News
December 4, 2001
Executing mentally retarded individuals is cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by both the federal and state constitutions, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Tuesday in a ruling addressing the issue for the first time."We conclude that there is compelling evidence that the execution of mentally…
January 3, 2002
The state Judicial Selection Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Jan. 11 at the Holiday Inn (Exit 4) in Clarksville to conduct a public hearing and interview five attorneys applying for a Circuit Court vacancy in the 19th Judicial District, including Montgomery and Robertson counties.Oral and written…
January 4, 2002
For the first time, all Tennessee trial and appellate judges have the ability to conduct fast efficient legal research via the Internet. The Administrative Office of the Courts has signed a contract with LexisNexis to provide state judges across Tennessee with online access to cases, statutes,…
January 11, 2002
One of three Clarksville attorneys recommended Friday by the state Judicial Selection Commission will be appointed by Gov. Don Sundquist to fill a circuit court vacancy in the 19th Judicial District, including Montgomery and Robertson counties.As required by law, the 17-member bipartisan commission…
January 22, 2002
Tennessee’s changing cultural composition is providing new challenges for judges and court officials as they endeavor to ensure that language barriers are not barriers to equal justice.“The judicial system strives to serve and administer justice equally for all Tennesseans7, whether their ancestors…
January 25, 2002
A growing number of so-called “designer” courts dealing with certain cases involving limited legal issues such as drugs, mental health problems, domestic violence or DUI are proving their worth in Tennessee with lower rates of recidivism and higher rates of rehabilitation, according to judges.In…
February 5, 2002
Seven judicial system boards and commissions have new and reappointed members with terms effective January 1. The Supreme Court appointed members to fill expiring positions and also added two members to the expanded Board of Law Examiners.New Board of Law Examiners members are attorneys Robert E.…
February 11, 2002
More than 7,700 Tennessee children who are in foster care because they were abused, neglected or dependent will benefit from a new state Supreme Court rule establishing guidelines for lawyers appointed to represent them as guardians ad litem.“The guardian ad litem is appointed by the court to…
February 11, 2002
Judges involved in a jury reform pilot project in 10 courtrooms across the state have been authorized by the Tennessee Supreme Court to continue using some or all of the changes beyond the scheduled March 1 end of the experiment which was implemented to improve conditions for Tennessee jurors.In a…
February 14, 2002
Gov. Don Sundquist today announced that Ross H. Hicks, currently a partner with the Clarksville law firm Cunningham, Mitchell, Hicks, Patton, Peay & Rocconi, will fill the vacant seat in the 19th Judicial District. Hicks will replace Judge James Walton, who died on November 13, 2001 after 17…
March 26, 2002
The conviction and death sentence a Memphis jury handed down for the 1997 murder of an off-duty Memphis police officer was affirmed Tuesday by a majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court in an opinion written by Justice E. Riley Anderson of Knoxville.Timothy McKinney was convicted of premeditated…
April 2, 2002
The Eastern Section of the state Court of Appeals is going back to high school. But this time the court will be doing the teaching for 150 Knox County students.On April 15, for the first time, the court will hear oral argument in four actual cases on a high school campus. The half-day session at…
April 2, 2002
Attorneys hoping to become interim successor to retiring Circuit Court Judge Charles Haston in the 31st Judicial District, including Van Buren and Warren counties, must apply by the end of the business day April 22 to be considered, Cornelia Clark, administrative director of the courts, said…
April 11, 2002
The state Judicial Selection Commission will meet May 1 in McMinnville for a public hearing and to interview applicants hoping to succeed retiring Circuit Court Judge Charles Haston in the 31st Judicial District, including Van Buren and Warren counties. The meeting, beginning at 9 a.m., will be in…
April 17, 2002
High school students from Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties will participate May 2 in a state Supreme Court program designed to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The 600 students and their teachers from 10 public and private schools will attend a special…
April 25, 2002
Foreign language court interpreters will be tested, credentialed and required to follow an ethics code addressing issues such as accuracy, impartiality, professional demeanor and confidentiality for the first time under two rules adopted Thursday by the Tennessee Supreme Court.“This rule recognizes…
April 26, 2002
With just one applicant to fill a Circuit Court vacancy in the 31st Judicial District, the state Judicial Selection Commission has cancelled a scheduled May 1 meeting and reopened the application process. The meeting to interview applicants and recommend names to Gov. Don Sundquist will be…
May 7, 2002
A majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the first degree murder convictions and death sentences of James Henderson Dellinger and Gary Wayne Sutton for the 1992 Blount County murder of Tommy Mayford Griffin."We have reviewed all of the issues raised by the defendants and conclude that…
May 14, 2002
The death sentences a Nashville man received for hiring a friend to murder his wife and mother-in-law were upheld Tuesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court in a majority opinion written by Justice William M. Barker. The court unanimously affirmed the aggravated robbery and premeditated first degree…
June 7, 2002
Chief Justice Frank F. Drowota, III, of Nashville has been re-elected by the Tennessee Supreme Court to a four-year term ending Aug. 31, 2006.“I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as chief justice,” he said. “I have the highest respect for their intellectual integrity,…