News
November 30, 2018
It has been more than six months since the grand opening of the new Rutherford County Judicial Center in Murfreesboro. The 200,000-square-foot, $73 million facility was constructed to replace the county’s old judicial building, which had failed to keep up with the needs of the rapidly growing…
November 28, 2018
The Memphis Bar Association's Young Lawyers' Division honored Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Gina C. Higgins with the 2018 Chancellor Charles A. Rond Memorial Award for Outstanding Judge of the Year at its annual meeting on November 8, 2018.In 1976, the YLD established an award to be given…
November 26, 2018
Law school deans from across the state recently gathered in Nashville for the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners’ 2018 Deans’ Summit. The summit featured presentations and discussions on a range of topics, from law student wellness, to innovations at Tennessee law schools, to the state’s recent…
November 20, 2018
The Honorable Carol L. McCoy stepped down from her role as a chancellor on the 20th Judicial District Chancery Court in 2016. Those visiting or working at the Metropolitan Courthouse will still get to see her face for years to come, though, thanks to a new portrait of Chancellor McCoy that was…
November 16, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued six execution dates for 2019 and 2020. The Court set an execution date of May 16, 2019, for Donnie Edward Johnson. Johnson was convicted in 1985 of killing his wife Connie Johnson in Shelby County. Johnson had a previous execution date set, which was stayed…
November 15, 2018
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Christopher V. Sockwell of Lawrenceburg as CircuitCourt Judge for the 22nd Judicial District, replacing Judge Robert Jones, who retired in October. The22nd Judicial District includes Giles, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne counties. Sockwell, 55, has…
November 14, 2018
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Jennifer L. Smith of Nashville as Criminal Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District, which serves Davidson County. Smith replaces Judge Seth W. Norman, who retired in August. In addition to maintaining a regular criminal court docket, Smith will work…
November 13, 2018
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider six applicants when it meets on Tuesday, December 4 in Nashville to select nominees for a seat on the 20th Judicial District Chancery Court. This district covers Davidson County. There is an impending vacancy on the court due to the Honorable Claudia…
November 8, 2018
Video recordings from oral arguments held before the Tennessee Supreme Court in October are available online. This is the first time oral arguments have been video recorded and made available to the public. “There has been too much mystique about the Supreme Court for too long,” Chief Justice Jeff…
November 5, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear two cases on November 7, 2018, in Jackson, Tennessee. The details of the cases are as follows: Wednesday, November 7, 2018Gerald Stanley Green v. Board of Professional Responsibility.–Gerald Stanley Green, a licensed Tennessee attorney, is challenging a…
November 2, 2018
Judge Brandon Gibson of the Tennessee Court of Appeals was recently named the new chair of Tennessee’s Board of Judicial Conduct.The Board is responsible for investigating and, when warranted, acting on complaints brought against state and local judges. It is composed of 16 members from all parts…
October 30, 2018
Child support magistrates from throughout the state recently gathered in Knoxville for an annual training session organized by the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Tennessee Department of Human Services. This training session dealt specifically with updates…
October 30, 2018
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications for a Chancery Court judge in the 20th judicial district, Davidson County. This vacancy was created by the upcoming retirement of the Honorable Claudia C. Bonnyman, who has given notice that she will retire effective January 1, 2019.…
October 29, 2018
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Kathryn Wall Olita of Clarksville as Circuit Court judge for the 19th Judicial District, which serves Montgomery and Robertson counties. The appointment fills a new trial court judgeship established this year by the Tennessee General Assembly.“I am…
October 24, 2018
Tennessee’s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) recently received $200,000 in federal funding to establish a new community court serving offenders in early adulthood.The C.A.R.E. (Creating Avenues for Restoration & Empowerment) court will be created using funds that the AOC, on behalf of…
October 22, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an Order today resetting the execution date for Edmund Zagorski to November 1, 2018. Read the Order
October 18, 2018
Each year, the Tennessee State Court Clerk’s Association bestows its Public Service Award on an individual who has gone over and above in their support for the organization.This year, the Clerk’s Association chose Administrative Office of the Courts Court Services Director Mary Rose Zingale to…
October 17, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has revised one of its rules to require new lawyers to successfully complete a course focused specifically on the law in Tennessee before they begin practicing law. This requirement comes in the wake of the Court’s adoption in April 2018 of the Uniform Bar Examination (“…
October 15, 2018
The Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance, a project of the Tennessee Supreme Court, will be hosting its second annual statewide Pro Bono & Faith Days (#PBFDays) in October 2018. October is national Pro Bono Month. All houses of worship and faith-based partners are encouraged to provide…
October 12, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court modified a defendant’s sentence after ruling that the State did not provide proper pre-trial notice that it intended to use his prior convictions to obtain an enhanced sentence. The defendant, Jimmy Williams, was convicted in Shelby County of aggravated assault for an…