Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 (2026)
Disrupting meeting or procession
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) A person commits an offense if, with the intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering, the person substantially obstructs or interferes with the meeting, procession, or gathering by physical action or verbal utterance.
- (b) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
Amended by 2020EX2 Tenn. Acts, ch. 3, s 14, eff. 8/20/2020.
Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12
cases (6 in the last 5 years), 1996–2026 · leading case: State v. Ervin, 40 S.W.3d 508 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2000).
State v. Ervin, 40 S.W.3d 508 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2000). “The defendant, Lorenzo Edward Ervin, was indicted by a Hamilton County Grand Jury for disrupting a meeting or procession in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-306. A jury returned a verdict of guilty on April 4, 1994.”
Cantrell v. DeKalb Cnty., 78 S.W.3d 902 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001). “Tennessee has long recognized and protected the right of persons to practice their religion free from inappropriate interference or disruption.”
State v. Fielden, 629 S.E.2d 252 (Ga. 2006). “” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 . 2 The Tennessee Court relied upon this statutory language when it rejected Ervin’s overbreadth challenge, noting that the statute does not prohibit speech or other expressive conduct unless the character of the conduct, not its message,…”
Williams, Congresswoman v. Powell, 320 Ga. 221 (Ga. 2024). “at 446-447 (discussing Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 , which criminalizes an act that “substantially obstructs or interferes with [a lawful] meeting, procession, or gathering” with “the intent to prevent or disrupt”); see also N.”
State of Tennessee v. Constance Monieka Every (Tenn. Crim. App. 2025). “In June 2022, the Knox County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant and her six codefendants for disrupting a lawful meeting, a Class A misdemeanor, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-17-306. The Defendant filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, asserting that her…”
Strazzullo v. City of Morristown, Tennessee (E.D. Tenn. 2025). “As such, the criminal convictions conclusively establish, as a matter of law, that probable cause existed for his arrest.” (Doc. 28 at 11 (citations omitted).”
Wattenbarger (M.D. Tenn. 2026). “2 Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 (a) makes it a misdemeanor offense for a person to “substantially obstruct[] or interfere[]” with a lawful “meeting, procession, or gathering by physical action or verbal utterance.”
Long v. City of Coopertown, 801 F. Supp. 2d 674 (M.D. Tenn. 2011). “” 22 Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 (a). For obvious reasons, Long’s unauthorized presence at the aldermen’s table was disruptive.”
City of Lebanon Ex Rel. Philip Craighead v. Derek M. Dodson (2018). “5 See Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 (a) (2014) (“A person commits an offense if, with the intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering, the person substantially obstructs or interferes with the meeting, procession, or gathering by physical action or…”
Anderson v. City of Jellico, Tennessee (RLJ2) (E.D. Tenn. 2021). “) Plaintiff Anderson’s Notice stated that he was being suspended for the following violations and actions which occurred on January 17, 2019: 1) Disturbance of a meeting (TCA 39-17-306); 2) Failure to perform duty (TCA 38-3-111) (failing to prevent a disturbance during the city…”
Williams, Congresswoman v. Powell (Ga. 2024). “at 446-447 (discussing Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306 , which criminalizes an act that “substantially obstructs or interferes with [a lawful] meeting, procession, or gathering” with “the intent to prevent or disrupt”); see also N.”
William Cantrell v. DeKalb Cnty. (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996). “Tennessee has long recognized and protected the right of persons to practice their religion free from inappropriate interference or disruption.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-306(a) — 2 cases
Cantrell v. DeKalb Cnty., 78 S.W.3d 902 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001). “Tennessee has long recognized and protected the right of persons to practice their religion free from inappropriate interference or disruption.”
State of Tennessee v. Constance Monieka Every (Tenn. Crim. App. 2025). “In June 2022, the Knox County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant and her six codefendants for disrupting a lawful meeting, a Class A misdemeanor, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-17-306. The Defendant filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, asserting that her…”
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