News
April 3, 2018
Many developments and initiatives have been implemented, and state and federal plans have been announced, that all have one common goal: to mitigate the opioid epidemic sweeping across Tennessee and our nation.Judge Duane Slone made the trip from East Tennessee to the White House in early March and…
April 2, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear three cases on April 4, 2018, in Jackson, TN. The details of the cases are as follows: Board of Professional Responsibility v. Larry Edward Parrish - In this attorney-discipline matter, the Court will consider the parameters of constitutional…
March 26, 2018
The Fourth Circuit Court for Knox County is the designated Circuit Court in the Sixth Judicial District to hear divorces, orders of protection, and Juvenile Court matters that are appealed to Circuit Court. A large number of the litigants that come before the Court are pro se, particularly in…
March 26, 2018
Over the course of a career, many attorneys will walk into a courtroom through the main door, take a position behind a counsel table, and advocate zealously for their client by raising objections, questioning witnesses, making motions, and submitting evidence. However, the view and role from behind…
March 23, 2018
On the late morning of March 15th, Tennesseans congregated on the grounds of The Hermitage to celebrate the birthday of one of the state’s greatest historical figures: President Andrew Jackson. The pinnacle of the celebration is a traditional wreath-laying ceremony. The hour-long ceremony takes…
March 21, 2018
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is now accepting grant applications for the Parent Education and Mediation Fund (“PEMF”) and the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (“VORP”) for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The PEMF and VORP grants for the 2018 – 2019 fiscal year will run from…
March 20, 2018
Judges from across the state gathered at Montgomery Bell State Park in early March for the first Tennessee Judicial Conference of the year. The five-day conference provided judges the opportunity to participate in continuing legal education (CLE) courses related to relevant issues affecting…
March 15, 2018
Previously, on January 18, 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court set an execution date of August, 9, 2018, for condemned inmate Billy Ray Irick. On February 5, 2018, the State filed motions seeking execution dates prior to June 1, 2018, for eight other condemned inmates. The Court has denied…
March 5, 2018
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled the surviving spouse of a person killed in a vehicle accident could initiate a wrongful death action on the decedent’s behalf even though the surviving spouse’s negligence allegedly contributed to the decedent’s death.
In March 2012…
March 1, 2018
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee spoke to the 15th Judicial District Bar Association on appellate practice as well as updated the group on the Tennessee judiciary, including the Access to Justice programs, indigent representation task force report and campaign to increase payment…
February 26, 2018
The Tennessee Judicial Conference and the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference have adopted new minimum courtroom security standards to promote the security and safety of the members of the judiciary, court personnel, and the public. The standards were last updated in the 1990s.
In the…
February 16, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court disbarred two Nashville attorneys, Sean K. Hornbeck and Robin K. Barry, revoking their law licenses. The Court rejected both attorneys’ requests to make the disbarment retroactive in order to enable them to apply for reinstatement of their law licenses sooner.
In the…
February 16, 2018
The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury issued the FY 2016-17 Tennessee Judicial Weighted Caseload Study on February 14. The study estimated a net deficit of 9.76 judges across the state based on the FY 2017 data. In the map right, the counties in red show a deficit while the counties…
February 15, 2018
Day Reporting Centers, in conjunction with Community Resource Centers, are taking a new approach to rehabilitating convicted offenders within Tennessee by offering established programs that aim to provide necessary skills and resources for participants. These extensive and thorough programs allow…
February 14, 2018
An electrical fire that broke out in September at the Bradley County Courthouse has forced the county offices to conduct business in temporary locations. The Cleveland Fire Department received the emergency call on Saturday morning, September 30th at 9 a.m., when citizens reported seeing smoke…
February 6, 2018
The case David R. Smith v. The Tennessee National Guard, originally scheduled for oral argument on February 7, 2018, in Nashville, has been continued because of a last-minute motion. Oral argument has been rescheduled for April 4, 2018, in Jackson. The Order of Continuance is available…
February 6, 2018
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that a taxpayer must pay disputed municipal taxes under protest before suing for a refund.
The city of Morristown, based on a state statute, adopted an ordinance imposing an inspection fee on licensed alcoholic beverage retailers. The city…
February 5, 2018
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed James L. Gass of Dandridge as Circuit Court Judge in the 4th Judicial District, filling a temporary appointment that had been made last October. On October 18, Haslam appointed Gass as special judge to fill a temporary vacancy due to the illness of Judge…
February 5, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear four cases on February 7, 2018, in Nashville, TN. The details of the cases are as follows:
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
State of Tennessee v. Westley A. Albright - This case involves a defendant who entered a “no contest” plea to the charge of…
February 2, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has amended the eligibility requirements for graduates of law schools in foreign jurisdictions who apply to take the Tennessee bar examination.Under the revisions to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, section 7.01, applicants who have graduated from a law school in a…