News
July 28, 2016
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the appointment of David Purkey as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security beginning September 1. Purkey, 57, has served as the department’s assistant commissioner and homeland security advisor since 2011. Under his…
July 27, 2016
More than 200 court clerks offices across the state will participate in the second annual Purple Out Day Friday, July 29 as they wear purple to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and related dementias as well as raise funds to support the work of Alzheimer’s Tennessee.Alzheimer’s disease and…
July 27, 2016
From the Daily News JournalRutherford County will establish a Mental Health Court by December or January once state funding arrives to hire a therapist and two case workers, an official…
July 26, 2016
A statue of Justice Adolpho A. Birch, Jr., will be dedicated August 27 to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Justice A.A. Birch Building in downtown Nashville.
Justice Adolpho Birch was the first African-American to serve as Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court and spent 37 years…
July 25, 2016
Tennessee ranks ninth in United States for providing access to its courts, according to the 2016 Justice Index, a nationwide study that ranks states according to their adoption of selected best practices for ensuring access to justice. Furthermore, Tennessee takes the No. 1 ranking in the Southeast…
July 25, 2016
TennesseeCourt of Appeals Judge John McClarty’s law clerk Stephanie Slater has published an article about Justice Edward T. Sanford’s tenure on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Justice Sanford is the only known Knoxvillian and University of Tennessee graduate to sit on the U.S. Supreme…
July 22, 2016
From the Tullahoma NewsThe Coffee County Drug Court program keeps growing. Seventeen participants graduated on July 6 – the largest number of graduates since the program’s beginning over a decade ago,…
July 21, 2016
Tennessee was one of eight states competitively selected to participate in the Three Branch Institute to Improve Child Safety and Prevent Child Fatalities, a project of the National Governor’s Association’s Center for Best Practices, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Casey Family…
July 20, 2016
The statewideIndigent Representation Task Force will hear from the public at meetings to be held next week in Nashville and next month in Franklin.The task force has traveled throughout the state on a listening tour to hear from the legal community as well as the general public regarding indigent…
July 19, 2016
Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate was recently honored and spoke at the 4th Annual System of Care Conference July 11, 2016 in Franklin, TN.Pictured with Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services E. Douglas Varney, Tate…
July 19, 2016
The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter will honor Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby as the “Special Distinguished Alumna” at its 2016 Pillars of Excellence Awards Ceremony and Dinner.The event will be held Saturday, August 20, at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. A VIP…
July 14, 2016
The Administrative Office of the Courts has approximately $200,000 in grant funding available for the development or continuation of initiatives that will address the needs of divorcing, divorced, or never married self-represented litigants and focus on services to help them resolve any or all…
July 11, 2016
In a case involving claims between siblings who were shareholders in a closely held family corporation, the Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted a new standard for when a shareholder can file a direct lawsuit on claims that concern the corporation.Ten siblings owned shares in a family-run…
July 12, 2016
Chief Justice Sharon Lee’s statement on the passing of former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Robert E. Cooper, Sr.: The entire judicial family is saddened by the passing of former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice Robert E. Cooper, Sr. and extends condolences to his family, friends…
July 7, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that defendants who have entered a guilty plea cannot seek relief from that plea using a statutory procedure that the Court says is intended by Tennessee law only for those who have been found guilty at trial.At issue is error coram nobis, a procedure defined…
July 7, 2016
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider 11 applicants when it meets August 8, 2016 in Memphis to select nominees for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 30th Judicial District – Shelby County.The vacancy was created by the announcement by Judge Donna M. Fields that she will retire September 1…
July 6, 2016
The Supreme Court has affirmed the convictions and sentences of death for Howard Hawk Willis for killing two East Tennessee teenagers and dismembering one of them. In 2010, a Washington County jury convicted Mr. Willis of two counts of premeditated murder and one count of felony murder in the…
June 10, 2016
An investiture ceremony for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Ross Dyer was held in Memphis on June 9. Gov. Haslam administered the ceremonial oath of office. Judge Dyer was appointed by Gov. Haslam on March 31 and confirmed by a joint session of the General Assembly on April 18.…
June 30, 2016
From The Mountain Press:SEVIERVILLE -- The state judiciary is working on several ways to modernize and make courts more accessible, including efforts to put courts online so…
June 28, 2016
From the Clarksville Leaf ChronicleCLARKSVILLE — “PT for PTSD” was the motto of the day at All Rise for Exercise, an event created by the Montgomery County Veterans…