Deborah Taylor Tate, a former Tennessee courts administrator, speaks to reporters at a news conference outside the Supreme Court Building in Nashville to launch the Tennessee Justice Bus, on on Monday, July 20, 2022. The passenger van, outfitted with computers and Wi-Fi, will be used by attorneys from Tennessee’s Access to Justice project to travel throughout the state to bring civil legal help to residents. Photo: Travis Loller/AP
A Tennessee court initiative to help residents in need of legal aid has found a new way to reach out. On Monday, officials launched the Tennessee Justice Bus—a mobile legal clinic that will travel the state providing free pop-up legal services.
The Justice Bus is a passenger van outfitted with computers and wifi. Lawyers from the state’s Access to Justice program will use it to conduct legal clinics and educate the public about free resources for problems such as eviction, child custody and medical debt. Unlike with criminal matters, citizens are not entitled to free legal counsel for civil issues, even though those issues can be difficult to navigate without help.
