News
September 8, 2020
The Tennessee legal community is mourning the loss of Washington County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge James A. Nidiffer, who passed away on September 7, 2020 after a long illness. He was 66.Judge Nidiffer was first elected as a general sessions and juvenile judge in 2006 and was re-elected in…
September 8, 2020
The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) will honor Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark with the prestigious Janice M. Holder Award for Justice Clark’s leadership in advancing the quality of justice statewide to ensure the legal system is open and available to all. The award…
September 1, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court has two cases set for its September 2, 2020 docket. These cases will be heard by video conferencing. The cases will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively. The…
August 31, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has broadly impacted American society, but some of its harmful effects have been concentrated on the country’s most vulnerable citizens. For many of those struggling economically, the pandemic has threatened not only their health and their livelihoods, but their homes as well.…
August 27, 2020
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the appointment of Janet Vest Hardin as Special Judge in General Sessions Court for Washington County.“Janet Vest Hardin’s decades of experience as a prosecutor and attorney make her an exceptional addition to the bench in Washington County,” said…
August 26, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously held that a court may not retroactively correct, or “reform,” a deed when reformation would harm parties with valid recorded liens on the property and would benefit other parties who bought the property with notice of the liens. Courts in Tennessee…
August 25, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today confirmed that a judge has an obligation to recuse himself or herself from a case if the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, even if a litigant does not file a motion for recusal. The Court vacated the decision by a judge in a post-conviction…
August 18, 2020
One hundred years ago, on August 18, 1920, Tennessee legislators voted to ratify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, securing a historic advancement for the rights of women. This vote in favor of extending the franchise to women was decisive, as Tennessee was the 36th state to…
August 14, 2020
Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins has been named co-chair and Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Melissa Blackburn has been named a member of a new Policing Policy Commission created by Nashville Mayor John Cooper.
Mayor Cooper explained the goals of the Commission…
August 7, 2020
On August 6 state/federal primary and state/county general elections were held in Tennessee. The state and county general elections included a number of judicial races. These judicial races were generally to fill the remaining terms of judges who left office early due to retirement or other causes…
August 5, 2020
Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court vacated the temporary injunction entered by the Davidson County Chancery Court, which, in part, required the State to provide an absentee ballot to any eligible voter validly seeking to vote by mail to avoid transmission or contraction of COVID-19 for all…
August 3, 2020
Judge Kristi Davis was sworn in today as Tennessee’s newest member of the Court of Appeals. She was appointed to the Court by Governor Bill Lee just over 60 days ago.Judge Davis, who has been a circuit court judge in the Sixth Judicial District in Knoxville since 2014, is the second female judge to…
July 30, 2020
Today the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission released its 2020 Strategic Plan, setting goals for the Commission to strive to meet over the next two years. The Strategic Plan specifies actions the Commission will take to meet these goals and how it will measure its successes…
July 24, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today set oral argument for Earle J. Fisher et al v. Tre Hargett et al for July 30 at 10:30 CDT. The case…
July 24, 2020
Faith leaders, judges, attorneys, and other members of Tennessee’s religious and legal communities gathered online recently to discuss ways to work together and expand access to justice in the state. It is estimated that at least 1.3 million Tennesseans at or below the poverty line have civil legal…
July 22, 2020
For decades now, Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Dan H. Michael has been a tireless advocate for the children of Tennessee. Whether serving as executive director of CASA or in various capacities in juvenile court over the years, Judge Michael has always put the best interests of…
July 20, 2020
Tennessee’s many recovery courts play a critical role in reducing recidivism and improving the lives of those with substance use disorders in the state. These intensive court programs give repeat offenders a chance to break the cycle of their addiction and become productive members of society…
July 16, 2020
In an opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that, when analyzing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, trial counsel’s failure to file a timely motion for new trial does not require a presumption of prejudice, overruling the Court’s previous decision in Wallace v.…
July 14, 2020
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Court of Appeals will both continue live-streaming oral arguments this week. Since June, the intermediate appellate courts have live-streamed more than 50 oral arguments to YouTube. The Court of Criminal Appeals has been holding in-person…
July 13, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today ordered the cancellation of the Uniform Bar Examination in Tennessee scheduled for September 30-October 1, 2020, citing the current trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although stringent public health and safety protocols were planned for the administration of the…