News
November 5, 2007
Courthouses in 83 counties will become safer soon with the additions of new security equipment to be purchased with $2 million appropriated by the Tennessee General Assembly.
“As you may be aware, the Supreme Court requested, and the governor included, $2 million in the court system’s budget for…
November 13, 2007
Abused and neglected children, disabled and rural attorneys, high school students and substance-addicted mothers are among thousands of Tennesseans who will benefit from $1.2 million awarded to organizations across the state.Excess fees and penalties collected from attorneys by the Commission on…
November 15, 2007
Children will leave the Hamblen County Chancery Courtroom in Morristown on Saturday with new permanent families, new names and new Teddy bears, following a special 9 a.m. adoption ceremony to be conducted by Chancellor Thomas (Skip) Frierson.“This is the fourth year we’ve celebrated National…
November 26, 2007
Most jury service exemptions would be eliminated under proposed legislation that would overhaul state laws detailing how jurors are selected in Tennessee.The proposal will be considered when the Tennessee Judicial Council meets at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC),…
December 10, 2007
Governor Phil Bredesen has appointed Kenneth F. Irvine Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., to fill the vacancy on the Knox County Criminal Court, Division II. The vacancy was created by the death of Judge Ray Lee Jenkins. Bredesen first appointed Irvine as Special Judge in August to fill the seat on a…
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…
January 11, 2008
NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen has appointed Richard H. Dinkins of Nashville to fill the vacancy on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Middle Section. The vacancy was created by the death of Judge William Bryan Cain in September.“Richard Dinkins has developed extensive experience in his career…
January 14, 2008
Circuit Court Judge Walter Kurtz of Nashville will retire effective March 21 after more than 25 years to become the state’s fifth senior judge, he said in a letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen.“I have applied for and the chief justice has offered me a position as a senior judge,” Kurtz wrote. “… I will…
February 20, 2008
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the death sentence jurors imposed on Michael Dale Rimmer for the first degree murder and aggravated robbery of Ricci Ellsworth, a night worker at a Memphis hotel.Rimmer pleaded guilty to raping Ellsworth in 1989 and, while serving a term in prison…
March 4, 2008
Ginger Wilson Buchanan Appointed To Fill Position In Tennessee*s 10th Judicial DistrictGovernor Phil Bredesen has appointed Ginger Wilson Buchanan of Cleveland, Tenn. to fill the vacancy on the Tennessee Circuit Court, 10th Judicial District, Part II. The vacancy was created by the resignation of…
March 26, 2008
Binkley and Perkins to fill respective vacancies
on Davidson County Circuit and Chancery CourtsNASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen has appointed Nashville attorney Joe P. Binkley Jr. to the Davidson County Circuit Court, Division V, and Russell Perkins of Whites Creek, Tenn., to a position on the…
April 22, 2008
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge David G. Hayes will retire from the appellate bench June 12 to become one of Tennessee’s five senior judges.“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of this state for the past 32 years in the positions of District Attorney General, Circuit Judge and…
April 23, 2008
Students from 10 public and private 8th Judicial District high schools will hear arguments in three state Supreme Court cases Thursday, May 8, in Jacksboro as participants in a program that educates young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The 402 students and their teachers will…
April 29, 2008
Chief Justice William M. Barker will retire effective at noon September 1 after a judicial career spanning 25 years.“It has been a great honor to serve the first twelve years as a circuit judge in Chattanooga, followed by three years on the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the last ten as a member of…
May 27, 2008
American Legion Boys State delegates from high schools in all 95 counties will participate Wednesday, May 28, 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…
June 9, 2008
Stafford and McMullen To Fill Respective Vacancies On Court of Appeals And Court Of Criminal Appeals, Western SectionNASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen today announced that Chancellor Steve Stafford of Dyersburg, Tenn., has been appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Western Section, and…
June 18, 2008
Circuit Court Judge William B. Acree, Jr., has been elected president of the 178-member Tennessee Judicial Conference (TJC), which includes all state appellate and trial court judges.Acree, who serves the 27th Judicial District, succeeds Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr…
June 30, 2008
Chief Justice William M. Barker will remain on the state Supreme Court until Sept. 15, two weeks later than his original retirement date, so the court will have its full five members for a Knoxville docket on Sept. 3, he said.“When I notified the governor in early May of my intended retirement on…
July 18, 2008
State Court of Appeals Judge J. Steven Stafford of Dyersburg has been named chairman of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, a philanthropic organization that administers a fund supporting law-related public projects and also honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves professionally.The Foundation…