Knox County Sheriff’s Deputies will detain pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Tennessee in May 2024 (Photo: Angela Dennis)

Knox County’s Big Ju Court He indicted University of Tennessee protesters who attended on-campus demonstrations more than a year ago, protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.

At a June 2024 hearing, Judge Judson Kyle Davis acknowledged the courage of the demonstrators, but said his role was not to make decisions driven by emotions.

“All I have to consider is criminal trespassing laws. There are clearly some good arguments that are very well studied, and some of those arguments are difficult for me to object to, but that’s not something I consider,” Davis said. According to attorney Dillon Zinzer, who represents one of the plaintiffs, the Knox County District Attorney’s Office sent the case to a large ju court in June 2024, and the charges were issued on June 18th.

Seven of the 12 protesters charged are scheduled for arrests in Knox County Criminal Court on July 16th and July 22nd, and are charged with criminal trespassing, according to Knox County Sheriff’s Office records. According to Zinser, others are still waiting for the court date.

Zinzer said district attorney Charm Allen’s office was significantly delayed in waiting a year before bringing the case before the big ju court and could have chosen to dismiss each case.

“We were hoping that they would probably do the right thing,” Zinser said. “But they chose to indict them, so that’s a signal to all of us that they are deciding to prosecute this case with the best possible law.”

He also said they were going to fight the accusations.

“Our clients don’t want to plead guilty because they don’t think they broke the law,” Zinzer said. “That’s why we’re asking for a ju trial. This is content-based discrimination, and these protesters targeted their political views that are not popular with the government.”

Attorney Mike Warren, who represents the five protesters indicted, said he was stunned by the decision to proceed with the charges almost a year after his arrest.

“The idea that they just put these things on the big juice is that it’s ridiculous for a year before they can pull it out. That just doesn’t make sense.”

He also questioned the motivation behind the delay, suggesting that external influences may have played a role.

“I think the message they’re trying to send, like everything else in the Trump era, is that the first revision is dead,” Whalen said.

What led to arrest on campus

On May 15, 2024, a group of protesters, including university students and community members, were arrested at a Palestinian rally at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, held in compliance with Nakba Day.

Naqba is the commemoration of the Palestinians to the date that Israel’s Declaration of Independence was signed and exiled before and after the establishment of Israel in 1948. The word “naqba” means “catastrophy” in Arabic and refers to the loss of Palestinian homes, lands and livestock.

The protesters urged the University of Tennessee to take action, including cutting ties with Israeli arms manufacturers, suspending Israeli study abroad programs, revealing financial investments and selling from Israeli-related companies. They outlined requests for signs displayed during the campus demonstration.

Tennessee’s law prohibiting fraudulent camps on public property has had a calm impact on protests across the state, including those found on campuses of universities, such as the University of Tennessee.

Before his arrest on May 15, nine pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on May 2, 2024 in breach of the university’s policy on the use of outdoor facilities for accreditation events. In response, UT later allowed the groups to reserve student union lawns for future demonstrations, provided they adhered to the university’s established guidelines at time, place and method. Under these rules, groups were allowed to occupy space every day from 7am to 10pm

However, some protesters were detained more than an hour before the designated closing time on May 15, 2024, and were repeatedly instructed by campus officials to leave the facility, according to a university statement.

Pro-Palestinian activists file federal lawsuit against UT, Sheriff’s Office over violation of the First Amendment

Two protesters arrested last year also filed a federal lawsuit against UT in May 2025, claiming that the school had violated its right to amendment at a demonstration on campus last year.

Plaintiffs Leila Solis and Hasan Hussain said the university would use its policy to unfairly target and silence Palestinian speeches.

The lawsuit alleges that the university implements outdoor event rules in a non-content-neutral way and is a community member who has not been accused of disciplinary action and trespass warnings issued to protesters as UT. Plaintiffs are seeking future restrictions on similar protests, formal recognition that their rights have been infringed, and a court injunction to prevent monetary damages.

Solis also filed a lawsuit against the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly infringing religious rights when deputies removed the hijab during the booking process and later published the mugshot after the campus arrest in May. she was It awarded $71,500 in March to settle the lawsuit.