
The right, upon request, to reasonable notice of any release, transfer, or escape of the accused or convicted person;
The right to full and timely restitution from the offender;
The right to a speedy trial or disposition and a prompt and final conclusion of the case after the conviction or sentence;
The right to be informed of the minimum sentence the offender will serve in custody and the scheduled release date;
The right to have the safety of the victim, the victim’s family, and the general public considered before any parole or other post-judgment release decision is made;
The right, upon request, to confer with the prosecution; and
The right to be fully informed of all rights afforded to crime victims.
Marsy’s Law is one of three proposed constitutional amendments for the 2026 general election ballot, with the others being a push to ban statewide property taxes and to remove the right to bail for specific offenses.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
