Mike Catalano, associate solicitor general in the Office of the State Attorney General, has been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as Appellate Court Clerk effective Jan. 1.
Catalano, 49, has been with the Office of Attorney General since 1980. He will succeed Cecil Crowson, who is retiring after a 23-year career with the judicial system, including a decade as appellate court clerk. The Supreme Court chose Catalano from 27 attorneys who applied for the position.
“We had a difficult decision because there were so many outstanding and qualified candidates,” Chief Justice Frank Drowota said. “Mike Catalano's experience, though, makes him the ideal choice to fill this important position and we are looking forward to working with him.”
As appellate court clerk, Catalano will oversee offices and staffs in Nashville, Knoxville and Jackson, where the state Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals hear cases. The clerk's offices handle dockets, appellate court filings and administrative matters. The clerk is appointed by the Supreme Court to a six year term.
Catalano graduated from Memphis State University in 1976 Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in political science. He attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and graduated in 1978. He worked as a staff attorney for the executive secretary of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1979 - 1980. Besides his present position, he has been an assistant attorney general and deputy attorney general in the Office of Attorney General. In 1987, Catalano served as a Supreme Court Fellow for the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. He has litigated numerous cases on behalf of the state in both state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels.