News
March 13, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that the fair report privilege provided to journalists cannot be defeated by either express or actual malice. The decision came in an appeal arising out of a defamation action that Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk filed against Scripps…
March 12, 2019
In a divided opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted a good-faith exception similar to one set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Herring v. United States, which held “that when police mistakes are the result of negligence . . . rather than systemic error or reckless disregard of…
March 11, 2019
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met today, Monday, March 11, 2019, to consider 14 applicants for the Court of Appeals vacancy in the Western Division. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the Council selected the following applicants:…
March 7, 2019
Juvenile judges from across Tennessee recently held their winter conference in Murfreesboro, focusing on the effects of vicarious trauma on themselves, judicial staff, and children, as well as learning about legislative changes and new state leadership in key areas.Tennessee Supreme Court Justice…
March 1, 2019
General Sessions Court judges from across the state recently gathered for a conference in Murfreesboro where they discussed issues related to the opioid epidemic, the effects of vicarious trauma, updates to case law, and more.In his opening remarks on the first morning of the conference, Tennessee…
February 28, 2019
The Advisory Task Force on Composition of Judicial Districts will hold a public hearing in Nashville on March 4 to receive comments from those interested in sharing their thoughts on judicial districts in Tennessee. The public hearing will be held at 1 p.m. at Cordell Hull Building, Senate…
February 26, 2019
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments has selected March 11 as the meeting date to interview the 14 candidates who have applied for the Court of Appeals opening in the Western Division. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. CST and will be held at the Jackson Supreme Court Building.The…
February 20, 2019
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced four new members to the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments, which is responsible for recommending candidates to the governor to fill vacancies for Tennessee’s appellate courts.“The Council for Judicial Appointments reflects some of the brightest legal…
February 20, 2019
The Advisory Task Force on Composition of Judicial Districts has announced four public hearing dates to receive comments from those interested in sharing their thoughts on judicial districts in Tennessee. The hearing dates are:March 4, 2019, 1 p.m.Cordell Hull Building – Senate Hearing Room…
February 14, 2019
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider 14 applicants when it meets to select nominees for the Court of Appeals opening in the Western Division created by the appointment of Brandon O. Gibson as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor.The applicants are:…
February 11, 2019
Video recordings from oral argument held before the Tennessee Supreme Court in February are available online. This is the second 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…
February 8, 2019
Twelfth Judicial District Chancellor Jeff Stewart retired in 2018 after nearly 30 years on the bench serving the people of Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties.In honor of Chancellor Stewart’s many years of service, friends, family members, fellow judges, and other…
February 5, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear six cases on February 6, 2019. The details of the cases are as follows: Wednesday, February 6, 2019TWB Architects, Inc. v. The Braxton, LLC, et al. –This case stems from a contractual dispute related to architectural design services. The trial…
January 31, 2019
The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the Court of Appeals vacancy created by the appointment of Brandon O. Gibson as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor.Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney who is at least 30 years of age, a…
January 31, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that an employer is not liable for workers’ compensation benefits for not using an available automated external defibrillator (AED) to assist an employee who suffered a non-work related medical emergency. An AED is a medical device that delivers an electric…
January 30, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld two death sentences for the man who murdered two individuals in their home in Bartlett, Tennessee, in 2003.Henry Lee Jones appealed his convictions and sentences after a jury found him guilty of the premeditated murder of both victims, Clarence and Lillian…
January 29, 2019
In a workers’ compensation case, the Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed an award of permanent partial disability benefits to Christopher Batey, an employee of Deliver This, Inc. For its reasoning, the Court adopted the opinion issued earlier by the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.In…
January 28, 2019
The National Judicial Opioid Task Force, co-chaired by Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate, recently launched a resource center to address the ongoing opioid epidemic featuring dozens of facts sheets, videos, and other resources for judges and the general…
January 25, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that the attorney-client privilege protects communications between a business’s attorneys and a third party when the third party acts as the functional equivalent of an employee and when the communications relate to the attorney’s representation of the business…
January 24, 2019
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld a decision of a Hearing Panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility to suspend for six months the law license of Gerald S. Green, a Memphis attorney with a long history of disciplinary sanctions. The suspension incudes 30 days of active…