News
April 11, 2022
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an Order on its own motion late Friday taking jurisdiction of Akilah Moore v. William Lee, et al, which involves redistricting for state senate seats. The Order can be found…
April 11, 2022
Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark J. Fishburn is not only looking forward to retiring later this year, he’s looking forward to returning to the bench this month. Judge Fishburn was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy to treat it in June 2021. This February, he…
April 5, 2022
The Court of Appeals in-person oral arguments came full circle on March 11, by returning to Belmont University Law School. The previous in-person session was held on campus just over two years ago, March 4, 2020. Soon after, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the courts to transition to a virtual format…
April 4, 2022
Judge Katerina Vatulina Moore was born in Ukraine. She grew up in Zaporizhzhia, a city in the south-eastern part of the country, known for its multiple power stations. In fact, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. When Judge Moore watches the…
April 1, 2022
The Tennessee Supreme Court has eight cases set for its April 2022 docket. The first two cases will be heard in Jackson on April 5 beginning at 9 a.m. Five cases will be heard in Nashville on April 6 beginning at 9 a.m. The final case will be submitted on briefs. Oral arguments will be livestreamed…
March 31, 2022
The General Assembly honored Deborah Taylor Tate with a Joint House Resolution on the House floor today. Tate retired from her post as Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in February.
Representative Andrew Farmer and Representative William Lamberth led efforts to establish…
March 30, 2022
Final Rule 31 Listing Renewal Deadline March 31, 2022 All Rule 31 Listed Mediators must renew annually or their listing will lapse. The 2022 listing renewal season will close on March 31, 2022.To continue as a Rule 31 Listed Mediator, one must submit a renewal application and a renewal…
March 29, 2022
Judge Kennedy’s had a lot of memorable moments in his courtroom over the past 19 years. However, the use of Zoom and WebEx, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, gave a whole new meaning to crazy court incidents. So much so that his staff believes this memorable moment from February 2022 is one for the…
March 28, 2022
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced appointments to three judicial positions across the state.The following Tennesseans have been appointed:Professor Jeffrey Usman– Court of Appeals, Middle DivisionJudge Tom Greenholtz– Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern DivisionJudge Kyle Hixson– Court of…
March 25, 2022
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is seeking a qualified person for the position of General Counsel.The General Counsel performs administrative legal work across all areas of the AOC, and communicates effectively and respectfully. He or she is well-versed and confident in his or her…
March 23, 2022
Justice Sharon G. Lee will receive the Grayfred Gray Public Service in Mediation Award for her innovative and lasting contributions to the field of mediation at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators (TAPM) on April 8, 2022. The award is part of the celebration of…
March 18, 2022
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met today to consider five applicants for the imminent vacancy on the Court of Appeals Middle Section. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the Council selected the following applicants:…
March 18, 2022
The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) honored Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway with the Senator Douglas Henry Public Official of the Year Award at its annual Children’s Advocacy Days, March 8-9.
“I never met Senator Henry. He was a true public servant. Everyone…
March 16, 2022
Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Gary Starnes was presented the 2021 Leon Ruben Memorial Award for Excellence at the spring 2022 General Sessions Judges Conference.This award is given out annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through their outstanding service to the…
March 9, 2022
Rachel Harmon was recently appointed deputy director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Harmon first joined the agency in 2015 and has served as the AOC General Counsel and Director of Legal Services and Judicial Development. In that role, she has provided extensive legal advice and…
March 4, 2022
The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that a probation revocation proceeding involves a two-step inquiry on the part of the trial court. The Court also held that, if the trial court has properly placed its findings on the record, the standard of appellate review for probation revocations is abuse…
March 3, 2022
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met today to consider seven applicants for the two imminent vacancies on the Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the Council selected the following applicants:…
March 1, 2022
First female prosecuting attorney in the 22nd judicial district, first female circuit court judge in the 22nd judicial district, and first female president of the Maury County Bar Association. Judge Stella Hargrove has broken barriers and set new standards throughout her career.“I’m really proud of…
February 28, 2022
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider five applicants when it meets to select nominees for the imminent vacancy on the Middle Section of the Court of Appeals after the Honorable Richard H. Dinkins elected not to file a declaration of candidacy for retention in the August…
February 23, 2022
May 4 started as a typical day for Judge Cheryl Blackburn, Criminal Court, Division III, 20th Judicial District. She finished a sentencing hearing and was about to head back to her office when she took a detour that may have saved her life.
“Instead of coming into my office, I went to Angie’s…