News
August 30, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today Wednesday, August 30, 2017, to consider nine applicants for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 11th Judicial District – Hamilton County. The vacancy was created by the Honorable W. Neil Thomas III, who announced he will retire effective October 5, 2017.…
August 30, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has rejected a defendant hospital’s argument that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by a surviving spouse was null and void because the spouse was not represented by a lawyer when the lawsuit was filed. In September 2004, Ruth Hartley was admitted to Trinity…
August 25, 2017
The Supreme Court has ruled that multiple convictions for sexual offenses arising from a single act of sexual assault should be analyzed under double jeopardy principles. In reaching this conclusion, the Court overruled its prior decision in State v. Barney, 986 S.W.2d 545 (Tenn. 1999), which held…
August 24, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today (Thursday, August 24, 2017) to consider eight applicants for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 4th Judicial District – Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier Counties. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge Ben W. Hooper II.After holding a…
August 24, 2017
Juvenile court judges, judicial staff, attorneys, and other juvenile justice professionals from across Tennessee spent nearly half their annual conference learning about the state’s opioid crisis and the role of courts and judges.Tommy Farmer, director, Dangerous Drugs Task Force, Tennessee Bureau…
August 22, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider seven applicants when it meets September 15, 2017, in Murfreesboro to select nominees for the Circuit Court Judge vacancy in the 16th Judicial District – Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The judicial vacancy was created by the death of the Honorable M…
August 22, 2017
Source: Columbus Air Force BaseChildren of three World War II prisoners of war gathered during a Base Community Council luncheon Aug. 11 at the Club on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; and Justice Sharon Lee, from the Tennessee Supreme Court, shared her father’s story and how it intertwined…
August 22, 2017
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) launched a one-time court security grant program effective August 18, 2017. The AOC received $2 million in one-time funds appropriated by the Tennessee General Assembly and Governor Bill Haslam to improve court security across Tennessee. The past year…
August 21, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today Thursday, September 14, 2017, to consider seven applicants for the Criminal Court vacancy in the 20th Judicial District – Davidson County. The vacancy was created by The Honorable J. Randall Wyatt, Jr. who informed the Governor he would retire effective…
August 21, 2017
Judge Timothy R. Brock of Coffee County was awarded the McCain-Abernathy Award by the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (TCJFCJ) for his exceptional service in advancing juvenile justice. The award is given annually to a judge with juvenile court jurisdiction who demonstrated…
August 16, 2017
Jason Ray brought a lawsuit in federal court in West Tennessee seeking money damages for an alleged violation of his civil rights. Mr. Ray pled guilty in 2013 to theft of property over $60,000 and received a sentence of ten years, with eleven months and twenty-nine days to be served in the…
August 14, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications for the Circuit Court judge vacancy in the 17th Judicial District – Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore Counties. The 17th District Circuit Court vacancy was created when the Honorable Lee Russell announced he will retire effective…
August 10, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed a public reprimand for Knoxville attorney Danny C. Garland, II, based on his professional misconduct. In 2014, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility filed a petition for discipline against Mr. Garland. The petition alleged, in part,…
August 4, 2017
The Tennessee Supreme Court has increased a hearing panel’s recommended punishment of a public censure and suspended Paul Julius Walwyn from the practice of law for one year. He will serve six months of the suspension on active suspension and six months will be served on probation with a…
August 3, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for the Criminal Court judge vacancy in the 20th Judicial District – Davidson County. The Honorable J. Randall Wyatt, Jr. has informed the governor that he will retire effective September 1, 2017.Any interested applicant must be a…
August 3, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for the Circuit Court judge vacancy in the 16th Judicial District – Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The 16th District Circuit Court vacancy was created by the death of the Honorable M. Keith Siskin.Any interested applicant must be a…
August 30, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today Wednesday, August 30, 2017, to consider nine applicants for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 11th Judicial District – Hamilton County. The vacancy was created by the Honorable W. Neil Thomas III, who announced he will retire effective October 5, 2017.…
August 1, 2017
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider eight applicants when it meets August 24, 2017 in Dandridge to select nominees for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 4th Judicial District – Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier Counties.The vacancy was created by Judge Ben W. Hooper II who…
July 28, 2017
The Administration of Children and Families (ACF) held their Human Trafficking Regional Meeting in Miami, Florida this week. Groups from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee were among those in attendance.The mission of the ACF's Office of…
July 26, 2017
The Joint Ad-Hoc Tennessee Blue Ribbon Task Force on Juvenile Justice is hereby authorized and directed to study, evaluate, analyze, and undertake a comprehensive review of the state’s juvenile justice system using a data-driven approach, and to develop evidence-based policy recommendations for…