News
January 28, 2013
Fifty years and one day after receiving his license to practice law in Tennessee, Shelby County Probate Court Judge Robert Benham will mark the date with another milestone: retirement.Judge Benham was appointed to the bench by the Shelby County Commission in 1997 and re-elected in 1998 and 2006.…
January 25, 2013
Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey has appointed David A. Golden of Hawkins County to the Judicial Nominating Commission. Mr. Golden will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of commission member Theresa Lee.Golden is Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Eastman Chemical…
January 24, 2013
Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler of the 17th Judicial District has announced his retirement, effective May 31.Judge Crigler was appointed to the bench in 2005 and elected in 2006. Prior to that, he served for 16 years as a prosecutor in the district, which serves Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and…
January 24, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that advocates for convicted serial killer Paul Dennis Reid may not continue appealing his convictions in state court against his wishes, despite claims he is not competent to abandon his appeals.In 1997, Mr. Reid committed three armed robberies in Nashville and…
January 23, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that a prosecutor did not abuse his discretion in denying pretrial diversion to a man accused of 16 counts of animal cruelty for intentionally or knowingly failing to provide necessary food and care to horses on his Warren County farm.In July 2009, the Tennessee…
January 23, 2013
The Judicial Nominating Commission meeting originally scheduled for Friday, January 18 in Tazewell, TN has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 7 at Woodlake Lodge in Tazewell. The public hearing will begin at 1 pm., followed by interviews of the six candidates for the Chancery Court…
January 23, 2013
Tennessee Supreme Chief Justice Gary R. Wade and Justice Sharon G. Lee marked the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend at events in East Tennessee.Chief Justice Wade was the keynote speaker at a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration Monday in Sevierville. His reflections on King’s impact were…
January 22, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that an employee of a temporary agency who is injured on the job, but not returned to work by the temporary agency at a wage equal to or greater than the pre-injury wage, may obtain workers’ compensation benefits up to six times the medical impairment rating…
January 17, 2013
The Judicial Nominating Commission meeting scheduled for Friday, January 18 in Tazewell, TN to interview candidates for the Chancery Court vacancy in the 8th Judicial District, which serves Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties has been CANCELED due to inclement weather and will…
January 17, 2013
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that where contracting parties have agreed to allow assignment of a contract with the consent of the non-assigning party, and the agreement is silent regarding the anticipated standard of conduct in withholding consent, an implied covenant of good faith and fair…
January 16, 2013
In Joshua Cooper v. Logistics Insight Corp., the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed two prior rulings in which it held that an employer’s subrogation right against an employee’s recovery from a third party in a negligence case does not include the amount of future medical benefits to be provided to…
January 14, 2013
A coalition of Tennessee legal groups has joined forces to launch a toll-free phone line offering free legal information and referrals to low-income Tennesseans.The service, known as aLEGALz, will assist Tennesseans in finding resources to deal with civil legal issues. Those who cannot afford a…
January 11, 2013
Seven attorneys have applied to fill the Criminal Court vacancy in the 1st Judicial District, which serves Carter, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge Lynn W. Brown, effective March 31.The Judicial Nominating Commission will hold a…
January 4, 2013
The Administrative Office of the Courts has received 24 applications for the seat on Judicial Nominating Commission created by the retirement of commission member Theresa Lee.The comment period is now open and the Administrative Office of the Courts invites public comment regarding the applicants.…
January 4, 2013
Robert D. “Don” Arnold was sworn in Thursday as the third General Sessions Judge for Washington County.Judge Arnold was appointed by the Washington County Commission during a special meeting convened Thursday. He was immediately sworn in by Criminal Court Judge Robert E. Cupp.Judge Arnold was on…
January 2, 2013
Six attorneys have applied to fill the Chancery Court vacancy in the 8th Judicial District, which serves Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties. The vacancy was created by the death of the Honorable Billy Joe White in November.The Judicial Nominating Commission will hold a…
December 26, 2012
Incoming Senior Judge Paul Summers will be sworn in Monday, December 31 in Nashville.Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark will administer the oath at 9:30 a.m. at the Supreme Court building, 401 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville.Summers most recently was a partner in the Nashville law firm of…
December 21, 2012
In a unanimous opinion, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and reinstated the trial court’s judgment awarding a Memphis teacher back pay and damages after the board failed to comply with the Teacher Tenure Act when it dismissed her.Saundra Thompson, a tenured teacher in the…
December 21, 2012
Six attorneys have applied to fill the Chancery Court vacancy in the 8th Judicial District, which serves Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties. The vacancy was created by the death of the Honorable Billy Joe White in November.The Judicial Nominating Commission will hold a…
December 20, 2012
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the lower courts’ decisions that David Keen, an inmate currently on death row, could not reopen his post-conviction proceeding to assert that he was intellectually disabled.In 1990, David Keen raped and murdered an eight-year-old girl in Shelby County. He…