News
March 16, 2021
Rhea County’s Circuit, Chancery, and General Sessions Courts officially have a new home now that work is complete on the state-of-the-art Rhea County Justice Center.
The 94,000-square-foot Justice Center replaced the historic Rhea County Courthouse as the center of the county’s judicial operations…
March 8, 2021
A new, cutting-edge court program in Tennessee is changing the way the judiciary interacts with at-risk children and their families.
Unlike other programs which connect with juveniles only after they have become involved in the child welfare or justice systems, the Family Preservation Initiative…
March 8, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility’s assessment of costs from a disciplinary proceeding to Memphis attorney Larry E. Parrish and ordered him to pay the costs within 45 days.Effective January 1, 2014, Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, which…
March 2, 2021
Several Tennessee Supreme Court justices and intermediate appellate judges joined other state leaders in a processional as the three State of Tennessee constitutions made their way to the new State Library and Archives on Bicentennial Mall. The three priceless documents were meticulously moved by…
March 1, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court today reinstated a jury’s verdict finding a Davidson County woman, Shalonda Weems, guilty of aggravated child neglect. The Court concluded that the evidence at trial could have led a reasonable jury to determine that the State successfully proved all of the necessary…
February 26, 2021
All judges have stories to tell about the people, places, and experiences that helped them get where they are. Given the level of ability and achievement that it takes to reach the bench, those stories often share common ingredients that are predictors of success: a robust work ethic, strong…
February 24, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that a lawsuit filed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. against the City of Memphis, Shelby County, and Memphis Basketball involving the construction of a 6,200-seat theater is not barred by the legal concept of res judicata. The case was remanded to the…
February 23, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court has three cases set for its February 24, 2021 docket. The first case will be heard using livestream video conferencing. It is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CST at: https://www.youtube.com/user/TNCourts/featured. The second and third cases will be submitted on…
February 23, 2021
In a unanimous opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court held the inevitable discovery rule, an exception to the exclusionary rule that applies when tainted evidence would have been inevitably discovered regardless of police misconduct, does not apply to a case when law enforcement merely…
February 22, 2021
Former 30th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge James C. Beasley, Jr. passed away on February 21, 2021. Judge Beasley served the people of Shelby County for 22 years as a judge, from 1995 until his retirement in 2017. Prior to his judicial career, Judge Beasley served as an assistant district…
February 18, 2021
The Jackson Supreme Court Building and the Nashville Supreme Court Building will both remain closed on Friday, February 19, 2021, due to continued inclement weather. These closures include the Appellate Court Clerk's Office in both buildings. E-Filing will remain available. In addition,…
February 17, 2021
The Jackson Supreme Court Building and the Nashville Supreme Court Building will both remain closed on Thursday, February 18, 2021, due to continued inclement weather. These closures include the Appellate Court Clerk's Office in both buildings. E-Filing will remain available. In addition,…
February 16, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court today ordered that the July 2021 bar exam be held as a remote, computer-based test because of continued concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The February 2021 bar exam is also being held remotely. The July 2020 exam was originally canceled and moved to October, and then…
February 16, 2021
The Jackson Supreme Court Building and the Nashville Supreme Court Building will both remain closed on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, due to continued inclement weather. These closures include the Appellate Court Clerk's Office in both buildings. E-Filing will remain available. In addition,…
February 16, 2021
When most people walk into the courthouse in Lawrenceburg, they likely brush right past a mural representing one of the most significant early civil rights victories in a southern courtroom. The “Justice Served” mural depicts the story of the criminal case that followed the Columbia “race riot” in…
February 15, 2021
The Jackson Supreme Court Building and the Nashville Supreme Court Building will both be closed on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, due inclement weather conditions. These closures include the Appellate Court Clerk's Office in both buildings. E-Filing will remain available. In addition, questions…
February 12, 2021
The Tennessee Judiciary mourns the loss of retired Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jerry L. Smith, who passed away on February 12, 2021.Judge Smith was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1995 by Governor Don Sundquist. He was elected to a full term on the bench in 1996 and was reelected…
February 12, 2021
The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an Order that will ease the current restrictions on in-person proceedings starting in March. This is the ninth Order the Court has issued related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Court’s December 22, 2020, and January 15, 2021 Orders, issued during the height…
February 8, 2021
Brig. Gen. and 14th Judicial District Circuit Judge L. Craig Johnson, whose long and distinguished service in the military culminated with his appointment as Commander of the Tennessee State Guard in 2016, has retired from the Tennessee Military Department.According to the Department, Judge Johnson…
February 5, 2021
Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court, based on legal errors and insufficient evidence, unanimously reversed a Shelby County Chancery Court’s decision to terminate a father’s parental rights and dismissed the petition for termination filed by the mother and stepfather.In Tennessee, a court may…