Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101 (2026)
Jurisdiction - Time of application
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) Persons rendered infamous or deprived of the rights of citizenship by the judgment of any state or federal court may have their full rights of citizenship restored by the circuit court.
- (b) Those pardoned, if the pardon does restore full rights of citizenship, may petition for restoration immediately after the pardon; provided, that a court shall not have jurisdiction to alter, delete or render void special conditions of a pardon pertaining to the right of suffrage.
- (c) Those convicted of an infamous crime may petition for restoration upon the expiration of the maximum sentence imposed for the infamous crime.
Code 1858, § 1994 (deriv. Acts 1851-1852, ch. 30, § 1); Shan., § 3635; Code 1932, § 7183; Acts 1981, ch. 345, § 7; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 40-3701; Acts 1983, ch. 207, § 2.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 26
cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1992–2026 · leading case: State v. Johnson, 79 S.W.3d 522 (Tenn. 2002).
State v. Johnson, 79 S.W.3d 522 (Tenn. 2002). “§ 39-17-1307(b)(1)(A): “After an individual has had his full rights of citizenship restored pursuant to Tenn.Code Ann. § 40-29-101, et seq., following a conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, can he be convicted of a violation of Tenn.”
May v. Carlton, 245 S.W.3d 340 (Tenn. 2008). “The concomitant loss of voting rights survives the expiration of the defendant's sentence and remains in full force and effect after the defendant is no longer in custody until the defendant's civil rights are restored in accordance with Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 40-29-101 to -205…”
In Re: Application of Tony Cox (seeking to qualify as agent for Memphis Bonding) & State of Tennessee v. Cheryl D. Gray & Samuel R. Brisco, 389 S.W.3d 794 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2012). “§ 40-29-101 (emphasis added). There is no “absolute right to the restoration of the full rights of citizenship even upon *799 satisfying the requirements in [Tennessee Code Annotated section] 40-29-101 et seq.”
Cole v. Campbell, 968 S.W.2d 274 (Tenn. 1998). “The loss of these specific rights of citizenship may be restored pursuant to a statutory proceeding for “restoration of citizenship” set forth in Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 40-29-101—105. See also 21A Am.”
United States v. White, 808 F. Supp. 586 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). “§ 40-20-114 to the restoration of citizenship rights by a “court of competent jurisdiction” refers to the procedures outlined in T.C.A. § 40-29-101 and § 40-29-102. These sections read as follows: T.”
Tenn.Conf. of the NAACP v. William Lee, 105 F.4th 888 (6th Cir. 2024). “See Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-29-101 , 2-19-143. Since 2006, most disenfranchised felons who were convicted after May 18, 1981 can restore their voting rights by obtaining a Certificate of Voting Rights Restoration.”
Billy Walker v. United States, 800 F.3d 720 (6th Cir. 2015). “) Tennessee courts are authorized to restore “full rights of citizenship” under the procedure outlined in Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-29-101 to 40-29-105, and there is no dispute that the court-ordered restoration of Walker’s state civil rights was valid.”
State v. Ferguson, 106 S.W.3d 665 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003). “Ferguson’s citizenship rights in accordance with the provisions of Tenn.Code Ann. § 40-29-101, et seq. “including his eligibility to register and vote in this state.”
Robert Dionne O'Neal v. Mark Goins (Tenn. Ct. App. 2016). “O‟Neal had his citizenship rights restored in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. §40-29-101 , et seq., by order of the Circuit Court of Marshall County.”
State of Tennessee v. Jason Kevin Dedreux (Tenn. Ct. App. 2022). “DeDreux filed a petition to restore his citizenship rights pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101 on September 8, 2020, asserting that he was entitled to full restoration of his citizenship rights because he paid all fines and costs and completed his sentence without any…”
David Scott Blackwell v. Bill Haslam, Governor of the State of Tennessee, Robert e. Cooper, Jr., Tennessee Attorney Gen., Victor S. (Torry) Johnson, III, Dist. Attorney Gen., Kim Helper, Dist. Attorney Gen., & The State of Tennessee (Tenn. Ct. App. 2013). “Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101 (2012) (emphasis added).”
State of Tennessee v. Larry Baltimore (Tenn. Crim. App. 2014). “We rely on our previous analysis of the statute and respectfully disagree with Appellant that the discrepancy in the listed categories signifies that the legislature intended for convicted felons to have an exception to this statute or a later restoration.”
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101(1)(E) — 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Charles Hubert Russell (Tenn. Crim. App. 2026).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101(a) — 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Roscoe Dixon (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018).
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-101(c) — 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Roscoe Dixon (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018).
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