News
February 7, 2014
Gov. Bill Haslam welcomed the Tennessee Supreme Court to the historic court chambers in the Capitol building in Nashville February 6, 2014. The courtroom was the home of the court from the late 1850s until the Supreme Court Building opened up across 7th Avenue from the Capitol in 1937.See…
January 31, 2014
History will be the stage for the Tennessee Supreme Court as they hear oral arguments next week in the Supreme Court Chambers of the Tennessee State Capitol.The Court regularly hears cases in the Supreme Court buildings in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville, but an invitation from Gov. Bill Haslam…
January 31, 2014
Clerk of the Appellate Courts Mike Catalano announced today he will retire in June of this year and become an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, pursuing his ministry on a full-time basis.Mr. Catalano has served the state of Tennessee for more than 35 years in a variety of roles. He was…
January 29, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that a plaintiff has extra time to refile her health care liability lawsuit based on a law that took effect while her initial lawsuit was pending.Juanita E. Good of Columbia suffered brain damage in 2005 while undergoing surgery to remove her gallbladder. Her…
January 28, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court has declined to set aside a 13-year-old guilty plea in which the defendant was never told the full extent of his punishment. In doing so, the Court determined that a statute passed in 1995 severely limited the ability of prisoners and parolees to obtain the benefit of…
January 27, 2014
Nashville, Tenn. – The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice William C. Koch Jr.’s announcement that he will retire July 15.Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney who is at least 35 years…
January 27, 2014
Retired Chancellor Frederick D. McDonald of Knoxville passed away on January 25, 2014. He was 85.
Chancellor McDonald, born and raised in Michigan, was a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. During the Korean War, he served in the US. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps in the…
January 23, 2014
Nearly 300 people, including a Tennessee Supreme Court justice and a Knoxville Circuit Court judge, braved temperatures in the 30s to participate in the Race Against Racism, part of the 2014 Diversity Day and Knoxville Martin Luther King Day celebration.Justice Sharon G. Lee is chair of the…
January 23, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments met on January 23, 2014 in McKenzie to hold a public hearing and conduct interviews of candidates for the Chancellor opening in the 24th Judicial District, which serves Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry counties.After interviewing the…
January 22, 2014
The Office of Gov. Bill Haslam is taking applications for a special judge for the General Sessions Court in Sullivan County. The need for a special judge is created by Judge William A. Watson’s notification to the Governor that he is unable to perform his judicial duties at the present time.All…
January 17, 2014
The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission met Friday, January 17 and voted to recommend the following justices and judges for retention in the August 2014 general election:Supreme Court:Justice Cornelia A. ClarkJustice Sharon G. LeeChief Justice Gary R. WadeCourt of Appeals:Judge Andy D.…
January 17, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments will consider three applicants when it meets next week in McKenzie to select nominees for the chancery court vacancy in the 24th Judicial District, which serves Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry counties. The vacancy was created by the…
January 13, 2014
The Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation announced today that an anonymous donor has made the largest single gift in the history of the organization in honor and memory of the late Donald Franklin Paine, a past president of the Tennessee Bar Association.The foundation, which offers need-based…
January 8, 2014
The Knoxville offices of the Tennessee Supreme and Appellate courts and clerk will be closed until Monday, January 13 because of a water main break outside the court building on Main Street.The building requires a water supply to heat the space and repairs are expected to take several days. Because…
January 6, 2014
The Governor’s Commission for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for the chancellor vacancy in the 24th Judicial District Chancery Court (Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry counties). The vacancy was created by the death of the Honorable Ron E. Harmon.Any interested…
January 2, 2014
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Monday, December 30 that Marcus Pope, who committed a robbery after being invited inside the Memphis residence of Carl Brown, could not also be convicted of a burglary.In August of 2010, Brown, known as the “Candy Man,” sold snacks and soft drinks through a window…
December 27, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Brandon O. Gibson of Crockett County to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Western Section. She will replace Judge David R. Farmer upon the expiration of his term on August 31, 2014.Gibson, 38, has been in private practice at the Pentecost & Glenn law firm in…
December 23, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that a Gatlinburg-area time-share salesperson is not entitled to unemployment benefits.The salesperson had worked for several years selling time shares at Westgate Smoky Mountains under an independent contractor agreement. In 2009, Westgate terminated that…
December 23, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously ruled today that cabinet-level state officials have absolute immunity from defamation claims for speech that arises out of the performance of their official duties.Zoyle Jones, a former employee of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), sued the State…
December 23, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of a man who said he wasn’t aware that his guilty plea would result in his deportation or adversely affect his future eligibility to return legally to the United States.In 2011, Juan Alberto Blanco Garcia, an alien illegally residing in the…