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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Sarah Appleby has accepted the position of education manager for the court services division of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). She will assume her new position June 19, 2007, succeeding Shannon Howell, who will attend the University of Tennessee College of Law. Appleby’s…