Criminal Defense
Millington runs its own municipal court for traffic and city ordinance matters, but a criminal arrest by Millington Police goes downtown to Shelby County General Sessions at 201 Poplar. Brooks Law Firm defends DUI, drug, domestic assault, theft, and other criminal charges from Millington in the Shelby County courts, from General Sessions through preliminary hearing, grand jury, and trial.
Charged after a stop or arrest in Millington? Call (901) 324-5000 or call/text the criminal defense line at (901) 412-2973.
Millington Municipal Court
| Court | Millington Municipal Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 7950 Memphis Avenue, Suite 2, Millington, TN 38053 |
| Phone | (901) 873-5850 |
| Clerk hours | Mon–Wed 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. · Thu 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. · Fri 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. |
| Traffic court | First and third Thursday of each month at 5:00 p.m. (except July and December) |
Unlike Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville, Millington’s court handles only city ordinance violations and traffic matters. Until 2019 Millington’s elected city judge held concurrent General Sessions jurisdiction; a 2019 Private Act made the judgeship an appointed position, and under Tennessee law an appointed city judge hears only charter and ordinance violations — so the court no longer has a judge for criminal cases and can no longer resolve misdemeanors. State misdemeanor and felony charges from Millington Police arrests go to Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court at 201 Poplar: misdemeanors resolve there, and felonies proceed by preliminary hearing and are bound over to the Shelby County Criminal Courts. Arrests in Millington by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office or Highway Patrol go to 201 Poplar as well.
Got a Millington ticket? Text a photo of the front of it to (901) 412-2973 — flat-fee quote by text, usually within the hour. No call, no office visit.
If You Lose: Appeals from Millington
A ruling on a city ticket or ordinance violation in Millington Municipal Court is appealed to Shelby County Circuit Court, where the case is retried from scratch. The deadline is 10 days (Sundays excluded) with a $250 appeal bond fixed by statute (Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-18-307). The case stays civil — a fine is the worst outcome.
A criminal charge from Millington is heard at 201 Poplar, and an appeal from General Sessions goes to the Shelby County Criminal Court — a completely new trial, with the right to demand a jury at filing (Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108). The deadline is again 10 days; a cost bond is required unless you qualify as indigent, and the statute sets no fixed dollar amount. Ten days goes fast — if court did not go your way, contact us the same day.
Charges We Defend in Millington
DUI
Highway 51, Navy Road, and the Veterans Parkway corridor see regular DUI enforcement. Tennessee’s penalties are unforgiving — a mandatory minimum 48 hours in jail and a one-year license revocation on a first offense, and a DUI conviction cannot be expunged absent a governor’s pardon. A DUI defense tests the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the breath or blood evidence, and we handle the companion charges of reckless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Drug Charges
Drug cases under the Tennessee Drug Control Act range from simple possession to felony possession with intent, graded by schedule and quantity. The Highway 51 corridor between Memphis and Tipton County generates interdiction stops, and these cases rise or fall on the legality of the stop and search.
Domestic Assault
Domestic assault arrests carry a 12-hour mandatory hold, firearm consequences on conviction, and — like DUI — a conviction that can never be expunged. A companion order of protection is a separate civil proceeding with its own hearing. For service members, a domestic violence conviction has career-ending implications under federal firearms law, which makes early defense involvement especially important.
Theft and Property Offenses
Theft, shoplifting, and property offenses are graded by value under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-105. Qualifying first offenders are often eligible for diversion and expungement that keeps the charge off their record entirely.
Military Personnel and Veterans
Millington is home to Naval Support Activity Mid-South, and criminal charges hit service members differently. An off-base arrest by civilian police is prosecuted in the Shelby County courts like any other case — but the consequences ripple into security clearances, command notification, and administrative action. Offenses occurring on base fall under federal or military jurisdiction instead. Active-duty personnel and veterans facing charges should raise their status early: Shelby County operates a Veterans Treatment Court, and veteran status can open resolution paths that ordinary dockets don’t offer. Brooks Law Firm has experience representing clients in veterans treatment court.
Other Courts We Serve
Brooks Law Firm appears throughout West Tennessee: Germantown · Bartlett · Collierville · Cordova · Fayette County · Tipton County · Lauderdale County · Haywood County — or see all courts we serve and the criminal defense overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my Millington case be heard in Millington or downtown Memphis?
Downtown. A traffic ticket or city ordinance citation from Millington Police is heard in Millington Municipal Court at 7950 Memphis Avenue, but a criminal charge from any agency, Millington Police, the Sheriff’s Office or the Highway Patrol, goes to Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court at 201 Poplar; misdemeanors resolve there, and felonies are bound over to the Shelby County Criminal Courts after a preliminary hearing.
I’m active-duty at NSA Mid-South. Does a civilian charge affect my career?
It can. Even a misdemeanor conviction may trigger command notification, clearance review, or administrative consequences, and a domestic violence conviction carries firearm prohibitions that are incompatible with most military duties. Handling the civilian case with those stakes in mind — and raising veteran or active-duty status where it opens treatment-court options — is essential.
Can a Millington charge be expunged?
Many can, through dismissal or judicial diversion for qualifying first offenders. DUI and domestic assault convictions are the exceptions — Tennessee law never allows them to be expunged, which is why those charges warrant a full defense from the start.
I lost in Millington city court. Can I appeal, and what does it cost?
Yes. A Millington city-ticket ruling is appealed to Shelby County Circuit Court within 10 days (Sundays excluded) with a $250 statutory appeal bond, and you get a completely new trial. A criminal case from Millington is heard at 201 Poplar, and an appeal from General Sessions goes to the Shelby County Criminal Court within 10 days — with the right to demand a jury when you file. We handle both.
Brooks Law Firm defends Millington criminal charges in the Shelby County courts and traffic matters in Millington Municipal Court. Call (901) 324-5000 or call/text (901) 412-2973. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.