A Circuit Court in Tennessee has ruled that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wardens are not allowed to enter private lands to conduct a search without a warrant. According to a Press Release from the Institute for Justice, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 the Benton County Circuit Court ruled that a statute authorizing warrantless trespassing and surveillance by Tennessee game wardens is unconstitutional. The ruling came about after Benton County landowners Terry Rainwaters and Hunter Hollingsworth filed a lawsuit that claimed the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) ignored their “No Trespassing” signs by entering and installing cameras on their land.
According to the Institute for Justice, in addition to finding the law enabling searches unconstitutional, the court granted Rainwaters’ and Hollingsworth’s request for $1 in damages as compensation for the violation of their constitutional rights. The TWRA has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.