Appellate Court Clerk's Office

About

The Appellate Court Clerk's office serves the Tennessee Supreme Court, Tennessee Court of Appeals and Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Relative to these Courts, the primary responsibilities of the Office of the Appellate Court Clerk include:

  • Filing and processing all briefs, motions and other documents for cases on appeal
  • Scheduling all oral arguments
  • Filing all orders and opinions issued
  • Notifying all parties to appeals of all filings

The dedicated staff with 30 employees are located at the Supreme Court buildings in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee. 

Schedule a Court Tour

If you would like to schedule a tour of the Nashville Supreme Court building, please contact the Appellate Court Clerk's office in Nashville.

Clerk of the Appellate Courts

James M. Hivner became Clerk of the Appellate Courts June 3, 2014.

In his role as Clerk, Hivner oversees a staff of 29 at offices in Jackson, Nashville, and Knoxville. He serves the Supreme Court as well as the Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals.

Hivner came to the Appellate Court Clerk's role from Shelby County, where he was Chief Administrative Officer of the Shelby County Chancery Court. Prior to his role in Memphis, Hivner had a solo practice in Alabama before moving back to Tennessee, where he had an extended career with several law firms in Memphis. He also previously worked at NASA and served as an adjunct professor of business law at the University of North Alabama and Faulkner University.

Hivner earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and received his J.D and LL.M. in taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law. He is married and has two children.

Image
Jim Hivner

If you have questions for the Appellate Court Clerk, please fill out the form below. However, please note that in accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 16-3-804(b), no employee of the state court system shall engage, either directly or indirectly, in the practice of law. This includes making legal referrals, performing legal research or giving legal advice.

If you need any legal advice, please contact a licensed attorney in your area. 

DIRECTIONS
Please fill in the form fully and accurately so we may promptly provide you with the help you are requesting. Be sure you enter your e-mail address correctly or we will not be able to reply to your request.


Describe the situation and include all information that will help us find the answer for you. This may include names, case number, appeal number, dates and location.

June 2026

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
31
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 
10
 
11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4