News
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…
October 11, 2018
Many Tennessee law students learned about the many mental health resources available to them during Law Student Mental Health Day on October 10. The day, which was planned by the ABA’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, the Law Student Division, and the Young Lawyers Division, is designated…
October 9, 2018
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Darrell L. Scarlett of Murfreesboro as Circuit Court judge for the 16th Judicial District, which serves Rutherford and Cannon counties. The appointment fills a new trial court judgeship established this year by the Tennessee General…
October 8, 2018
A majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that death row inmates failed to establish that the current, three-drug lethal injection protocol violates prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment under the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution.In January 2018, the…
October 5, 2018
Natural light poured into the serene, bouquet-adorned foyer of the Weaver Domestic Violence Center on a recent Wednesday morning. With its reception desk, comfy chairs and cushy couches, the vibe was more cozy hotel lobby than domestic violence shelter.But a domestic violence shelter is exactly…
October 5, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has recently thrown open its courthouse doors wider. Starting on October 3, Supreme Court oral arguments taking place in Nashville will be videotaped and made available to the public.“There has been too much mystique about the Supreme Court for too long,” Chief…
October 3, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted significant revisions to its rules regulating court-approved mediators in the state. The revisions to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31, and the adoption of Rule 31A, are the first in-depth changes to the rules governing mediation and arbitration in Tennessee…
October 2, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral argument in cases on October 3 and 4, 2018, in Nashville. The Court also will hear oral argument regarding a proposed new rule on collaborative family law from the Tennessee Bar Association. The details of the cases and the proposed new rule…
October 1, 2018
Judges, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officers, and other professionals associated with the criminal justice system recently met in the Dandridge, Tennessee courtroom of Judge Duane Slone to learn about an innovative program he started to help certain offenders with substance abuse…
September 28, 2018
One of Tennessee’s most distinguished jurists was honored at a retirement reception recently in Nashville.An array of state and local leaders gathered at the reception to celebrate the career of the Honorable Seth Walker Norman, the founder of Tennessee’s first Drug Court and a Criminal Court judge…
September 28, 2018
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has appointed Michael E. Spitzer as Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Judicial District, which serves Hickman, Lewis, Perry, and Williamson counties. The appointment fills the new trial court judgeship established by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this…
September 26, 2018
The 59th Annual Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference was held recently in Franklin. The TGSJC is a statewide organization consisting of 185 General Sessions Court judges from across the state. Speakers at the event included outgoing TGSJC president Judge Denise Andre, Franklin Mayor Dr. Ken…
September 26, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that a circuit court judge in Tennessee lacks jurisdiction to issue search warrants for property located outside the judge’s statutorily defined judicial district unless the judge has obtained expanded geographical jurisdiction by interchange, designation,…
September 24, 2018
Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate has been named the recipient of End Slavery Tennessee’s 2018 Human Trafficking Impact Award. The award was presented to Director Tate in recognition of her many contributions over the years to the prevention and confrontation of human…
September 25, 2018
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today, Tuesday, September 25, 2018 to consider ten candidates for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 22nd Judicial District – Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne CountiesThere is an upcoming vacancy in this position due to the impending retirement of the Honorable…
September 21, 2018
Former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Frank W. Drowota III and Memphis attorney Amber Floyd were announced as the winners of the 2018 Janice M. Holder Award at the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services’s recent Equal Justice University event.Since 2014, that award has been presented annually to…
September 20, 2018
The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services recently held its 41st annual conference devoted to expanding civil legal assistance throughout the state. The 2018 edition of Equal Justice University brought an enthusiastic crowd of legal professionals together to hear updates on efforts to increase…
September 19, 2018
Judge John Everett Williams, the presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, will receive a special honor from his hometown of Huntingdon this weekend.Judge Williams will be given Huntingdon’s 2018 Outstanding Citizen Award as part of the city’s 26th Annual Heritage Festival,…
September 18, 2018
The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for two cases on September 19, 2018, in front of hundreds of high school students from seven local high schools when it brings court to Chattanooga State Community College in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of the Court’s SCALES program. …
September 14, 2018
The 35th Annual Conference on Juvenile Justice was recently held in Knoxville, bringing together an array of judges, lawyers, advocates, and experts to discuss some of the biggest issues facing children and families who become involved with Tennessee’s legal system.The conference saw the election…