Judge Charles D. Susano, Jr., of Knoxville, has announced that he will step down at the end of the year as Chief Judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Susano has been chief judge since January 1, 2013. While relinquishing his leadership post, he will remain on the Court.
“I have enjoyed my time as chief judge,” Susano said. “But now is the time for someone else to assume the administrative functions of the Court. I look forward to devoting all of my time and energy to hearing and deciding cases.”
Judge Susano has served on the Court since March 1994. He was appointed by the late Ned Ray McWherter. He was first elected to the Court of Appeals in August 1994 and was reelected to eight-year terms in 1998, 2006, and 2014.
Prior to his appointment, Susano practiced law in Knoxville for thirty years, first with the Bernstein law firm and later with Sarah Y. Sheppeard. He was a partner in both firms.
Susano graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1958. After serving two years of active duty military service in the Army, he returned to Knoxville and enrolled in the University of Tennessee College of Law. He received his law degree from UT in 1963. Susano was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Tennessee Law Review. He and his wife, Carolyn, live in West Knoxville. They are the parents of three children, Stephen, Maria, and Charles III.
The Court of Appeals is a twelve-member statewide appellate court. It hears appeals in civil cases from chancery, circuit, probate, and juvenile courts.
