A grand jury in Knox County has indicted University of Tennessee protesters who participated in on-campus demonstrations more than a year ago, protesting Israeli actions in Gaza.
At a hearing in June 2024, Judge Judson Kyle Davis acknowledged the courage of the demonstrators but stated that his role was not to make a decision driven by emotions.
“All I have to consider is the statute of criminal trespassing. There have been some good arguments that were obviously very well studied, and some of those arguments are hard for me to disagree with, but it’s not something for me to consider,” Davis said. “I think it’s more of a jury question.”
The Knox County District Attorney’s Office sent the case to a grand jury in June 2024, and indictments were issued on June 18, according to attorney Dillon Zinser, who is representing one of the plaintiffs.
According to records from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, seven of the 12 protesters indicted are scheduled for arraignment July 16 and July 22 in Knox County Criminal Court. They are charged with criminal trespassing, a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine. The others are still awaiting court dates, according to Zinser.