InTennessee, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, a state court of criminal appeals, and trial courts of general and limited. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• State court of criminal appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Tennessee's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Tennessee's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in Tennessee andTennessee judicial elections

Selection of state court judges in Tennessee varies by court level. Appellate judges are selected using a system ofassisted appointment andretention elections. Trial court judges participate inpartisan elections, though individual counties have the discretion to instead opt fornonpartisan elections.^[1]

While Tennessee state law changed in 2014 to eliminate the judicial nominating commission and require legislative approval of the governor’s appointee, Gov. Bill Haslam’s Executive Order No. 54 and Gov. Bill Lee’s subsequentExecutive Order No. 87 re-established the judicial nominating commission for appointments. Accordingly, Tennessee’s process is effectivelyassisted appointment with legislative confirmation.

To read more about judicial elections in Tennessee,click here.

Federal courts

There are threefederal district court in Tennessee. These courts may hear appeals from state courts and is also the point of origination for federal cases and lawsuits. The federal district courts in Tennessee are:

• Eastern District of Tennessee
• Middle District of Tennessee
• Western District of Tennessee

Appeals go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Active judges

Eastern District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 1
• Republican appointed: 4

Middle District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 2
• Republican appointed: 2

Western District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 1
• Republican appointed: 3

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

Bankruptcy courts

There are threefederal bankruptcy court in Tennessee. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Tennssee are:

• Eastern District of Tennessee Bankruptcy Court
• Middle District of Tennessee Bankruptcy Court
• Western District of Tennessee Bankruptcy Court

State supreme court

See also:Tennessee Supreme Court

Founded in 1870, the Tennessee Supreme Court is the state'scourt of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court isJeff Bivins. In 2018, the court decided 1,003 cases.

As of September 2024, five judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.

The following judges sit on the court:

State court of appeals

Court of appeals

See also:Tennessee Court of Appeals

TheTennessee Court of Appeals is anintermediate appellate court inTennessee. It hears appeals of civil cases; theTennessee Court of Criminal Appeals hears appeals of criminal cases.

The following judges sit on the court:

Court of criminal appeals

See also:Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals

TheTennessee Court of Criminal Appeals is anintermediate appellate court inTennessee. Established in 1967, it hears appeals of only criminal cases in the state. Appeals of civil cases are heard by theTennessee Court of Appeals.^[2]

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Chancery courts

See also:Tennessee Chancery Courts

TheTennessee Chancery Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction inTennessee. In general, they share jurisdiction with theTennessee Circuit Courts. There is a chancery court in each of the state's32 judicial districts.^[3]

Circuit court

See also:Tennessee Circuit Court

Tennessee circuit courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction inTennessee. There is a circuit court in each of the state's 32 judicial districts.

Criminal court

See also:Tennessee Criminal Court

Tennessee Criminal Courts are trial courts with jurisdiction over criminal matters inTennessee. They may also hear misdemeanor appeals from lower courts. There are criminal courts in 13 ofTennessee's 32 judicial districts, and 33 criminal court judges. In districts without a criminal court, criminal cases are heard by thecircuit courts.^[4]

Probate court

See also:Tennessee Probate Court

Tennessee Probate Courts are courts with "exclusive jurisdiction over probate of wills and administration of estates. The courts also handle conservatorships and guardianships" inTennessee. TheThirtieth Judicial District inShelby County is the only district with a Probate Court. Judges of these courts serve eight-year terms.^[5][4]

Courts of limited jurisdiction

General sessions court

See also:Tennessee General Sessions Court

TheGeneral Sessions Court is a court inTennessee with limited jurisdiction that varies from county to county. Eachcounty has a court which hears civil and criminal cases. Civil jurisdiction is limited to specific monetary limits and types of actions. Criminal jurisdiction is restricted to preliminary hearings in felony cases and misdemeanor trials in which a defendant waives the right to a grand jury investigation and trial by jury in Circuit or Criminal Court. Judges of the General Sessions Courts also serve on theJuvenile Court of their respective counties, except in counties with separate Juvenile Courts. Judges are elected to eight-year terms.^[6]

Juvenile court

See also:Tennessee Juvenile Court

TheJuvenile Court is a court inTennessee that has exclusive jurisdiction in cases involving minors. These courts also have concurrent jurisdiction with Circuit, Chancery and Probate Courts in certain areas. Judges serve eight-year terms.^[7][8]

Municipal court

See also:Tennessee Municipal Court

TheTennessee Municipal Court has jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances, and a municipal court judge has the power to assess fines up to $50 generally, but up to $500 in certain cases. These courts are also known as city courts and their jurisdiction varies from city to city inTennessee.^[9]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in Tennessee
• Tennessee judicial elections

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Tennessee Supreme Court

Footnotes

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