News
January 26, 2017
Below is Chief Justice Jeff Bivins' Annual Report Message, which is available in full here.2016 Judiciary Annual ReportEvery day, the judges of our great state seek to further the pursuit of…
January 23, 2017
The Board of Judicial Conduct, which investigates and acts on complaints against judges in Tennessee, has placed General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons on a three-year probation, in accordance with a Deferred Disciplinary Agreement as contemplated by T.C.A. § 17-5-301 (f)(4), in lieu of pursuing…
January 20, 2017
From The TennesseanIn the nearly three years since his retirement, the 74-year-old says he is still an avid reader who enjoys spending time with his family,…
January 17, 2017
From the TennesseanOne by one, the graduates stood in the fellowship hall of the St. Paul Episcopal Church on Main Street in Franklin on Monday night…
January 13, 2017
In a case involving the dismissal of a tenured teacher, the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that the Court of Appeals’ award to the teacher of partial back pay was not authorized under the Tennessee Teacher Tenure Act (Tenure Act). It also held that the teacher could not appeal the timeliness of…
January 11, 2017
Today, the Administrative Office of the Courts joined the state’s executive and legislative branches at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium for the Third Annual Campaign against Hunger Community Service Project, hosted by the General Assembly’s “Nutrition Caucus,” and organized by Tennessee Senator…
January 10, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the Tennessee Board of Parole’s decision to deny parole to a prisoner based on the seriousness of the offense.In January 2009, Joseph Brennan pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape of a child and incest. Mr. Brennan, who was sentenced to twenty years…
January 10, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the Tennessee Board of Parole’s decision to deny parole to a prisoner based on the seriousness of the offense.In January 2009, Joseph Brennan pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape of a child and incest. Mr. Brennan, who was sentenced to twenty years…
January 10, 2017
From NPRWhen Donald Trump won the presidential election, he made a pledge to every citizen: that he would be president for all Americans. In the weeks before Trump's…
January 6, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear four cases on January 10, 2017 in Knoxville, TN. The details of the cases are as follows: Judith Moore-Pennoyer v. State of Tennessee, et al.– In this employment case, the Supreme Court will consider whether a person who has prevailed in a judicial…
December 30, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted a set of plain-language forms and instructions for use in uncontested divorces between parties with minor children in an effort to simplify divorce proceedings for parties that fall into that category. The forms will become effective January 1, 2017.The…
December 30, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has clarified that the criminal offense of stalking, as defined under Tennessee law, contains both an objective element and a subjective element of significant mental suffering or distress that must be met to sustain a conviction. The Court emphasized that the…
December 30, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that application of the Exclusionary Rule Reform Act (“ERRA”), Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-6-108(a), to cases in which the evidence was seized prior to the statute’s enactment does not violate the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws. Ex post…
January 12, 2018
The Administrative Office of the Courts, and state offices in West and Middle Tennessee, are closed Friday, January 12, 2018 because of hazardous weather and travel conditions. This includes the Jackson and Nashville offices of the Appellate Court Clerk and many other state courts. Read about other…
December 22, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that the seller of an automated external defibrillator (AED) is not liable either to a woman whose husband died after collapsing at a church fitness center or to the church that purchased the AED.Sandra L. Wallis’s husband collapsed after participating in a…
December 22, 2016
The Memphis Bar Association hosted its inaugural Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair in Shelby County on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The event was held at The Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church in partnership with the Access to Justice Commission’s Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance.…
December 20, 2016
Pro Bono attorney volunteers from East Tennessee and law school student volunteers participated in a free legal clinic in Gatlinburg, Tenn. on Monday, December 19, 2016, providing legal advice to those devastated by the Gatlinburg wildfires.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the Sevier County Bar…
December 19, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the convictions and sentences of death for Lemaricus Devall Davidson for the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville.In January 2007, Mr. Davidson and others abducted Ms. Christian and Mr. Newsom outside of an apartment complex in…
December 15, 2016
Several Tennessee judges were honored at the Nashville Bar Association’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Banquet on Thursday, December 8, 2016.
Judge Joe Binkley received the President’s Award for his outstanding contributions to the Nashville Bar Association.
Judge Philip Smith and Judge Phillip…