News
February 9, 2016
The Tennessee Judiciary has released its 2015 Annual Report.Below is Chief Justice Sharon Lee's introductory letter to the report, which is available in full here.As Judges, we see people at difficult times in their lives. They are involved in a disagreement with a…
February 4, 2016
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy that will occur if the general assembly confirms Gov. Bill Haslam’s appointment of Roger A. Page to the Supreme Court.Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney who is…
February 4, 2016
The Supreme Court has decided to increase the punishment recommended by a hearing panel to discipline an attorney for sexual misconduct involving a client that he was appointed to represent in a criminal matter and for revealing confidential information of another client to a judge in a different…
February 3, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear five cases on its February docket in Nashville, including two cases that will be presented at Nashville School of Law.Three civil cases will be heard during a morning session at the Supreme Court building. Those cases are:…
January 29, 2016
In an opinion filed today, the Supreme Court held that parents’ constitutional right to fundamental fairness in termination proceedings does not require adoption of a separate procedure that allows parents to further appeal termination orders based on ineffective representation by appointed counsel…
January 28, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Hornsby man for 37 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, ruling that an error in the trial did not deprive the defendant of his constitutional right to a unanimous jury verdict.Jimmy Dale Qualls was charged with using his…
January 26, 2016
Nashville is set to launch a first-of-its-kind court in Tennessee aimed at addressing the issue of human trafficking. Mayor Megan Barry joined Judge Casey Moreland, District Attorney Glenn Funk, and others in announcing the launch of a Human Trafficking Intervention Court in Davidson County.“…
January 26, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in the direct appeal of Lemaricus Davidson, the man sentenced to death for his role in the 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville. Mr. Davidson was tried in October 2009 and convicted of two counts of…
January 22, 2016
Due to weather, all Tennessee State Government offices are closed Friday, January 22. This includes the appellate court clerk offices in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville, as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts. Some local courts may be open, so check with local authorties if you are…
January 14, 2016
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man for facilitation of aggravated robbery and facilitation of the first degree murder of a Knox County man.In February 2002, the victim, Gary Lindsay, was robbed and murdered in the home of the defendant, Thomas Hutchison. After a trial, a…
January 7, 2016
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met today in Memphis to consider seven applicants for the circuit court vacancy in the 30th Judicial District, which serves Shelby County. The vacancy was created by the death last year of the Honorable D’Army Bailey.The nominees are:…
January 7, 2016
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Roger Amos Page of Madison County to the Tennessee Supreme Court, replacing Justice Gary R. Wade, who retired in September.Page, 60, has been a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals since his appointment by Haslam in December 2011, writing more…
January 6, 2016
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge John Everett Williams found himself on the other side of the bench this week, when he served as a member of the Carroll County grand jury.Judge Williams received a notice from the sheriff’s office in December, requesting his service as a juror and asking…
January 4, 2016
Court of Appeals Judge D. Michael Swiney, of Knoxville, has been selected by judges of the 12-member court to be chief judge for a term of one year.Judge Swiney has been a member of the Court of Appeals since 1999, when he was appointed by then-Governor Don Sundquist. He was elected to the bench in…
December 28, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed a Board of Professional Responsibility hearing panel’s imposition of sanctions against Williamson County attorney Connie Reguli and the trial court’s requirement that Ms. Reguli pay restitution to a former client.In 2011, the Board of…
December 21, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has approved extensive changes to the rule regulating the licensing of lawyers to practice in the state, including easing provisions for attorneys that may have practiced elsewhere.The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners (BLE), which administers the licensing process for…
December 14, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an opinion today addressing when out-of-state businesses may be brought into court in Tennessee. First Community Bank sued several in-state and out-of-state financial service providers after the bank lost millions of dollars in investments involving the financial…
December 11, 2015
Nolensville Municipal Judge James Petersen was honored by the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference last month with the Sharon G. Lee Award of Excellence for his outstanding service to the Conference.The municipal judges’ Board of Governors created the award to be presented to a municipal judge who…
December 11, 2015
In a lawsuit filed to set aside a tax sale of mortgaged land in Hamilton County, the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that a mortgage registry business was not entitled to prior notice of the sale because it did not have an interest in the land that is protected under the Due Process Clause of the…
December 11, 2015
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Jeffery H. Wicks of Rockwood as Criminal Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District, replacing Judge E. Eugene Eblen, who is retiring effective December 31.The Ninth Judicial District serves Loudon, Meigs, Morgan and Roane counties.Wicks, 52, has served…