NEWS SUMMARY

	The Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications for the judicial vacancy in the 11th Judicial District Chancery Court. Click here for more information.
	The Administrative Office of the Courts is now accepting applications for the Judicial Nominating Commission vacancy created by the resignation of Chairman David Bautista. Click here to read more.
	Former Chief Justice William M. Barker was honored at a portrait unveiling ceremony at the Hamilton County Courthouse in Chattanooga. Click here to read more.
	Chancellor Howell Peoples announces his retirement after nearly 32 years on the bench in Hamilton County. Click here to read more
More News:	JNC recommends three names to Governor to fill Shelby County judicial vacancy. AOC seeking proposals for Spanish Oral Exam raters for Court Interpreter Credentialing. Deadline January 31, 2010. RFP for Appellate Case Management amended by AOC. Click here to view previous press releases

Judicial Nominating Commission Accepting Applications
for Judicial Vacancy
Bill Young Assumes Role as Chairman
February

Nashville, Tenn. – The Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications for the vacancy in the 11th Judicial District Chancery Court created by the impending retirement of Chancellor Howell Peoples. At its meeting Friday, the Judicial Nominating Commission approved a new judicial application and Commission bylaws. Both documents are available on this website, here.

Interested applicants must be attorneys who are at least 30 years of age, a resident of the state for five years and a resident of their circuit or district for one year. Applicants must complete the designated application, which is available at www.tncourts.gov, and submit it to the Administrative Office of the Courts by Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. CST.

The Judicial Nominating Commission will meet on Tuesday, February 23, at the Sheraton Read House Hotel in Chattanooga to review applicants. The executive committee meeting and applicant interviews will take place at 8:30 a.m EST, and the public hearing will begin 9:00 a.m. Members of the public are invited to attend the public hearing to express their opinions about the applicants for the judicial vacancy. Following the public hearing, the commission will interview each applicant before submitting three names to the governor.

Following the resignation of David Bautista, Vice Chairman Bill Young of Chattanooga has assumed the role of chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission. Young is the general counsel and senior vice president of risk management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. At Friday’s meeting, Mary Helen Beard was elected vice chair of the Commission. Beard serves as senior attorney at the FedEx Corporation in Memphis.

Please click here for the judicial application, Commission bylaws and additional information about the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Now Accepting Applications for
Judicial Nominating Commission Vacancy
Applications Due February 10, 2010

Nashville, Tenn. – The Administrative Office of the Courts is now accepting applications for the Judicial Nominating Commission vacancy created by the resignation of Chairman David Bautista. Commission Vice Chairman Bill Young will assume Bautista’s duties as Chairman until a new Chairperson is elected.

Speaker Williams, who appointed Bautista, will select an applicant to fill the vacancy on the Commission. Once appointed, the new Commissioner will serve out the remainder of Bautista’s term on the Commission, which expires on June 30, 2015.

Applicants for this seat on the Commission must be at least 30-years-old, live in the Eastern Grand Division of Tennessee, and have lived in the state for at least five years. Anyone who wishes to be considered for the Judicial Nominating Commission must complete an application, which can be found online at www.tncourts.gov. All applications must be received by the Administrative Office of the Courts by Wednesday, February 10 at 4:30 p.m. central time.

Once applications have been received by the Administrative Office of the Courts, information about each applicant will be posted online at www.tncourts.gov. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the applicants for the commission for a period of 14 days. Once public comments have been received, Speaker Williams will have 14 days to appoint a member to the Commission.

The Judicial Nominating Commission has called a special meeting for Friday, January 29, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. central time to review and approve a judicial application, review and approve Commission by-laws, and begin the process for filling the upcoming judicial vacancy created by the retirement of Chancellor Howell Peoples. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Administrative Office of the Courts (511 Union Street, Suite 600, Nashville, TN 37219).

Please click here for the Judicial Nominating Commission application and additional information about the process.

Former Chief Justice Barker Honored in Chattanooga
January 7, 2010

Former Chief Justice Barker displays the newly commissioned portrait
that will hang in the Supreme Court building in Knoxvillle.

Former Chief Justice William M. ("Mickey") Barker was honored at a portrait unveiling ceremony January 6 at the Hamilton County Courthouse in Chattanooga. Barker, a native of Chattanooga, retired from the Tennessee Supreme Court in September 2008 after a judicial career spanning 25 years.

The portrait of Barker, which was commissioned by Ned Bittinger, will hang permanently in the Supreme Court building in Knoxville.

Barker began his judicial career in 1983 with an appointment to the circuit court in the 11th Judicial District. He was elected to the position in 1984 and again in 1990. In 1995, Gov. Don Sundquist appointed Barker to the state Court of Criminal Appeals. The following year, he was elected to an eight-year term. Barker was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1998 and was elected to a full eight-year term the same year and again in 2006. His colleagues on the court unanimously elected him chief justice in 2005.

Chancellor Peoples Announces Retirement
January 5, 2010

Chancellor Howell Peoples of the 11th Judicial District announced his
retirement effective March 31, 2010 after nearly 32 years on the bench.

Chancellor Howell Peoples of the 11th Judicial District Chancery Court in Hamilton County announced his retirement Monday in a letter to Governor Bredesen. Chancellor Peoples will retire on March 31, 2010, after serving on the bench for nearly 32 years.

Peoples was appointed by Gov. Ray Blanton on May 18, 1978. Prior to his appointment, Peoples served as the Hamilton County Clerk and Master for three years. From 1972 to 1975, Peoples served as the executive director for the Legal Aid Society of Chattanooga. Before coming to Chattanooga, Peoples was a senior staff attorney at the University of Tennessee Legal Clinic from 1969 to 1972, and he practiced law at the Magill & Peoples in Clinton, Tenn., for two years.

Peoples earned both his law degree and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Peoples is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Foundation, Brock-Cooper American Inn of Court and Chattanooga Civitan Club. In 1998, Peoples was named the Civitan of the Year.

JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THREE CANDIDATES FOR JUDICIAL VACANCY
December 21, 2009

The Judicial Nominating Commission met in Memphis on Saturday, December 19, 2009, to review the 12 applicants for the judicial vacancy in the 30th Judicial District created by the retirement of Judge D'Army Bailey. After holding a public hearing and interview for each applicant, the Judicial Nominating Commission has recommended the following three candidates to Governor Phil Bredesen:

Rhynette Northcross Hurd
Attorney
Collierville, TN

JoeDae L. Jenkins
Attorney
Bartlett, TN

Venita Marie Martin
Attorney, Glankler Brown, PLLC
Memphis, TN

The governor may now appoint one of these candidates.

AOC Releases RFP for Case Management System
August 13, 2009
Evaluation Notice Posted December 4, 2009

The State of Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts has developed additional amendments to its RFP for an Appellate Court Case Management system. The RFP and its associated documents can be downloaded from this web site.

The general services solicited are as follows:

The State intends to secure a contract for software, customization, installation, training, and software support for an Appellate Court Case Management system. The agency involved in this procurement is seeking a proven solution that has successfully been implemented in similar environments.

Click here to see the RFP and associated documents.

The Tennessee Court System provides this site as a public service, offering convenient public access to court reports, court information, and employment opportunities in the court system, as well as Tennessee Appellate Court opinions. Information posted on this site is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed.