News
July 31, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Memphis man for rape of a child, ruling that a prosecution error in the trial did not deprive the defendant of his constitutional right to a unanimous jury verdict.Courtney Knowles was found guilty of raping the daughter of his half-sister/…
July 31, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that a family in Loudon County will maintain ownership of 58 acres of farmland by virtue of a legal principle called “title by prescription,” which permits a person to establish title to land through possession and the passage of time.In 1918, N.B. Bailey and…
July 30, 2015
Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee said the Tennessee Supreme Court will continue to serve at the same level of operation while the executive and legislative branches work out the details of appointing and confirming a replacement for retiring Justice Gary R. Wade.“There have been many occasions with…
July 28, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Criminal Court judge vacancy in the 9th Judicial District – Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane counties. The impending vacancy has been created by the announcement by Judge E. Eugene Eblen that he is retiring…
July 27, 2015
Justice Gary R. Wade will be the next dean of the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law after he retires from the Tennessee Supreme Court in September.Justice Wade was introduced to the faculty and staff of the law school earlier today while they were attending a conference at a…
July 27, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously affirmed a 180-day suspension of Memphis attorney Homer L. Cody’s law license.In 2011, the Board of Professional Responsibility filed a petition for discipline against Mr. Cody based on a complaint of misconduct. The petition alleged, among other…
July 25, 2015
Francis Guess, a Nashville community leader who served the legal profession in many ways, died Friday in Nashville.Mr. Guess served both the Access to Justice Commission and the Board of Professional Responsibility. As a non-lawyer, he provided a distinctive viewpoint to issues that faced the legal…
July 24, 2015
Supreme Court Justice Gary R. Wade, who has served the Tennessee judiciary for 28 years as a judge, justice, and chief justice, has announced he will retire in September.
Justice Wade was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2006. Wade was elected by his fellow justices to serve…
July 23, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the decision by a hearing panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility to suspend Anderson County lawyer Yarboro Sallee’s law license for one year. The Court held that the sanction was appropriate in light of the multiple ethical violations Ms. Sallee…
July 23, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met in Chattanooga to hold a public hearing and conduct interviews of a second slate of applicants for the Criminal Court vacancy in the 11th Judicial District, which serves Hamilton County.After interviewing the candidates and conducting a vote, the…
July 21, 2015
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 13 authorizes the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to enter into contracts for representation of indigent litigants by attorneys working on various types of cases, including representation of indigent Respondents facing involuntary emergency judicial…
July 21, 2015
Press release from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth:The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book released today shows Tennessee ranks 36th in the country for child well-being, the same as in 2014.The KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks child well-being across four domains with…
July 16, 2015
From WPLN:Veterans Courts Work To Fix Ex-Soldiers' Lives — Often Decades After They Leave MilitaryKris Hansen sits alone in a corner of the courtroom,…
July 16, 2015
Chancery Court Judge James F. “Jimmy” Butler was honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award for his outstanding and dedicated service to the courts and the legal community. The award was presented by outgoing TBA President Jonathon…
July 14, 2015
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed the kidnapping convictions in two separate cases in which the defendants were charged with the kidnapping and robbery of different victims. The first case involved the 2009 armed robbery of a Shoney’s restaurant in Nashville by Jerome Maurice Teats and…
July 14, 2015
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met on July 14, 2015 in Clarksville to hold a public hearing and conduct interviews of candidates for the upcoming circuit court vacancy in the 19th Judicial District, which serves Montgomery and Robertson counties.After interviewing the candidates…
July 14, 2015
We in the Judiciary mourn the loss of our friend, Judge D’Army Bailey, a devoted family man, an accomplished attorney and experienced trial court judge. We join with national and international commentators, elected officials, and local citizens who have lauded the impact of Judge D’Army…
July 14, 2015
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 divorced or never married self-represented litigants and focus on services to help them resolve any or all issues…
July 7, 2015
A newly established advisory commission of eight leading attorneys from across Tennessee and an appellate court judge will provide input for processes and procedures for the state’s Business Court Pilot Project.Members of the Commission are:Judge Neal McBrayer, ChairpersonCourt of Appeals, Middle…
July 6, 2015
Ten attorneys have applied in a second round of interviews for the Hamilton County Criminal Court judge position that became vacant June 1 upon the retirement of The Honorable Rebecca Stern.The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments previously met on April 9 and considered seven applicants,…