NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville-area voters and the rest of Tennessee will decide Amendment 3 this fall, a Marsys Law measure that would replace the state constitutional list of crime-victim rights with a longer set of 13 enforceable protections.
Tennessee already added eight victim rights in 1998, including the right to confer with prosecutors, be free from harassment and be informed of proceedings and releases. Advocates say those rights are mostly aspirational and hard to enforce.
If approved, Amendment 3 would clarify existing rights and add parole participation, notice of the minimum sentence and scheduled release date, and a requirement that victim and public safety be weighed before release. It also extends coverage to juvenile delinquency proceedings, which the current section does not mention.
Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon, who co-sponsored the enabling resolution in 2024, has said the 1998 amendment has been inadequate in practice and that the new text would give victims meaningful constitutional protections. Bonnie Brezina, who leads the Marsys Law for Tennessee effort, has argued victims are overdue for stronger tools.
Some Democratic lawmakers preferred strengthening statutes instead of locking details into the constitution, warning that future updates would be harder. The amendment states it must preserve due process, cannot vacate a conviction, does not restrict prosecutors or the courts, and creates no claim for damages against the state.
Amendment 3 reached the ballot as a legislative referral and appears on the Nov. 3, 2026 statewide ballot. Article I, Section 35 would be replaced by the longer thirteen-item list if voters approve the change under Tennessee amendment rules.
