News
May 22, 2014
Gov. Bill Haslam will administer the oath of office to the state’s newest Court of Appeals Judge, Neal McBrayer, at a ceremony in the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chamber at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 29.In addition to the governor, speakers include Court of Appeals Chief Judge Charles D. Susano,…
May 21, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a request by a defendant seeking a third appeal of his sentence in a drunk driving case in which two people were killed in Knoxville in 2000.Guadalupe Arroyo petitioned the court for post-conviction relief, contending his trial attorney was ineffective by…
May 20, 2014
The five members of the Tennessee Supreme Court recognized the volunteer work of attorneys in the northeast Tennessee region at the annual Dinner With the Supreme Court.The event pays tribute to those attorneys who provide legal services pro bono – at little or no cost – to those in need of…
May 16, 2014
The Governor’s Commission on Judicial Appointments met on May 16, 2014 in Memphis to hold a public hearing and conduct interviews of candidates for the vacancy on the Tennessee Court of Appeals..After interviewing the candidates and conducting a vote, the Commission has submitted the following…
May 15, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the upcoming Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy. The Honorable Jeffrey S. Bivins has been appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, thereby creating a vacancy effective July 16, 2014.Any interested applicant must…
May 13, 2014
The Governor’s Commission on Judicial Appointments met on May 13, 2014 in Nashville to hold a public hearing and conduct interviews of candidates for the vacancy on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals..After interviewing the candidates and conducting a vote, the Commission has submitted the…
May 12, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court has named James M. Hivner, of Bartlett, as the Clerk of the Appellate Courts.Hivner, 47, who is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Shelby County Chancery Court, replaces Mike Catalano, who is retiring in early June after more than 10 years as clerk. Hivner will take…
May 6, 2014
The Southeastern chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates has honored Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and Davidson County Circuit Judge Joe P. Binkley, Jr.
At the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA) in Nashville…
April 30, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments will consider eight applicants when it meets May 16 in Memphis to select nominees for the Court of Appeals vacancy created by Court of Appeals Judge Holly M. Kirby’s appointment to the Tennessee Supreme Court effective September 1.The candidates…
April 25, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments will consider nine applicants when it meets May 13 in Nashville to select nominees for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy.The vacancy was created by the announcement by Judge Jerry Smith that he will not seek to retain his seat in the August…
April 25, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission has released its annual report showing that attorneys in Tennessee have increased dramatically the number of hours of free and reduced-rate legal services to those in need.The report shows that the number of hours of pro bono service…
April 24, 2014
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has determined that a health care liability suit can continue because a plaintiff complied fully with the requirement to provide pre-suit notice to defendants and complied substantially with the requirements to confirm the sending of the notice.…
April 23, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court in a unanimous opinion today clarified the standard of appellate review for a trial court’s decision regarding judicial diversion.When a case is appealed, the court must determine what standard of review applies. In this case, the defendant argued that the Court of…
April 23, 2014
The Tennessee Special Supreme Court has issued an order denying John Jay Hooker’s Petition to Rehear the case in which he challenged the constitutionality of the state’s judicial selection process.Mr. Hooker filed the petition with the Court March 27, seeking a rehearing on the issue of the…
April 22, 2014
Come be part of an emerging judicial court program designed to address the needs of Veterans. The backbone of this specially designed court is made up of volunteer mentors who are engaged and committed to assisting fellow Veterans in need. We are seeking mentors to be trained to help Tennessee’s…
April 17, 2014
The statewide courtroom interpreter program was ranked sixth in the country by a national agency for work in offering language assistance to those that are unable to speak and understand English.The National Center for Access to Justice at the Cardozo School of Law published its “Justice Index” and…
April 8, 2014
A first-of-its-kind statewide gathering of faith and legal professionals brought together more than 100 religious leaders and attorneys at Lipscomb University in Nashville Monday.
The Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance Summit is an initiative of the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice…
April 8, 2014
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals opened in a unique way on Tuesday, April 8, as two Nashville-area musicians played the Star-Spangled Banner just before oral arguments began.
The trumpet performance was one of dozens that Steven H. Smartt has given this year as part of his effort to perform…
April 4, 2014
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that a guilty plea expunged after successful completion of judicial diversion is not considered a conviction and would not be subject to review in post-conviction proceedings.The case involves Jose Rodriguez, a Mexican citizen who in…
April 4, 2014
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Judge Jeff Bivins, a member of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, to the Tennessee Supreme Court, replacing Justice William C. Koch Jr., who is retiring July 15, 2014.“I had the opportunity to appoint Judge Bivins to the Court of Criminal Appeals, and…