News

April 7, 2017
Source: UT-Martin The Tennessee Court of Appeals met at the University of Tennessee at Martin on April 4 to hear four cases on the docket. The Court of Appeals is one of Tennessee’s two appellate-level courts and focuses on civil cases from trial courts and certain state boards and commissions.…

April 10, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that based on the testimony regarding Charles Kilburn’s death, his death is not compensable as a direct and natural consequence of his original compensable injury from a motor vehicle accident.Mr. Kilburn was a trim carpenter when he sustained injuries to his…

April 7, 2017
Source: By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News DirectorThey say dogs are man’s best friend and that certainly is true at the Henry County Juvenile Court, where Tanner, a beautiful Golden Retriever, serves as therapy dog for children who have to appear at the court.Tanner has been working for the court…

April 7, 2017
A majority of the Supreme Court has ruled that, despite the existence of “no trespassing” signs near an unobstructed driveway, police officers’ warrantless entry onto the defendant’s property was constitutionally permissible.This matter arose when two investigators went to a different residence…

April 7, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court’s Indigent Representation Task Force will announce the key recommendations it has made to the Court toimprove the delivery of legal representation to Tennesseans who cannot afford it.Monday, April 10, 2017 Old Supreme Court Chambers, Tennessee Capitol Building 1:30 p.m…

April 6, 2017
State Court Justices from across the nation recently visited Nashville. The State Justice Institute (SJI) held their board meeting in Nashville, and attendees met at the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the Tennessee Capitol Building, toured the Capitol and the Tennessee Supreme Court building.State…

April 5, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled a general contractor and two subcontractors are not liable to the homeowners after a fire destroyed their partially completed home. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the case based on insufficient evidence as to the cause of the fire.In…

April 5, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a 2012 search warrant for property belonging to Jerry Lewis Tuttle in Maury County.  The search, which yielded marijuana, cocaine, guns, ammunition, and over 1 million dollars cash, resulted in a jury convicting Tuttle of six…

April 5, 2017
Today, theTennessee Supreme Court announced that it is launching Phase 2 of the Tennessee Business Court Docket Pilot Project, building on the unprecedented success of the initial phase of the program.  Requests for transfer to the docket under Phase 2 can be filed beginning May 1, 2017.…

April 3, 2017
April 1 was HELP4TNDAY in Tennessee. Legal clinics, expungement clinics, continuing legal education and other events occurred across the state. The day was to raise awareness of the Tennessee Supreme Court's Access to Justice Initiative and the 12 million indigent population in Tennessee who cannot…

April 3, 2017
TLAW Women's Empowerment Conference was held at Waller's offices Friday, March 31, 2017. Justice Cornelia Clark opened the conference by touting HELP4TNDAY and how attorneys can volunteer their time providing free legal advice at one of the many legal clinics across the state by visiting…

March 31, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear seven cases April 5-6, 2017, in Jackson, Tenn.  The details of the cases are as follows:Wednesday, April 5, 2017Church of God in Christ, Inc., et al v. L.M. Haley Ministries, Inc., et al. – This is a case involving a hierarchical church seeking an order…

March 29, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for the Circuit Court judge vacancy in the 2nd Judicial District – Sullivan County. Judge R. Jerry Beck has informed the governor that he will retire effective June 30, 2017.  Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney…

March 28, 2017
The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the written protocol by which the Tennessee Department of Correction carries out an execution by lethal injection.The plaintiffs in this matter, each of whom have been convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death, brought a…

March 28, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that the position of trial judge secretarial assistant is subject to the employment-at-will doctrine that generally applies in Tennessee.  The Court’s holding means that either the trial judge or the person employed in the secretarial assistant position…

March 27, 2017
The Administrative Office of the Courts is now accepting Grant Applications for the Parent Education and Mediation Fund as well as the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.The Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Tennessee (VORP) was sanctioned by the…

March 23, 2017
Excerpt from University of Memphis Herff College of Engineering magazine... Take, for example, Herff alumna Holly Kirby. Holly received her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1979. One would expect that she would have followed a career that would lead her into the world of…

March 23, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that an indigent prisoner’s case was properly dismissed pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 41-21-812 when the prisoner had outstanding unpaid court costs from prior litigation.  Tennessee Code Annotated section 41-21-812 authorizes the rejection…

March 21, 2017
All five justices with the Tennessee Supreme Court kicked off #HELP4TNDAY events today in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville.  The awareness campaign asks Tennesseans to visit www.help4tn.org to find a legal clinic, expungement clinic or educational event near them to…

March 16, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that Tennessee’s Parental Relocation Statute, which applies to parents with a court-ordered parenting plan, was intended to make cases in which one parent wants to relocate with the child relatively clear cut. In a case involving divorced parents in middle…