News
September 14, 2006
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary R. Wade will be sworn in by Gov. Phil Bredesen during a formal investiture ceremony at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Sevier County Courthouse. The public is invited.
“I am deeply honored that the governor is traveling to my home town to take part in an event that is so…
October 18, 2006
Elizabeth (Libby) Sykes, former deputy director of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), has been named administrative director of the state court system effective immediately, Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. Barker announced Wednesday.
“This was not a difficult decision for the…
October 30, 2006
Robert E. Cooper, Jr., legal counsel to Gov. Phil Bredesen, was appointed Tuesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve an eight-year term as state attorney general and reporter. Chief Justice William M. Barker will administer the oath of office to Cooper at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Old Supreme…
November 9, 2006
Students from 19 public and private Shelby County high schools will hear arguments in three state Supreme Court cases Nov. 14 as participants in a program that educates young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The 400 students and their teachers will attend a special Supreme Court…
November 13, 2006
Four siblings are among 20 children who will leave the courtroom of Shelby County Chancellor Arnold Goldin on Saturday, Nov. 18, with new families, new last names and new teddy bears to help them celebrate the positive changes in their young lives.As part of National Adoption Day, Goldin will open…
November 14, 2006
For Chancellor Thomas (Skip) Frierson, Nov. 18, National Adoption Day, will be special for two reasons - personally, because he and his wife Jane have three adopted children, and professionally as he helps create permanency in the lives of seven young Tennesseans.Frierson, of Morristown, will open…
November 15, 2006
Governor Phil Bredesen today appointed Dea Kelly Thomas, Jr. to serve on Tennessee’s Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division.Thomas, who now serves as a Circuit Court Judge for the state’s Fifth Judicial District, fills a vacancy created when his predecessor, Justice Gary Wade, was appointed to…
November 20, 2006
Retired Criminal Court Judge Bernie Weinman of Memphis has been retained to fill a new position as assistant disciplinary counsel for the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary, Presiding Judge Steven Stafford, chancellor for the 29th judicial district, said Monday.Weinman retired in 2004 after serving…
November 27, 2006
Circuit Court Judge Robert L. Childers of Memphis has been appointed to another term on an American Bar Association commission created to assist lawyers and other legal professionals with addictions, mental health issues and other personal problems that impact their ability to practice law.ABA…
November 27, 2006
Even with the wisdom that 23 years on the bench brings, Circuit Court Judge (Div. 5) Kay Spalding Robilio has not stopped learning. She sees the value in gleaning from our nation’s founding fathers the understanding necessary to tackle issues of present day and ultimately to unlock truths in the…
December 26, 2006
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the convictions and death sentences Paul Dennis Reid received for the execution-style murders of three Nashville McDonald’s employees who were shot to death after being forced to lie face down on the floor.In a majority opinion written by Justice Gary R. Wade…
January 18, 2007
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary R. Wade has recused himself from participating in a case involving the process for filling a vacancy on the court. The Supreme Court normally has five members, but currently has only four, including Wade.The court will hear oral arguments in the case, Phil…
February 13, 2007
Lawsuits by a car accident victim and a man whose hearing loss allegedly went undiagnosed by doctors for nearly a decade are among three cases Monroe County students will hear Feb. 23 as part of an educational program initiated by the Eastern Section of the Tennessee Court of Appeals.Judge Sharon G…
February 23, 2007
In 1976, when the Tennessee Supreme Court tapped Lance Bracy to be disciplinary counsel for the newly-created Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR), 4,433 attorneys were practicing law in the state. During the next 31 years, Bracy, who will retire May 1, has watched that number swell to 18,400…
February 28, 2007
New applications from Middle and West Tennessee will be accepted through March 16 for a vacant position on the Tennessee Supreme Court, Judicial Selection Commission Chairman Dale Tuttle said Wednesday.“The commission unanimously decided in a meeting today to reopen the application process in…
April 24, 2007
Nashville attorney Nancy S. Jones has been chosen by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve as chief disciplinary counsel for the state Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR). She will assume her new position May 29, succeeding Lance Bracy, who will retire May 25 after 31 years.
The BPR, an arm…
April 25, 2007
Students from 10 public and private Montgomery and Robertson County high schools will hear arguments in three state Supreme Court cases Friday, April 27, as participants in a program that educates young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.
The 580 students and their teachers will…
May 1, 2007
Tennessee Senior Judge J.S. ‘Steve’ Daniel will end his 27-year career as a member of the state judiciary, including three years as one of five senior judges, to become chief disciplinary counsel for the Court of the Judiciary.Daniel, of Murfreesboro, will assume the new position July 1. He…
May 21, 2007
American Legion Boys State delegates from high schools in all 95 counties will participate May 30 in the SCALES Program, an acronym for the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students. SCALES is a Tennessee Supreme Court initiative designed to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial…
May 23, 2007
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for Arthur T. Copeland, who was convicted of first degree murder for the 1998 shooting death of Andre Jackson in Maryville.A unanimous court concluded the trial court should have allowed the defense to present the testimony of an expert on the…